Simulated Natural Nest Incubation~Experiment #1 So it begins....

[Beekissed]

A lot of older folks used to hatch chicks near the wood stove (I believe reading even about UNDER the stove, somehow.. sounds like breakfast to me, really.) These electronic incubators have only been around for 20-30 years.. Just gotta relearn the old methods

Directly under the wood stove it doesn't get as hot as beside it because most stoves have sand or fire brick in the bottom that insulates that area from hot coals. I'd say it was "just right" like the old lady had said! Mighty dry, but just right in temps.

I agree...those old methods stood the test of time but so many are very quick to say that they were not efficient or as good as newer methods. I'm sort of old fashioned in many ways, so they suit me better. I cling to them.

 

[chickencrazy999]

Sounds good what day are you on now?

 

[Beekissed]

Just day 2. But I'm hopeful..... Am currently measuring the humidity of my nest using a new gadget of my Mom's. It's a wireless, digital, indoors/outdoors thermometer and humidity gauge. I'm waiting to see what the nest temps will register. Hope it reads accurately so I can have some kind of idea. I wouldn't have bought a humidity gauge just for this project but just now found out she had bought herself a new thermometer and it had this feature...so neato! I'll use it!

 

[Beekissed]

Well...it measured the nest at an even 45%, though it didn't do too well on measuring the temps...was not concurrent with the other two thermometers, so maybe that particular thermometer is better at measuring ambient temps and not enclosed, internal temps of a space.

Still...45% isn't bad for a dry hatch, is it? Or would that even be considered a dry hatch?

 

[subhanalah]

That's definitely not a dry hatch, lol.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Bee, 45% is very high for a dry incubation. Humidity for dry incubation tends to be 25%-35%... There's not a WHOLE lot of moisture getting added to a chicken's nest I imagine except for when it rains so the humidity would be low. When the chicks start to hatch, them cracking their own shells starts to raise the humidity... But a chick that is very early or very late may still get shrink wrapped. That's why they have internal systems to try and all hatch out at once. It gives them all the ideal conditions for survival.

 

[foxvalleyfarm]

Would a humidity gauge for a reptile work in a nest like this?

 

[Beekissed]

Bee, 45% is very high for a dry incubation. Humidity for dry incubation tends to be 25%-35%... There's not a WHOLE lot of moisture getting added to a chicken's nest I imagine except for when it rains so the humidity would be low. When the chicks start to hatch, them cracking their own shells starts to raise the humidity... But a chick that is very early or very late may still get shrink wrapped. That's why they have internal systems to try and all hatch out at once. It gives them all the ideal conditions for survival.

But too low for a wet incubation? Chicken's nests out in the bush are getting added humidity each morning with the dew fall~heavy if it is not going to rain~ and also with the rains in the spring. I'm betting they are much more humid than my nest currently is. Plus they have the added humidity of the animal and if she gets up to forage in that morning dew, she'll have wet feathers when she gets back on that nest.

 

[Tomtommom]

If I learned one thing, it's that humidity gauges are ALL very inaccurate.

Put 10 of them side by side and they will all tell you something different.

 

[Beekissed]

If I learned one thing, it's that humidity gauges are ALL very inaccurate.

Put 10 of them side by side and they will all tell you something different.

That's what I figured as well...much harder to measure than a temp, I'm thinking. I'm not really worried about humidity in this scenario...it is what it is and there's really no way to have a controlled setting when emulating a natural nest.