Operation Dry Hatch

[MobyQuail]

love me some dry incubation, thanks "ChickensInMyYard" for the heads up. appreciate ya.

 

[Georgia Boy 1970]

I am trying the dry hatch incubation method this hatch.I am using a brower top hatch incubator.I am 5 days in.Temperature is staying at 99.5.Is there anything else I need to know?
Thanks

 

[chickenbuttsowhat]

would this work on geese and duck eggs or just for chickens???

 

[Clover Run]

Having read through most of this post can I get some confirmation that I understand correctly?
During incubation humidity should be 35-40 and at lockdown day 18 rise to 55-60 and leave alone for hatch.
I totally believe the higher humidity is drowning the chicks etc etc - went through this recently and looking for a better way. This sounds like it - I have a hava bator with egg turner.

 

[Jerome 123]

Wonder if it would work in a mini eco?

 

[zekii]

Should work with a mini Eco if the humidity in the room you are incubating in is 45% relative humidity or more.

 

[bigT88]

this is my second incubation. trying the "dry" method. hoping for the best

 

[zekii]

My basement humidity was in the 20-30 % range until begining of April then it came right up, now running around 45-53%
I'm not adding any water at all to my incubators until lockdown. Just candled and all the aircells look right on target.
So depending on where you have your incubator, and your weather/climate you should be able to run without adding any water.

 

[Duck Drover]

I'm not saying to turn off or not to turn off but think about this. In the Hova Bator Incubators there is one power cord and if you use the auto turner it has it's own plug. Now, if you unplug the power plug it turns off the fan but also the heater so it don't seem to me that they are to be turned off. I know there are some without the fans so I guess you just do what you think is right. I have never turned mine off. One thing I can say is I've never had a shrink wrapped peep unless they are to weak to come out of the shell on their own and that will cause shrink wrap even without a fan. The air itself will dry the membrane. I have also found that most chicks that I helped when I first started incubating do not make it or end up being sickly chicks in the end. Not all but some. I truly do believe in the survival of the fittest. If they aren't strong enough to come out of the shell on their own, I let nature take it's course. I've learned quite a bit in the last couple of years with these. They have to be awful expensive eggs for me to help at all. Even then, if I have enough hatching I will not help any. As the old saying goes, we're never to old to learn. I was ready to give up last year and thank God I didn't because I've gotten some really lovely chicks in the past few months from my incubators. lol 
Good Luck to all of you. Be thankful for each one that you hatch and hope for better rates the next time. Nothing like a good ole broody hen. lol
Jim

I ended up doing some assisted hatches with my first batch of duck eggs because I had fed them layer pellets thinking it would be good for them while they were laying but the shells were so hard that I had ducklings dying in the shell. I tried spraying them to soften them up and drowned a duckling that had pipped. Now that the ducks are back on flock raiser instead of layer pellets the ducklings are hatching on their own and they are strong while the ducklings I helped were too weak to survive and one had curled toes as well. I am glad I figured out that it was the feed that was the problem because I am no longer having ducklings die during hatching. Some might quit early but the ones that make it to lockdown are hatching without my help. I don't think I would do assisted hatches unless it was something minor because I don't like feeling responsible if a baby does not survive.

 

[weeshanti]

Thanks for this thread! If nothing else, it answered a lot of questions that did not come with my incubator, like how much water should be in the darn thing. All it said was "increase humidity" but had no guidelines for how to do that, so this thread is wonderful.

I've had successful broody-hen hatches, but suddenly no one wants to sit longer than two days, and eggs are going to waste. On day 2 of my first hatch with the incubator...fingers crossed.