Question on dry hatch method

[WendyF]

Hi, I have decided for my 1st hatch I'd like to try the dry hatch method. I'm a little confused on the humidity level prior to day 18 lockdown. If my home made styrofoam incubator has been able to maintain 99 - 100 degree F & 34% humidity for over a day, is this good enough? Or should I cut down on my humidity tray surface area? I can not achieve a room humidity level as high as suggested. I am attempting this hatch method: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/how-to-incubate-hatch-eggs-using-the-dry-incubation-method

 

[pjquail]

What type of bird are you incubating?

 

[goodb]

dry hatch means dry. No added moisture necessary until day 18 is how I understand it.

 

[pjquail]

oh ya sorry! You are correct

What type are you hatching?

 

[darkbluespace]

My last hatch was a dry hatch, I didn't add any water at all because with the eggs alone the humidity was around 30 %. I would take the water out and see what the humidity is after you add the eggs. Many do add water if the humidity gets too low. There is great info in you search the forum for dry hatching. I wish I had found it before my first hatch that did not go well because humidity was too high.

 

[darkbluespace]

I guess it's been a few weeks since you posted this : )

 

[WendyF]

oh ya sorry! You are correct  What type are you hatching?

Sorry, I didn't see these responses til now. I am incubating 14 large fowl (2 each of black australorp, buff orpington, barred rock, speckled sussex, rhode island red, + 4 easter eggers) & 2 assorted bantams, all chickens. We are now on day 16. I have tried to keep humidity between 20 - 30%, but as the article suggested in the link i included, this has meant adding water when it drops below 25%. In my area, we are all heat & no humidity, so I can't incubate without some water or it would drop below 20%. The good news is, to my inexperienced eye, the air cells appear to be on target as far as how large they have grown when i compare them to a chart here on byc. On my day 14 candle i saw movement in 7 eggs. 2 more look like there is development in them, but it was too dark in those eggs for me to clearly see movement, i did see veins, though. I know these numbers aren't good, but this batch has been through a lot! Usps kept them in their rough care 3 more days than they were supposed to. 4 came in cracked which I tried to repair with nail polish. I can't see life in them, though. Then we had a 22 hour power outage & the low on the thermometer dropped to 79 between days 10 - 11. So if these eggs actually make it all the way, their names are going to be miracle, faith, hope, love & toughy lol .

 

[pjquail]

Oh wow! I thought I could help, but I don't do large fowl. I wish you the best luck!

 

[WendyF]

Oh wow! I thought I could help, but I don't do large fowl. I wish you the best luck!

Thank you!

 

[pjquail]

You are very welcome