Someone please do this to resolve the humidity question!

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

Quote:
My latest hatch was essentially a working summary of that thread.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=139846

However, if you're at a higher elevation you really ought to read the entire thread.

 

[GrannyPat]

Quote:
Well, that's something I hadn't heard before. But, if the membranes were so thick that I had to use my fingernail to get through them and the chicks died doesn't that sound more like not enough humidity? How would too much humidity kill them? I thought I had it figured out but if more chicks die from too much humidity as opposed to not enough now I feel like I'm back to square one and still don't know what's causing my problem.

GrannyPat

 

[pascopol]

Quote:
Humidity under broody's body probably has no merit in comparison to artificial incubation.

Reason being, when the hen is sitting on eggs, upper part of them is covered with her body with little or no air access.

Birds do not sweat through their bodies like humans, so there is probably very little moisture available from hens body.

In the incubator eggs are exposed to the air and are warmed by the air without touching the warmth source, eggs in incubator are subject to lose water by evaporation, rate of this evaporation depends on air humidity in the bator.

So the detailed incubation conditions are significantly different under broody as oppose to incubator.

Can't compare apples with oranges.

 

[CANDLE98]

pascopol,
Very good point, I hadn't thought of that! I guess yeah since I am not going to sit on them I will have to adjust for the open air temp. Thank you!

 

[jvls1942]

Quote:
Humidity under broody's body probably has no merit in comparison to artificial incubation.

Reason being, when the hen is sitting on eggs, upper part of them is covered with her body with little or no air access.

Birds do not sweat through their bodies like humans, so there is probably very little moisture available from hens body.

In the incubator eggs are exposed to the air and are warmed by the air without touching the warmth source, eggs in incubator are subject to lose water by evaporation, rate of this evaporation depends on air humidity in the bator.

So the detailed incubation conditions are significantly different under broody as oppose to incubator.

Can't compare apples with oranges.

I have said about the same thing in different threads is the past..

I just got tired of getting shot down and argued with , there is always somebody who knows more about it.. usually because they have just finished hatching out their first batch ever.. I have 40 years of this under my belt..

 

[CANDLE98]

Well you know the internet makes it easy to think that everyone on here is either kids or people with no knowledge! I just want to make my eggs hatch, I don't care who gives me advice! I thank the people that have been hatching for over 40 years because you guys are the reason we are still doing it!

 

[TriciaHowe]

Quote:

I can't agree with that more. People are making it so it is practically raining in the incubator!

 

[TriciaHowe]

The outer membrane is supposed to be pretty tough. There is an outer membrane and an inner membrane. The inner membrane is what the chick rotates against when it is zipping. I really think if you are adding all that water you are probably getting your humidity WAY to high and they are drowning in the shell. Try the dry hatch method once and see if it helps. More is not necessarily better.
Good luck

Quote:
Well, that's something I hadn't heard before. But, if the membranes were so thick that I had to use my fingernail to get through them and the chicks died doesn't that sound more like not enough humidity? How would too much humidity kill them? I thought I had it figured out but if more chicks die from too much humidity as opposed to not enough now I feel like I'm back to square one and still don't know what's causing my problem.

GrannyPat

 

[walkswithdog]

As to eggs not having humidity around them I wish some one would tell that to my idiot broody turkey. Apparently she likes "almost mud" baths instead of dust baths lately and the last time I checked the eggs under her she was damp and so were they. Then again, of my three turkeys, she's the dimmest bulb.

However I do agree, too much humidity is much more often the cause of death.

 

[jvls1942]

Quote:

I can't agree with that more. People are making it so it is practically raining in the incubator!

..

me too ..

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