Mahonri's 2nd Annual NYDHatch, watching them grow...

[BHep]

Guess I'm the bad one....I just open the Brinsea and pour the water in quick. Hardly any temp change. I love this incubator.

 

[halo]

I do the same, I see no problem with opening the top during incubation. The hen gets off the nest each day for a few minutes, so whats the difference. During lockdown, thats a different story, but for the first 18 days, its no problem.

 

[ChooksChick]

I pay ZERO attention to humidity during the first 18 days and open and close the incubator willy-nilly. Sometimes for up to a half hour!

See, I quit worrying when I realized Momma hens hop off the nest and go wandering around for an hour daily. I've not noticed any change in my hatch rates AT ALL in the past year or so I've ignored the first 18 days, just really intent on the temp being fairly stable. I have staggered hatches usually, since I hatch at least a batch a week. I open and close at least daily, since I stack eggs and hand-move the top layer.

I only really worry about the humidity and sudden changes during 'confinement.'

Breathe deep: it'll be okay!!!

 

[Happy Chooks]

Kathy......thanks for calming Steve down. Sheesh, I thought I was gonna need a valium just reading his post.

My humidity is running high as well, upper 40's, I'm not too worried about it. Nature isn't perfect, so it's not a big deal.

Steve........breathe......slowly............it'll be fine.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Quote:
Me too.

 

[pinkchick]

Quote:
Me too Chooks! Right now humidity in my 'bator is at 37%.......there is no water in it at all. It is very humid here with the rain and indoor humitity is at 76% and indoor temp is 67 deg., as I type my hands are clammy and sweaty. So I don't worry too much about hum. until the last 4 days. Most of the time I won't even take it up past 45% while in lockdown, even when hatching Marans.

 

[mdulik]

hope this is better

 

[ChooksChick]

I hatch Marans normally when not shipped, but when shipped, I sand them to make them lose more moisture when incubating. I'll use up to 75% at hatch in an LG, but in the RCom I use 40%.

I've just got a handful of mine in there with this hatch, so I'm ignoring that they're Marans!

I'm ignoring everything, really, except the temps, now that it's settled. It took 24 hours to stabilize after loading the LG. After the RCom hatches, I'll put all of the contest eggs that are good after candling into the RCom, using the oval tray on blocks to stack and still have the turner manage the lower level. I love the set-it-and-forget-it quality of those incubators!!

Quote:
Me too Chooks! Right now humidity in my 'bator is at 37%.......there is no water in it at all. It is very humid here with the rain and indoor humitity is at 76% and indoor temp is 67 deg., as I type my hands are clammy and sweaty. So I don't worry too much about hum. until the last 4 days. Most of the time I won't even take it up past 45% while in lockdown, even when hatching Marans.

 

[Rathbone]

Well now, I who was previously NOT worried about my humidity, am now worried. I had read that I was supposed to keep humidity at 55% for the first 18 days and then up to 65% until hatch. Please someone, set me straight.

 

[ZooMummzy]

Quote:
Whenever I start to get stressed out over my hatches, I'm going to come read this post!

I was starting to get freaked out last night when I candled the eggs and the temp went all over the place for a couple hours (never above 103 though, just up and down) and the humidity went up to 60%. It was all stable before I went to bed but I am going to print this post out and stick it above the incubator

Candling note: following the candling thread silkiechicken started last year on my eggs and her incubator, it looks like I have one quitter, 2 live ones and 5 duds

Leaving them till lockdown on day 17 though just in case.