Seeking incubator humidity advice

[AmieD]

Hi All, I just built an incubator after watching a Youtube tutorial. I am amazed that it actually works. lol. I just need some advice on how to manage humidity. I put a rag in a jar of water and after a few hours it was at 57%. What's the best way to manage it once I start incubating eggs? I've read that I can drill holes and use plugs that I can remove if it goes too high. Do you have suggestions on how to raise it at the end of the hatch? I've also read that I should run it for a while before adding eggs...what's a good time frame? Thanks for the suggestions. This will be my first hatch.

 

[Pyxis]

57% is too high for the first 18 days of incubation. Depending on your local climate and size of the eggs, you'll want between 30-50% during that time. I run at 30% because if I ran any higher the embryos would drown. You'll want to pay attention to your air cells to see what's going to work best for you.

Surface area is what determines humidity, so if you put a layer of paper towels over the whole bottom of the incubator and just sprayed them until they were wet, the humidity would be higher than if you put a mason jar of water in the corner, for example, even though the jar holds more water.

You will want to put vent holes in anyway to allow for air exchange because the developing embryos need oxygen. You can use these to regulate humidity too by opening and plugging them, but make sure you have at least one hole open at all times to allow for the air exchange.

You'll want to run your incubator for at least 24 hours before hatch to be sure it is holding the correct temperature and humidity.

 

[AmieD]

Thanks for the very helpful tips. I see that you're from my home state of VT! I've been in GA for 13 years, but VT will always be home.