Temp and humidity for still air incubator?

[kelly77]

So we have our incubator made from a...styrofoam cooler, glass for viewing, digi temp and humidity thermometer, glass bowl for water...we had a sponge but took it out (wondering why we need a sponge?) We donot have a fan so we have a still air incubator, the youtube video said temps should be 97-101...and humidity 50-70% but people here have been saying temps should be closer to 101 range... what is the ideal temp and humidity that we should shoot for? Can we put water on the bottom of the cooler? We had under the chicken wire but then I thought maybe after the chicks hatch we need to take the water out for them to dry? Could someone explain that part too? Do baby chicks need humidity after they hatch? If so what are those temps?

 

[Becci]

In a still air incubator, the goal is to get the core of the eggs as close to 99.5F as possible, but because heat rises, you want the temperature to read 100-101 from the top of eggs.

Humidity is a bit difficult to talk about. The whole idea, is, eggs need to lose a certain amount of moisture during incubation. From the beginning of incubation to lockdown, the egg needs to loose about 13% of it's starting weight. They do this by evaporating moisture through the egg shell, and replacing it with air in the air sac. So, some people weigh their eggs before incubation, write down that weight. Subtract the 13%, and write that down as the goal. Weigh a few times during incubation and see how fast or slow the eggs are losing the weight, and +/- humidity accordingly to the rate of weight loss. If the humidity is higher, the egg will loose the weight slower. If the humidity is lower, it will loose the weight faster. Make sense?

Some people don't go through the 'trouble' of weighing the eggs, and instead compare air sacs.
Larger air sac = not enough humidity.
Smaller air sac = too much humidity.
You can candle on days 7,14 & 18 and compare your egg's air sacs to this chart.


Remember that you're comparing the amount of air vs the amount of chick, the shape of the air sac doesn't matter, as long as it's still connected to the fat end of the egg. Shipped eggs often have funny shaped air sacs.

Different people in different climates with different eggs and incubators have luck with different humidity levels. Which is why you don't see an exact answer here. It's something you have to find out yourself.

After the chicks hatch they do not need humidity, but the other eggs do. The chicks will eventually dry out. Don't open the incubator until there's no more pips.

Have you calibrated both thermometer and hygrometer?
Always calibrate. Your instruments could be reading completely wrong. Thermometers are one story, but I've never had a spot-on accurate hygrometer. If you cannot calibrate your digital thermometer, run to walmart and buy multiple of those glass aquarium thermometers and calibrate them. Then stick them in the incubator and compare the difference to your current digital thermometer.

 

[kelly77]

Becci..Thank you ..good information. I guess we are going to set..wish me luck!

 

[Becci]

Definitely, keep us updated!

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Hi Kelly! Guess I already responded to this in the other thread!!! I sooooo hope you get them hatched!!! I WANT no I MUST MUST SEE that video, oh AND DAY 7 CANDLE!! I will love to hear you two freakin out!!! WE DID!!

 

[kelly77]

hahaha thanks! Things were stable last night, I FINALLY was able to sleep ...we are already on day 3!

 

[bbrrons]

Well ive got say it is science and every thing else to hatch quial eggs ,not like chickens but finding quick . I have 70 eggs mix of blue scale & valley quail have six chicks so far lost 5 due to a mix of mistakes but I THINK I GOT IT DOWN NOT TO LOSS ANY MORE , your write one egg didnt loss its water . Im happy these eggs are from my own birds I just got 2 months ago . Still very young birds.