Okay, I have never heard of this problem before and I couldn't find anything online to help, I'm hoping someone on here can help.
This is my second attempt at incubating eggs. My first was a disaster, I set 42 eggs and 30 made it to lock down (my own eggs, the other 12 were duds, never fertile). Two days after the expected date I finally get a pip and a screaming chick beak. 18 hours later she still hasn't unzipped and I see bubbles coming out of her beak. My husband, mother, and I intervene and unzip and remove the egg cap. Next day she emerges on her own but has the umbilical attached. (A week later she is fine, absorbed everything and is a healthy little piglet of a chick) but no more pips. I candle some and no movement. My mother and I then proceed to preform what we hoped would be rescues but ended up being eggtopsies. All dead, all fully formed, some even had almost all the yolk absorbed. But they were big and not a one was positioned right. We figured that it was because we took the turner out a day too late and chalked it up to a horrible learning experience.
Here comes second attempt, I add water on day one and not a drop after. On day 4 I get this weird feeling so my husband and I go out and get a couple extra humidity gauges. Turned out my humidity is 70-80%! Not a drop of water left in the incubator, both gauges read high, different brands and both new. My digital reader on my incubator reads at 41%. So I decide to go with the two reading of the new gauges and try to get the humidity down. (Note that the windows are wet to the touch and fogged over) The only way I could get it down was to put the lid on at an angle and let fresh air in. Three hours later (the temp stayed between 90 and 100 on both the digital and the backup thermometer) I finally get it between 40-55%. I close the incubator but this morning it's back up to 70-80%! What do I do?
It's a little giant still air incubator, just over a month old, with auto turner. Both red plugs removed, set at 102° with glass stones in the bottom to help regulate heat. I'm on central Fl and it has been storming everyday and the humidity meter reads at 50-60% outside the incubator on a good day. Much higher on a rainy one. The incubator is in a garage that stay plenty warm and has no drafts.
Any help would be greatly appreciated! I don't want to go through 29 eggtopsies again....
This is my second attempt at incubating eggs. My first was a disaster, I set 42 eggs and 30 made it to lock down (my own eggs, the other 12 were duds, never fertile). Two days after the expected date I finally get a pip and a screaming chick beak. 18 hours later she still hasn't unzipped and I see bubbles coming out of her beak. My husband, mother, and I intervene and unzip and remove the egg cap. Next day she emerges on her own but has the umbilical attached. (A week later she is fine, absorbed everything and is a healthy little piglet of a chick) but no more pips. I candle some and no movement. My mother and I then proceed to preform what we hoped would be rescues but ended up being eggtopsies. All dead, all fully formed, some even had almost all the yolk absorbed. But they were big and not a one was positioned right. We figured that it was because we took the turner out a day too late and chalked it up to a horrible learning experience.
Here comes second attempt, I add water on day one and not a drop after. On day 4 I get this weird feeling so my husband and I go out and get a couple extra humidity gauges. Turned out my humidity is 70-80%! Not a drop of water left in the incubator, both gauges read high, different brands and both new. My digital reader on my incubator reads at 41%. So I decide to go with the two reading of the new gauges and try to get the humidity down. (Note that the windows are wet to the touch and fogged over) The only way I could get it down was to put the lid on at an angle and let fresh air in. Three hours later (the temp stayed between 90 and 100 on both the digital and the backup thermometer) I finally get it between 40-55%. I close the incubator but this morning it's back up to 70-80%! What do I do?
It's a little giant still air incubator, just over a month old, with auto turner. Both red plugs removed, set at 102° with glass stones in the bottom to help regulate heat. I'm on central Fl and it has been storming everyday and the humidity meter reads at 50-60% outside the incubator on a good day. Much higher on a rainy one. The incubator is in a garage that stay plenty warm and has no drafts.
Any help would be greatly appreciated! I don't want to go through 29 eggtopsies again....
