NEWBIE on hatching eggs - questions on lockdown

[vdrsolo]

You really want a mesh rubber liner, one with holes for humidity from water wells to circulate the bator. The kind I use keeps the mess down. You will have tiny pieces of shell finding their way to the water wells, but it's easy to clean out.
Sometimes chicks do ok with smaller cells because after lock down the air cell does draw down significantly. If it draws down enough it will compensate for smaller cells. Smaller cells doesn't mean they won't hatch but there is a higher the risk of drowning at hatch time. Hatching upright can give them a better chance. As for hatching in cartons....many people hatch upright in cartons as part of their normal hatch method. If you cut down the cartons like I explained, they are fine. If you aren't comfortable hatching upright, lay them down. 90% of hatching advice will get you differing opinions. People all do things differently, you find what your comfortable with and what works for you. There are very few certainties in hatching. 2 of those is temps and that they egg has got to loose enough moisture. How it's done doesn't matter, just that it happens.

I'm not putting water in the water wells (I am going to use sponges)because i want to be able to decrease my humidity if it gets too high (if removing the vent plugs doesn't work), will the no hole type liner then be ok?? I already have it in there but I can go cut out a few holes with scissors if I need to. I