Temperature fluxuations in homemade incubator

[Taxibuy]

Day 13 candling! It seems that all of my air sacs are larger and I see dark area and a little veining! Just a few more days till lockdown! The temps are fluxuating between 99 and 101. Some days are closer than others. But it seems to be going ok. We shall see. At lockdown I turn off the fan, right?

 

[Fred's Hens]

I don't turn my fan off. I also don't raise the humidity until day 20 or first pip. It's a lot safer than pumping the humidity too soon and drowning chicks, in my experience.

 

[Taxibuy]

I have not added any water to it at all. It has stayed right around 30%. I had read not to raise it to lockdown. What % do you raise it to on lockdown?

 

[Fred's Hens]

Again, I wait until day 20 or first pip to raise the humidity to 60%.

 

[randerson846]

I usually do it around lock down again to about 60% 65%

 

[Taxibuy]

So I locked them down today! I closed the vent holes and added water to up the humidity, it immediately went to 40% but was still climbing. At last candling it seemed as if all 12 eggs were moving along ok, so we shall see how many make it.

 

[Fred's Hens]

You're gonna want lots of oxygen in there. The chicks are breathing air now and will need it. I don't plug my holes during hatching, if anything, I open an extra.

A 3x5 kitchen sponge works wonders in raising humidity. I wait until first pip as drowning the chicks is easy to do. But once I see a pip, I toss in a sponge, soaked with hot water. The humidity zooms. Once chicks begin to hatch, they also contribute lots of humidity.

Tap dancing the line of too dry equals shrink wrapped chicks vis a vis too humid and chicks drown is tough sometimes.
Oxygen at all times, however.

 

[Taxibuy]

I have a pip, so now I up humidity?

 

[Fred's Hens]

Yes, up the humidity to 60% now.

 

[Taxibuy]

I have heard peeping too! Getting excited now~