Starting my first hatch, Info needed.

[MedicDog]

Hello everyone!

This is going to be my first attempt at hatching eggs in a still air incubator so i'm panicking and trying to get everything perfect instead of keeping calm, taking my time and learning from my mistakes. I'm picking up the incubator tomorrow but my Dad says it works so i'll hold him to it. I've read Hatching 101 and other articles but I can't seem to find answer so I thought about bringing it here.

Does the humidity outside of the incubator have an effect on the humidity inside?
How can I reduce humidity even if there is no water in there? Kitty Litter?!

I was just wondering because the room I planned to have it in has a RH of 61%, I should just wait and see but i'm planning ahead incase I need to go to the shops for something.

Also, I see the amount of turns an egg should take daily varies from member to member. Hatching 101 says 3 or an odd amount of times whilst i've seen people say they only turn it twice, I don't really know which one to follow.

Thank you for reading ^^.
Matt.

 

[lazy gardener]

Matt, I can give you a couple of suggestions. When you get the incubator, plug it in, and get it adjusted to the correct temp. It will help if you put several bottles of warm water in it to approximate the volume of the eggs you will be using. A dozen large eggs = 24 ounces. If your dad has used this incubator, the thermostat may already be set. Don't change it for at least 6 hours after you get it running... unless you see that it is running too hot. Keep it running for 2 - 3 days before you even consider putting eggs in it. That will familiarize you with how it runs, and how well it holds temp.

You're going to need an accurate thermometer and hygrometer. Good luck there. There are threads that tell you how to calibrate both. One for a thermometer is the ice water bath. But some thermometers don't go down that far, and even if your thermometer is calibrated for 32 degrees, it may not be as accurate at the higher range where accuracy really matters. I like to use a medical thermometer, and get a cup of water that measures 100 degrees by that thermometer. Then I can put all of my thermometers in the cup with that one, and make my calculations from that.

Regarding humidity: I've never had to deal with home humidity that is too high, but have read that some folks use dry rice to bring the humidity down in their incubator. An other option might be silica crystals... like the ones you can put in potting soil. What ever you use, be careful that you don't run into issues with the product getting moldy or mildewy. And, to answer your question, household humidity will affect the humidity in your incubator, but I find that my incubator is dryer than the house on a humid day.

Regarding turning the eggs: If you're hand turning, you'll want to turn them at least 3 x / day. But the whole "odd number" idea is a bit over the top. The theory is that the eggs will be left unattended for a longer period over night, than they will between the day time turnings, so if it's an odd number, they are not stuck on the same side for an extended period every night. So, go ahead and turn those babies... if they get turned 3 or 4 or 5 times, great... if you forget and only get them turned twice on a particular day, don't beat yourself up.

A full incubator works better and runs a more stable temp than a sparsely filled one. If you don't fill it with eggs, keep some of those water bottles in there to add some mass. Enjoy your hatch!!!!

 

[MedicDog]

Ah thank you for the reply.

I've got the thermometers and hygrometers purchased, but I'll go get some silicia just in case then. Good idea about the water bottles but I think I might just fill it with eggs since you can't hatch out water bottles .

 

[lazy gardener]

I may have spoken out of turn regarding the silica. You might want to check to see if there is any issue with using it.

 

[MedicDog]

I don't think it might be needed after all, I've managed to keep a constant 37.5°C and got the humidity down to 31-34. My only other worry is air flow, here is a picture of the incubator, I think it's an old thing.



I was about to take another photo but my camera ran out of battery and it's close to 1AM. Anyway, my problem is that will cracking open the two plastic panels on the top be enough since for air flow since it as 3mm holes all the way around in the metal top? Or do I need to drill a couple of extra holes in?

I feel a bit silly for asking.

 

[lazy gardener]

I'd try it as is, since it was a manufactured incubator. See how it does on a test hatch.