I've never used a fan or a turner, and I'll never use an incubator that isn't a Hovabator! I thought about going with a way pricier digital model with all the bells and whistles and a giant picture window... but I chickened out and bought another basic model Hovabator. It's the most reliable I've ever used, and something always hatches.
I don't monitor the humidity, I just follow the directions with adding water to the center tray, then adding to the outside tray at day 18.
So don't give up, just change your method and don't fool with them that much. I think the worse hatch rates happen when you tinker with them too much and use a bunch of gadgets. Hens don't use gadgets, nor do they know anything about humidity. I used to compete with my hens for the best hatch rate, and I didn't "win" until I quit messing with them so much. I turn by hand twice a day, add water as needed to the tray, and leave them be.
I also spend 4 days doing all the thermostat adjustments. Once it holds perfect, I put eggs in. When the house warms up, I adjust, then adjust back for night time. You also can't rely on what you see when you candle. Maybe your light itsn't bright enough. Maybe you're not holding the egg just so to really see in there. I saw a blob when I candled what I set a few days ago. No vein, but I know what that dot means when using a wimpy flashlight. It means my light isn't bright enough but something is growing in there.
I don't monitor the humidity, I just follow the directions with adding water to the center tray, then adding to the outside tray at day 18.
So don't give up, just change your method and don't fool with them that much. I think the worse hatch rates happen when you tinker with them too much and use a bunch of gadgets. Hens don't use gadgets, nor do they know anything about humidity. I used to compete with my hens for the best hatch rate, and I didn't "win" until I quit messing with them so much. I turn by hand twice a day, add water as needed to the tray, and leave them be.
I also spend 4 days doing all the thermostat adjustments. Once it holds perfect, I put eggs in. When the house warms up, I adjust, then adjust back for night time. You also can't rely on what you see when you candle. Maybe your light itsn't bright enough. Maybe you're not holding the egg just so to really see in there. I saw a blob when I candled what I set a few days ago. No vein, but I know what that dot means when using a wimpy flashlight. It means my light isn't bright enough but something is growing in there.
