Saturday is LOCK-DOWN--33 eggs, HovaBator 1588

[sarahandbray]

Ok, so this Saturday is lockdown on my very first batch of incubated eggs. Any last minute suggestions?!?
Here's what I'm doing and add any tweaks you think I should do:
--take eggs out of turner
--take out turner
--gently lay eggs on their side on the wire mesh bottom of incubator
--fill trays one and two with water.

Do I need sponges? Directions that came with the incubator even have stapled directions explaining humidity and that I don't need to add anything else to the incubator. Says humidity above what they suggest decreases hatch rate.

So do I just sit back and watch them hatch?!? I sure hope so!! This is so much fun!!!

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Good luck with your lockdown
Do you have a hygrometer for measuring the humidity? I like at a least 65% for lockdown some like more. If you do have hygrometer and it shows less than 65% with your water in you can add sponges to bump it up. It is surface area and not depth that create the humidity. After adding though I would suggest you leave the incubator to settle before making any adjustments. What are your incubators recomended humidity for lockdown?

 

[sarahandbray]

The hygrometer is built-in to these new HovaBators--it has a digital read-out for temperature and humidity.
I don't have the booklet in front of me, but it basically says fill trays 1 & 2 for regular elevation locations and just shut it on day 18. Humidity for setting was between 45%-55% (which it has been faithfully with no tweaking) and between 55%-65% for hatching. No mention of a sponge being added.
-Sarah

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I'm one of those that prefer higher. I like mine at least 70%, but shoot for 75%. I also use sponges in mine at lockdown for two reasons. 1) To get and keep my humidity up during lockdown/hatch. 2) Because it's easier to slip the bator open enough, grab out the sponge and wet it and slip it back in w/o loosing humidity than to open it up and refill the wells or play with a tubing/or dropper to add water. Good luck on your hatch!

 

[Chicke lady]

I'm also using the 1588 to hatch I have a question about my batch...I added a dozen eggs 4 days after the first dozen went in because the second dozen wasn't sent when it was supposed to be....what should I get my humidity to at day 18 for the first dozen that won't harm the 2nd dozen who are 4 days behind?? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I'm also using the 1588 to hatch I have a question about my batch...I added a dozen eggs 4 days after the first dozen went in because the second dozen wasn't sent when it was supposed to be....what should I get my humidity to at day 18 for the first dozen that won't harm the 2nd dozen who are 4 days behind?? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

I would never do a staggered hatch because of this very problem, but if faced with this dilemma, I would say (my opinion, mind you,) if I did not have any peeping or pipping at day 18, I would push the lock down back a day and lock down at day 19 instead of day 18 to give the ones that are 4 days behind an extra day before upping the humidity to hatching levels. I would stop turning the first ones at 18 though and turn the second half manually for their remander of time. Then early on day 19 I would go into lockdown and up the humidity and hope for the best. The first half really need that humidity to hatch, hopefully with the others only being 4 days behind, and if you can hold back one day befor lockdown then those eggs will only be in higher than needed humidity for 3 days early, they will all be ok.
Only other suggestion would be if someone had an incubator you could use as a hatcher for a few days.
Good luck. Hope it all works out for you.