The 6th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-a-long!

[AmyLynn2374]

I knew it was somewhere in the 1-100% humidity range.

LOL. Yeah the humidity question will get you a hundred different answers. Everyone has something different that works for them. Pick a number under 60% start with that and then monitor your egg's air cells and that will tell you if you need higher/lower or you're good to go. I do dry the first 17 days (at least before winter...lol) and keep an eye on my air cells to make sure they are loosing enough moisture and not too much, then I up it to 75% for lockdown and hatch. I just got a new thermometer combo today and decided to pull out the bator to start tinkering so I know I'm good for this Easter hatch and sure enough, running completely dry isn't going to be an option unless something changes in the next two weeks. Between winter and the pellet stove it is significantly lower than summer/fall hatches I've done. This will be my first winter hatch. Hoping by Easter we have a higher humidity in here so I can achieve my lockdown numbers w/o too much problems.

 

[jbkirk]

For the first 18 days, I use 30 to 40%. For the last three days, I use 65 to 70%.

 

[Happy Chooks]

For the first 18 days, I use 30 to 40%. For the last three days, I use 65 to 70%.

Same here.

 

[Cynthia12]

ron and Happy, both in CA.

You would think with us in a dry area, I would need it higher, but the 60 to 65 works great for me.

Happy, how are your bees?

 

[AmyLynn2374]

OK, I have a question. All of you guys that hatch at around 60-65% humidity at hatch, are you guys of the strict no opening the bator from lockdown on? I've been formulating this thought for a while, when asked opinions we all give what works for us, but we focus on just one aspect of hatching. Person "a" says I have great hatches at 60-65% humidity at hatch. person "b" lives right next door and has like conditions inside for hatching, but says, "I need mine at 70-75% humidity at hatch". What we are not seeing is person "a" has strict no opening bators during hatch so that humidty is sufficient for them. Person "b" is a meddler and opens to add water, or fix something that in his mind just isn't right, so at 60-65% he is loosing more humidity when "meddling". Or Person "a" will not assist a hatch or remove chicks until the end of the hatch, and person "b" will jump in and assist if they feel neccessary and can't stand having 8 chicks running around in the bator so removes them.
So I started wondering if the ones that have the successful hatches at lower humidity are in the hands off after lockdown group. Because when we offer someone an opinion, we use our own idiosyncrasies as a guidline to why it should be done that way.
When we make our suggestions we have no clue if they are a bator meddler or not...lol

 

[jbkirk]

OK, I have a question. All of you guys that hatch at around 60-65% humidity at hatch, are you guys of the strict no opening the bator from lockdown on? I've been formulating this thought for a while, when asked opinions we all give what works for us, but we focus on just one aspect of hatching. Person "a" says I have great hatches at 60-65% humidity at hatch. person "b" lives right next door and has like conditions inside for hatching, but says, "I need mine at 70-75% humidity at hatch". What we are not seeing is person "a" has strict no opening bators during hatch so that humidty is sufficient for them. Person "b" is a meddler and opens to add water, or fix something that in his mind just isn't right, so at 60-65% he is loosing more humidity when "meddling". Or Person "a" will not assist a hatch or remove chicks until the end of the hatch, and person "b" will jump in and assist if they feel neccessary and can't stand having 8 chicks running around in the bator so removes them.
So I started wondering if the ones that have the successful hatches at lower humidity are in the hands off after lockdown group. Because when we offer someone an opinion, we use our own idiosyncrasies as a guidline to why it should be done that way.
When we make our suggestions we have no clue if they are a bator meddler or not...lol

I only open the incubator when the chicks have been in it for some time.

 

[Cynthia12]

I open my bator once a chick has hatched, put it under the brooder light to dry. I lock down on day 19, but am opening it a few times to get the humidity to 62 percent. Then I'm happy, whether it changes down a couple , or up a few. So yes, I open the bator while others have pipped or zipped, taking babies out quickly.

 

[ronott1]

ron and Happy, both in CA.

You would think with us in a dry area, I would need it higher, but the 60 to 65 works great for me.

Happy, how are your bees?

We both use Brinsea incubators with auto humidity pumps(Kelly may not use hers as much--she said the noise bothered the husband)

They are very stable for humidity and temps.

 

[ronott1]

OK, I have a question. All of you guys that hatch at around 60-65% humidity at hatch, are you guys of the strict no opening the bator from lockdown on? I've been formulating this thought for a while, when asked opinions we all give what works for us, but we focus on just one aspect of hatching. Person "a" says I have great hatches at 60-65% humidity at hatch. person "b" lives right next door and has like conditions inside for hatching, but says, "I need mine at 70-75% humidity at hatch". What we are not seeing is person "a" has strict no opening bators during hatch so that humidty is sufficient for them. Person "b" is a meddler and opens to add water, or fix something that in his mind just isn't right, so at 60-65% he is loosing more humidity when "meddling". Or Person "a" will not assist a hatch or remove chicks until the end of the hatch, and person "b" will jump in and assist if they feel neccessary and can't stand having 8 chicks running around in the bator so removes them.
So I started wondering if the ones that have the successful hatches at lower humidity are in the hands off after lockdown group. Because when we offer someone an opinion, we use our own idiosyncrasies as a guidline to why it should be done that way.
When we make our suggestions we have no clue if they are a bator meddler or not...lol

I wait until several chicks have hatched and fluffed up. I will not let a chick stay in longer than 24 hours though. If there are pipped eggs, I only open the incubator if there is a problem and then I spray some water into the incubator to help the humidity recover.

If you have to open the incubator, Make sure to work quickly and safely. Have all of the things you need ready too so you do not have to run around finding things.

 

[Joshua G]

I knew it was somewhere in the 1-100% humidity range.

For the first 18 days, I use 30 to 40%. For the last three days, I use 65 to 70%.

I knew it was somewhere in the 1-100% humidity range.

LOL. Yeah the humidity question will get you a hundred different answers. Everyone has something different that works for them. Pick a number under 60% start with that and then monitor your egg's air cells and that will tell you if you need higher/lower or you're good to go. I do dry the first 17 days (at least before winter...lol) and keep an eye on my air cells to make sure they are loosing enough moisture and not too much, then I up it to 75% for lockdown and hatch. I just got a new thermometer combo today and decided to pull out the bator to start tinkering so I know I'm good for this Easter hatch and sure enough, running completely dry isn't going to be an option unless something changes in the next two weeks. Between winter and the pellet stove it is significantly lower than summer/fall hatches I've done. This will be my first winter hatch. Hoping by Easter we have a higher humidity in here so I can achieve my lockdown numbers w/o too much problems.

 


For the first 18 days, I use 30 to 40%. For the last three days, I use 65 to 70%.

 


For the first 18 days, I use 30 to 40%. For the last three days, I use 65 to 70%.

Same here.

Thanks everyone!