Temp and humidity little giant 11300

[C.Heaton2013]

Hey everyone!! So I am new to this page and was wondering if anyone could help me out. This will be my 3rd time incubating, 1st time no eggs hatched they all died I think they were shrink wrapped which was my fault completely, 2nd time 2 hatched and I had to go out of town for 1 day had someone come over and check on them and they moved the baby chicks that had hatched out of the incubator and left the lid off the incubater which made me SO bad needless to say I will not be going out of town ever again during lockdown. This is my 3rd time I filled the incubator up! I bought some eggs from friends around hwre so I have some silkies, polish, Cochin, pyncheon, and a few of my Isa brown eggs in there this time. I have ordered a separate hygrometer and thermometer which should be in today so I can test and see if the little giant is off or not, but right now my humidity keeps going from 43-52 my temp stays steady at 100.5 which I noticed the last time was a good temp... My question will that humidity jumping effect these eggs badly?? I'm in Tennessee and our temps have been wild the past few days so that could also be another factor. This post was not supposed to be this long haha thanks for reading all the way through!!!

 

[Ridgerunner]

I appreciate you giving enough info so I can better respond. I appreciate a lot of people use those tiny devices that can make longer posts harder to type or read, but lot of times we have to ask questions to find out what is going on before we can offer advice that means something. If someone jumps on you for long posts just send them to me.

The reason humidity is important is that the egg needs to lose enough moisture so the air cell can grow big enough to support the chick when it hatches and it has a lot to do with the health of the chick. If it does not lose enough moisture the chick can be soft and "mushy". If it loses too much it can shrink wrap. There is a pretty wide window of how much is good but you do need to be in that window.

The instantaneous humidity isn't that important, it is the average humidity over the incubation period that controls how much total moisture is lost. Mine can move around some too, depending on which reservoirs have water in them and the temperature and humidity of the air going in. Different humidities work for different ones of us, depending on a lot of things. Through trial and error I've found my average humidity needs to be around 39%. My suggestion is to try something, whether that is 30, 40, 50, or something else and be as consistent as you can. See how your hatches go and adjust if necessary. If I run mine at 50% for three days I may run it at 30% for three days to get the average about where it needs to be.

 

[ellie62706]

I just hatched quail and my humidity was inconsistent as well. It was never really too high, but it was often a little too low. I found out that less humidity is better than more. I had some little guys hatch, so I guess I did something right! When my eggs hatched, the humidity was about five degrees too high, and my chicks weren't drying after six hours, but getting more wet! I made the decision to put them under a hair dryer, and it worked! they seemed to actually like it!

 

[C.Heaton2013]

I appreciate you giving enough info so I can better respond. I appreciate a lot of people use those tiny devices that can make longer posts harder to type or read, but lot of times we have to ask questions to find out what is going on before we can offer advice that means something. If someone jumps on you for long posts just send them to me.

The reason humidity is important is that the egg needs to lose enough moisture so the air cell can grow big enough to support the chick when it hatches and it has a lot to do with the health of the chick. If it does not lose enough moisture the chick can be soft and "mushy". If it loses too much it can shrink wrap. There is a pretty wide window of how much is good but you do need to be in that window.

The instantaneous humidity isn't that important, it is the average humidity over the incubation period that controls how much total moisture is lost. Mine can move around some too, depending on which reservoirs have water in them and the temperature and humidity of the air going in. Different humidities work for different ones of us, depending on a lot of things. Through trial and error I've found my average humidity needs to be around 39%. My suggestion is to try something, whether that is 30, 40, 50, or something else and be as consistent as you can. See how your hatches go and adjust if necessary. If I run mine at 50% for three days I may run it at 30% for three days to get the average about where it needs to be.

Thank you!! My first time incubating I had it at 40% and I was definitely not ready because I didn't even check the air cell. I did a bit of research and then tried it the 2nd time after researching more and realized I need to check the air cell at day 7 and 14 or 18. I had it almost steady at 50% humidity and it seemed pretty good. Someone suggested I try different breeds of egg from around here so that's why I went out on a limb and spent some money on eggs. Gladly the lady I bought them from was so nice and gave me an extra dozen for free. When eggs start hatching you keep the incubator closed right?? I had one egg hatch on day 20 then the next hatched on day 21 how long can they stay in the incubator after hatching??

 

[C.Heaton2013]

I just hatched quail and my humidity was inconsistent as well. It was never really too high, but it was often a little too low. I found out that less humidity is better than more. I had some little guys hatch, so I guess I did something right! When my eggs hatched, the humidity was about five degrees too high, and my chicks weren't drying after six hours, but getting more wet! I made the decision to put them under a hair dryer, and it worked! they seemed to actually like it!

Did they all hatch around the same time?? I had 1 hatch on day 20 and then the other on day 21. I was so worried because they kept kicking the other eggs around, but I remember reading somewhere that was ok it actually helped the other eggs.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I don't know if the first to hatch playing rugby with the unhatched eggs helps or not. I just don't worry about it. A broody hen's nest with chicks hatching is kind of a busy place too.

Before a chick hatches it absorbs the yolk. That gives it enough nutrition and moisture to go at least three days and usually some more without eating and drinking. That's why they can be mailed. I wait until the hatch is over (sometimes hard to tell) before I take any chicks out as long as it is not later than 72 hours after the first hatched.

The 21 day thing for a chick hatching is "ideal". Reality is that it is not unusual for some to hatch a full day or more early or late. I've had some hatches be over within 16 hours of the first hatching, I've had some hatches go over 48 hours. These hatches are normally around 20 chicks. Each hatch is different.