Michigan Hatchers! What'cha got cookin?

[iamfivewire]

last nite was day 8

 

[mattsinger]

That's OK naglady...but I decided to proceed with higher lockdown humidity going by the weights. I was torn, but that's the decision I made.
So we will see what we see in a couple days.

I've got several things rigged up to increase humidity surface area...I put a paper towel over and into the reservoirs on the bottom of the LG. I did this with the towel wet before setting the eggs so it was ready to go at lockdown. With the reservoirs full and wicking into the towel I've got it up to 65%. I think that if I fill them twice a day I should be able to maintain that level 24/7. I'm using a squeeze siphon bottle with a long extension of skinny irrigation tubing that I can feed down thru the holes in the top of the bator, thru the wire mesh and into the reservoirs. Also have a large sponge I may add also. The whole bator is sitting suspended above a pan of water that is just a couple inches larger than the bator....not sure if that helps, but figure it won't hurt.

Here's a pic showing the siphon bottle and the water pan.

aart ... what I did to help increase humidity was to turn the entire bottom into a water pan. I took approx 1 inch pieces of drinking straws, and hot glued them into the vent holes in the bottom..sticking up into the bator. This way you can fill the entire bottom with water and it will not leak out the vent holes.

 

[aart]

aart ... what I did to help increase humidity was to turn the entire bottom into a water pan. I took approx 1 inch pieces of drinking straws, and hot glued them into the vent holes in the bottom..sticking up into the bator. This way you can fill the entire bottom with water and it will not leak out the vent holes.

LOL Thanks Matt! I had actually thought of that...but it's not my incubator so I can't modify it.

I thought about just pressing the straws into the holes, the pan below would catch any slow leaks, but that would have reduced the orifice size.

I think what I've got now will work OK. I also have a drip system cobbled up in case filling late at night doesn't hold over until morning.

 

[naglady]

looks like a good plan, good luck to you.. keep us posted.

 

[aart]

Just realized that the cut down cardboard egg cartons that are holding the eggs have become saturated from the wet paper towel under the mesh.......do you think that's a problem?

 

[naglady]

aart this is what i meant i punch out the bottom of the carton.. see picture.. see the circles on the bottom, i take that part out, i use my thumb and sometimes scissors just to get me started... kinda sounds to me that you have way to much moisture for those eggs.. i dont use paper towel.. i just use egg cartons.. and the eggs and gunk get left in the carton after the chick hatches ... so you may not need to worry about paper towel.. its just to keep it cleaner..
if you dont have any pips.. i would go in and take out the wet paper towel and the soaked egg cartons and just put dry egg cartons with the bottoms out, and eggs. and see how that goes.. hope this helps.. thats what i would do.. use your judgement.. if you think you should leave it how it is.. then do it.. that was just me.. not saying its the right thing to do.. but its what i would do..




65 humidity is plenty.. wait to put anymore water in.. your humidity will go up when the chicks start hatching..

 

[aart]

Thanks naglady......Yep, that's how I had them cut open on the bottoms and the sides are cut down too.

I did swap out the wet cartons for dry ones....didn't remove the paper towel but put some shims under the mesh to keep the bottoms of the carton away from the towel under the mesh.

The paper towel is to provide more surface area for water evaporation, it wicks water out of the reservoirs, it really helped up the humidity level....last time I couldn't get the humidity above 50-55% even with a bunch of sponges in there.

I wish I would have taken a pic of it before I set the eggs...kind of hard to explain.

 

[naglady]

sounds like your on the right track.. glad you swapped out the wet carton. cant wait for your first pip..

i am having a hard time not turning on my incubator.. thinking i may go ahead and get it started.. and not ad any water till lockdown.. and see how this hatch goes.. cant make up my mind

 

[aart]

sounds like your on the right track.. glad you swapped out the wet carton. cant wait for your first pip..

i am having a hard time not turning on my incubator.. thinking i may go ahead and get it started.. and not ad any water till lockdown.. and see how this hatch goes.. cant make up my mind

It's hard to stop isn't it??? Thing is do you have room for another batch of chicks 3 weeks younger?

 

[naglady]

yes it is really hard.. i will combine the new chicks with the 3 wk old ones in a wk. last year the chicks did fine adding them at different ages.. i have a pretty big box that i keep them in..

but if i do have another hatch.. i will try sell or give them away..

i already caliberated my thermometer