NEED HELP!!!!! aquarium air stone for higher hum. in hatcher?

[arlosmine]

I am having a hard time getting the humidity up and regular in the LG that I use as a hatcher. ( it wants to drop to 60, and I can barely get it to peak at 65) I think some of the problem may be that I have only 4 eggs in it (bantams)- but I will often have six or fewer eggs to hatch at one time, so I need to solve this. Right now I have six sponges in there- two under the wire, four on top, that I am saturating 3-4 times daily with a syringe/air tube throught the bator's air holes.

I have thought that I need to take up some of the air space with some mass (best things to use?) so as to have less air to hydrate.

I have also thought that a small pan/ bowl under the wire with an aquarium airstone in it would produce a consistant source of moisture, as long as the water covered the air stone and the surface area remained the same. Right or wrong?

My current eggs were supposed to hatch last night and nobody is making a move, so I am not feeling so optomistic right now about this batch, but I have a week to prepare for batch #2 who all look great in the bator.

any experienced hatchers out there with suggestions for me? I could use them!!!

 

[william9792]

are you sure your guage reads right? have you calbrated your humidty guage? i have a LG and i find that my humidty needs to be at 45 to 55% for days 18-21 any higher my chicks drown in the shell. to calbrate the humidty guage---------- take a coffe cup and place a 1/4 cup on salt in it, then 1/2 cup of warm water and stir it, then place coffecup and humitdy guage in zip lock bag for 8 hours, after 8 hour it should read 75%, if it reads 80 you know it reads +5 to high, if it reads 65% you know it reads -10 to low. i do this every time before i set my eggs. william

 

[BeardedChick]

I just tried the same thing and didn't think the aquarium pump helped that much. It was disappointing because I thought it would be a great way to get fresh humidified air into the hatcher.

What helped my setup most was moving the fan to blow directly across the water pans. That bumped the humidity WAY up, even though I'm using a smaller water pan that I did before.

 

[jvls1942]

Quote:
60% is not that bad..

try running duct tape around the seam where the top and bottom of your LG come together..

then watch your temp closely, also.
it might rise,,,as well as your humidity..

 

[chickedydoodaa]

throw more sponges in there that is what I had to do keep adding them until you get it where you want it, you will get it where you want it to be, even if it takes 20 sponges! haha!

 

[BeardedChick]

I had the whole bottom of the 'bator setup with sponges. Mine needed more airflow. After moving the fan, I don't need any sponges, actually.

 

[AHappychick]

I cut plastic disposable cups and placed them under the screen at the corners where I could fill them with water from the vent holes with a straw. needed at least 3 of these and 1 sponge in the LG for my last 3 days to have humidity at around 70 %. I think the cups worked better than the 4 sponges I used before.

Still I struggled with my LG and would recommend for your own piece of mind getting the Genesis 1588 I sis and love it!!! now my LG is for emergencies only. I did not bother with the turner because of cost and I don't mind hand turning my eggs.