Need help with humidity PLEASE READ!

[Sher90]

Hello BYC community...i know there are plenty of guides telling about what the humidity should be inside an incubator but i wanted to know exact humidity. I have a cabinet incubator and the picture is given below..i have also installed a fan above...so can someone please tell me what should the humidity be with fan and also without it. Help is appreciated. Thank You!

 

[Time-Out]

It would depend on where you are. If you're in the UK, I'd suggest 35-40% with a fan. For elsewhere in the world, you'll have to wait for your peers to answer. Sorry.

 

[AwallRooster]

I have always keep mine at 50 to 60 % from day 1 to day 18, at day 18 i jump it up to 90 to 100%, and I have a 90% hatch rate every time.
I truely belive it will all depend on the area you have the incubator in, an also the region you live in.

 

[Sher90]

I have always keep mine at 50 to 60 % from day 1 to day 18, at day 18 i jump it up to 90 to 100%, and I have a 90% hatch rate every time.
I truely belive it will all depend on the area you have the incubator in, an also the region you live in.

Thanks alot for the info and can u also tell me how to control the humidity.....like making the humidity high or low!

 

[AwallRooster]

Well thats a "learn your incubator class,and your the teacher and the student"

as far as my bator,the more water you add the higher the humidity,also always add warm water ,not room temp. or cold,if you wont't a higher humidity.
To lower the humidity open vent holes located on the box,one at a time,if that don't work, take some of the water out.

hope this helps,maybe someone else can give you a trick or two.

 

[chefchick]

I need help in this area too... It's my first hatch- lockdown was last night. Without ANY water at all on days 1-18 my hygrometer was usually in the 50-55% range, but last night, even after adding water to area #1 and #2 AND two wet sponges it is only up to 65% humidity... What else can I do? there is some fog on the windows, not alot. this is a still air hovabator without a fan...

 

[AwallRooster]

Personaly,I think your hydrometer is off!! also what is the tempeture inside the bator? even at 65% your still in good range,100%humidity is not necessary,but it does help the chicks from sticking to the shell better, I think you will be ok,aslong as it don't drop any lower,

 

[chefchick]

I wondered that myself.... But I did calibrate it when I got it, and even compared it to our expensive indoor/outdoor weather thingie for 24 hours after that and they were dead even. Maybe it stopped working correctly. the thermometer on the eggs and the probe thermometer are both at 100. At times the probe one goes up to 102 but the light on the bator goes off for a few min when it does that.

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

For your hatch, the chicks hatching will increase the humidity aswell. So if you have it at 90% already, the chicks hatching will increase it even more. I keep mine at about 60% for hatching, and it increases a bit once the bird start coming out.

To increase humidity, increase the surface area of the water in the bator and/or close vents. To decrease humidity, open the vents and/or decrease the surface area of the water in the bator.

 

[AwallRooster]

I read your post again chefchick,cause I got to thinking about it,and the reason was ,you said days 1-18 you did'nt have any water in the incubator!!!

wow, thats strange,cause I have never heard of that,but im new to this fourm too!!! but have rasied chicks for along time to sell,let me know how that works for you, not saying it won't,It's just new to me.
Will some other readers post on this with some comments, please,this really is weird to me.