??'s about Humidity durring hatch / how to maintain it?

[The Critter Place]

I'm just finishing up a hatch. I had 50 eggs at lockdown. They were hatching in groups of 5-6 at a time last night, and my humidity stayed around 60-65% which I was pleased with.

I know it raises during a hatch but didn't think of it when I went to bed, or what it would be in the am when the hatch slowed down.

This morning it was at 30%

. The wells were dry. I didn't think to check the wells because it was at a good point.

If I had checked , and found them dry last night, what should I have done? It was at 64% when I went to bed, and if I had added water, it would have went sky high, but by not adding any, I woke to a dry bator and 3 eggs were starting to zip, so now I'm worried they may have dried too much in the night.

I hope what i'm asking is making sense, I haven't had all my

yet. lol...

 

[TheRealTimShady]

well, what i did was drilled a small hole big enough for a tube to fit thru in my incubator, i stick the tube in with a funnel attached to pour water in w/o opening the bator up.

as far as a way to solve that problem....wake up in the middle of the night and add more water...thats about it. They probably will be fine, but opening the bator could cause issues, hence the hole with a tube, you can put maybe a couple teaspoons of boiling(or almost) water in there and it'll kick the humidity up to about 70% super fast.

 

[Eyeheartquail]

I read a thread a while back about someone that brought their bator into the bathroom while a hot shower was running. That way they were able to keep the humidity up while opening the bator to add more water. Maybe you could try that?

 

[The Critter Place]

Hi Mibotsu,
Thanks!

But I was up in the middle of the night.

lol... called it a night around 1 am.. so I guess I will have to set an alarm for the crack of dawn.

As far as adding water, I don't have any problems with opening this bator. It's the havo and it jumps back up within minutes. It does have a plug I can remove to add water with a syringe.

it's just that when I went to bed, it was good but It didn't occur to me it was due to them hatching, so when they quit after I went to bed, it dropped.

I've been setting eggs late in the day so my son has a chance to see them hatch after school. Maybe in the future I will plan for hatches on the weekends and set them early, with the hopes they hatch early and I can have the humidity at a good point by bed time.

 

[The Critter Place]

Quote:
Oh... bringing it up wasn't my problem, it gets back up quickly . The problem was it seemed good when I went to bed, but I didn't think about it being due to them hatching. when they slowed down the humidity dropped, the wells were dry.

But if I had seen that, I really couldn't have added water last night, the rest would drown.

 

[TedJan92_in_Idaho]

Run a cheap humidifier in the room. It will help out a lot. The humidity in the room where I incubate is 10%. So I tried it and it helped

 

[Eyeheartquail]

i'm sure it would have taken a lot of water for the humidity to sky rocket and for them to drown? Wouldn't it? Either way...It sounds like your idea of hatching on the weekends and setting them early, will probably work to fix the problem.

 

[TwoCrows]

I keep wet sponges in the incubator. I drench them good before bed. Now sometimes that will raise the humidity a bit at first, but about an hour later the humidity levels off and the sponges stay wet till morning. Keeps the humidity up high.

 

[The Critter Place]

Ted~
That sounds great! I'm sure my whole family and plants could benefit from some extra humidity right now! it's 28% in the room where the bator is.

I don't have a humidifier right now, but do have 2 table top water fountains I've been meaning to set up in that room anyways. It's also a craft room and plant room. lol...

I'll get them set up and ready for the next hatch.

Eyeheartquail
This morning, with the humidity in the high 20's I had to add water to both wells to get it back to 60%.
Last night both wells were empty, but humidity was at 60% due to the hatches, adding water at that point to keep it from being low this morning would have sent it sky high,
What i'm trying to find out is if it would have drown the un pipped eggs if I had added water last night while it was already at 60%, to prevent it from being low.

another member here just had a poor hatch and he is concerned it may have been due to his humidity jumping to 90%.

I like Ted's idea! and I will try and hatch more often on the weekends and set early , like I had said. That way I can try and have it where it needs to be by bed time.

 

[TwoCrows]

If you are worried about the chicks drowning at pipping, you can hatch them in egg cartons large end up. That way the air pocket tends to stay drier, and chicks don't drown as easily.