opened up bator to candle for first time...DRY! Are they ok????

[chickensassy]

I am so new about this and very very clueless. I have read and read but still did not realize that I had to keep filling with water! I opened up today and dry!!!! will they survive? What should I do??? please help me all you experienced hatchers out there!!!

 

[Arielle]

When you say dry, are meaning the water source has dried up? Or are the air cells too big?

 

[chickensassy]

water is dried up and its the 7th day.

 

[they'reHISchickens]

They are fine. You are dry incubating whether you know it or not.
Decide what you want the humidity to be during the next 2 weeks and add/not add water accordingly. At lockdown make sure it stays around 65% even if you need to add sponges or terrycloth to expand the evaporative area.
Texas is really dry right now so don't let it get below 20% if you decide on dry incubation.

 

[chickensassy]

do you recommend a humidity counter thing? Otherwise I have no way to know what % the bator has. It is a Brinsea Eco 20

 

[DMRippy]

Quote:
Yes! You need to know what your humidity is. You don't want too much you will drowned them. Low humidity the first 18 days and then you can up it for lockdown. You can get hygrometers cheap at walmart or lowes/homedepot. I got one of mine for $3 with a thermometer at wally world. Not very accurate but close enough it is with in 5% of my digital.

 

[chickensassy]

Oh, THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!!!! I am a nervous wreck!!!!!! I did see like a black shaddow and veins on many of them...I had about 4 with nothing...I talked sweet to them and hope in a few weeks to see their fuzzy little faces...thanks to all of you.

 

[Arielle]

Yes! You need to know what your humidity is. You don't want too much you will drowned them. Low humidity the first 18 days and then you can up it for lockdown. You can get hygrometers cheap at walmart or lowes/homedepot. I got one of mine for $3 with a thermometer at wally world. Not very accurate but close enough it is with in 5% of my digital.

x2

humidity doesn't need to be as specific as temperature but you do need to know what it is so it is 30-45, a range; it can go lower or higher day to day; the main thing is to have the egg experience some moisture loss by day 18. THen the chick has an air cell large enough to break into before it pips. When the air cell is not big enough at hatching time, people refer to this as drowning. You may have read about this. It's a balancing act: need to loose some moisture but not a lot. The air cell size is the most important.

The air cell size IMO is a function of humidity, temperature and ventilation. All three work together. Maybe this will help when candling:

http://www.poultryconnection.com/quackers/aircell.html​