Small air cell

[n3kms]

I'm on day 15. If the air cells look too small and with no water added at all the humidity is 10-20 % should I do that or continue to try to stay around 40%? Here are pics with the air cells drawn on days 8 and 14.

 

[AmericanMom]

I'm on day 15. If the air cells look too small and with no water added at all the humidity is 10-20 % should I do that or continue to try to stay around 40%? Here are pics with the air cells drawn on days 8 and 14.

They do look a bit small but I have had some look small also and had them hatch out fine... having your humidity at 40% is fine, and when you get to day 18 bump it up to 60 -65..

 

[n3kms]

They do look a bit small but I have had some look small also and had them hatch out fine...  having your humidity at 40% is fine, and when you get to day 18 bump it up to 60 -65..    

I was hoping someone would say they had chicks hatch with small air cells. This is my first time and the pictures in the learning center looked a lot bigger. My problem is that without water humidity is very low, if hygrometer is accurate, and if I add a tsp. it goes to 60% . I will open briefly over the next couple of hours to get it down to 40% but by morning or after work it will be down to 15%. I think I have figured out what to do next time but I don't want to loose these chicks. I think what I should have done was add a small container of water that had a small surface area instead of just pouring water into the bottom as the instructions said. But that only occurred to me yesterday.

 

[AmericanMom]

I was hoping someone would say they had chicks hatch with small air cells. This is my first time and the pictures in the learning center looked a lot bigger. My problem is that without water humidity is very low, if hygrometer is accurate, and if I add a tsp. it goes to 60% . I will open briefly over the next couple of hours to get it down to 40% but by morning or after work it will be down to 15%. I think I have figured out what to do next time but I don't want to loose these chicks. I think what I should have done was add a small container of water that had a small surface area instead of just pouring water into the bottom as the instructions said. But that only occurred to me yesterday.

Add your water and leave it for 24 hours, it may take it a bit to stabilize

The constant opening and closing the incubator messes more with your temperatures than anything.. Have you taken both plugs out? I have them in a bag somewhere in a drawer.. LOL, I never use them

Hatching is a learn as we go process. what works best for each of us depends on our climate, our incubators and our ambient conditions. I quit keeping track of the humidity within the incubator because it drove me nuts... calibrating, which one is best, different opinions liked to have drove me crazy, I go with my gut now and I have only been hatching for a couple years.
Great idea with the water though!

 

[n3kms]

 Add your water and leave it for 24 hours, it may take it a bit to stabilize   The constant opening and closing the incubator messes more with your temperatures than anything..  Have you taken both plugs out?  I have them in a bag somewhere in a drawer..  LOL, I never use them

 Hatching is a learn as we go process. what works best for each of us depends on our climate, our incubators and our ambient conditions.   I quit keeping track of the humidity within the incubator because it drove me nuts... calibrating, which one is best, different opinions liked to have drove me crazy, I go with my gut now and I have only been hatching for a couple years.  
 Great idea with the water though!

I'm afraid it's just a small incubator that doesn't have plugs. It has a fan and there is just one 1cm hole on the top for air. If it had plugs to leave out that would probably be good because the room air is at least 35% humidity according to our thermostat and the incubator is in the kitchen which should help. When I add a teaspoon or two of water I close it up for 2 hours then check humidity and it will be 60-70% so I was opening for about 5 seconds every 20 min or so just to let out some humidity. I got to wondering how I was going to keep humidity up after lock down and then I remembered what I had read about surface area on here and realized I could probably use that to keep humidity down and stable as well as up and stable. These eggs are farm yard mix but I have some purebred on order. I'm glad I started with my own. Thanks for your advice. Nice to have more experienced help.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

They're a bit small but not that bad for day 15. You can always leave it dry for the few days prior to "lock down". Humidity that works for me is 30-35% then 60-65% for last few days. At 40% I'd have air cells the size of yours so tweeked it down.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

They're a bit small but not that bad for day 15. You can always leave it dry for the few days prior to "lock down". Humidity that works for me is 30-35% then 60-65% for last few days. At 40% I'd have air cells the size of yours so tweeked it down.

x2

 

[n3kms]

x2

Thanks guys!

 

[AmericanMom]

They're a bit small but not that bad for day 15. You can always leave it dry for the few days prior to "lock down". Humidity that works for me is 30-35% then 60-65% for last few days. At 40% I'd have air cells the size of yours so tweeked it down.

Of course... thank you for correcting me

I should have said to not add anymore water

 

[lazy gardener]

I was hoping someone would say they had chicks hatch with small air cells. This is my first time and the pictures in the learning center looked a lot bigger. My problem is that without water humidity is very low, if hygrometer is accurate, and if I add a tsp. it goes to 60% . I will open briefly over the next couple of hours to get it down to 40% but by morning or after work it will be down to 15%. I think I have figured out what to do next time but I don't want to loose these chicks. I think what I should have done was add a small container of water that had a small surface area instead of just pouring water into the bottom as the instructions said. But that only occurred to me yesterday.

Your hygrometer may not be accurate. I had my humidity bouncing between 11 and 40% until lock down. Didn't worry too much about those lows and highs, they all averaged out. I found it real easy to adjust things with a sponge in a cup, a length of aquarium tubing going through the vent and into the cup so I could squirt water in with a syringe when the humidity dropped too low. I added more sponge for lock down.