sparrker, Ideal humidity for incubating is 40-50% and Ideal temp is 100 degrees but having the 1588 you don't need to worry about the temp. I will give everyone a run down of what I have learned from friends and farmers that have been incubating and hatching for years. P.S I'm new myself so just learning but here it goes= Let your incubator warm up (Come Up To Temp 99 to 100) for about 24 to 48hrs before you set the eggs just to make sure the temp is holding like it should. If using a Hova-Bator any model fill the #1 tray (Right Side) looking at incubator all the way to the top but dont over fill. It will take a little while to build up the humidity but once you do it should stay between 40-50% you will need to refill it every 2-3 days. On the 18th day remove the turner,candle if you like (I will be) and fill both #1 and #2 trays with water (Both Right and Left Side) and this will bring the humidity up to 60-70% which is Ideal for hatching. Your temp should stay the same at 100 degrees. Also remember with adding water it's not the depth that counts it's the surface area meaning the more trays/areas you fill with water the higher the humidity will get. I would never recommend going over 75% humidity while hatching you could drown the chicks when they peck threw the shell. Like I said earlier 40-50% for Incubating and 60-70% while hatching. My friend said he had a 100% loss his first 2 hatches trying to dry incubate. I really hope this helps.
