Low altitude to high altitude

[BastyPutt]

Hello!

I am currently working on incubating my first batch of eggs. I have been raising chickens for about 6 years, and never had the need to because I could always just go to the feed store and get what I want. As most of you know, that is not the case.

anyway, I have never had a rooster (that I have kept), still don’t but am bringing some cockerels up right now that I got from McMurray earlier this year. This means that I had to order some hatching eggs.

Now, to my actual question, I live at about 4500 feet of altitude in Oregon, very dry. It is next to impossible to find any eggs that are available anywhere near that altitude. What I am incubating now is from 1000 feet, but wondering if anyone has any experience with this.

thanks.

 

[R2elk]

Hello!

I am currently working on incubating my first batch of eggs. I have been raising chickens for about 6 years, and never had the need to because I could always just go to the feed store and get what I want. As most of you know, that is not the case.

anyway, I have never had a rooster (that I have kept), still don’t but am bringing some cockerels up right now that I got from McMurray earlier this year. This means that I had to order some hatching eggs.

Now, to my actual question, I live at about 4500 feet of altitude in Oregon, very dry. It is next to impossible to find any eggs that are available anywhere near that altitude. What I am incubating now is from 1000 feet, but wondering if anyone has any experience with this.

thanks.

I have done it with eggs from sea level to my elevation of one mile high. It will be easier for you at 4500'. Just pay attention to the air cell growth and keep adjusting your incubator humidity to get the proper weight loss over the full incubation term.

 

[SnapdragonQ]

Following.
I'm not nearly as high at 2000' but am high enough to need to make adjustments to baking and canning. I have my first set of eggs going now, from my own flock, and am wondering a lot about humidity since I live in a more humid area.
My house tends to stay between 50 to 55% this time of year but outside fluctuates wildly.

 

[R2elk]

Following.
I'm not nearly as high at 2000' but am high enough to need to make adjustments to baking and canning. I have my first set of eggs going now, from my own flock, and am wondering a lot about humidity since I live in a more humid area.
My house tends to stay between 50 to 55% this time of year but outside fluctuates wildly.

With an ambient humidity that high, you may be able to go completely dry up until lockdown. When I have the swamp cooler running in the summer, my house humidity of 60% allows me to dry incubate right up until lockdown.

 

[SnapdragonQ]

With an ambient humidity that high, you may be able to go completely dry up until lockdown. When I have the swamp cooler running in the summer, my house humidity of 60% allows me to dry incubate right up until lockdown.

Hmm, so the directions saying 48 to 55% as the target humidity might be wrong? I've got some water in it and it's been hovering close to 51%. I checked it against my house temp/hygrometer (inside the incubator running with water for 2 full days before the eggs) and it showed a 2% variance, but it was steady and they stayed within 2% of each other the whole time.
I can easily suck the water out from the outside port, but thus far have only been keeping it half full anyway and the slide vents 1/2 to all the way open.

Deeper digging is showing people keep theirs anywhere from 30 to 50% but they don't usually say what their general area humidity is.

 

[R2elk]

Hmm, so the directions saying 48 to 55% as the target humidity might be wrong? I've got some water in it and it's been hovering close to 51%. I checked it against my house temp/hygrometer (inside the incubator running with water for 2 full days before the eggs) and it showed a 2% variance, but it was steady and they stayed within 2% of each other the whole time.
I can easily suck the water out from the outside port, but thus far have only been keeping it half full anyway and the slide vents 1/2 to all the way open.

Deeper digging is showing people keep theirs anywhere from 30 to 50% but they don't usually say what their general area humidity is.

Regardless of the manufacturer's direction or what works for other people, the only thing that matters is that you have the right sized air cell when you go into lockdown. The best way to do this is by tracking weight loss and adjusting the incubation humidity as necessary to get to the proper point.

All that said, what works best for me is if I can keep my incubator humidity around 30% up until lockdown when I run the hatcher at 65 to 70% humidity.