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Is she right???? I have been reading and she seems to be right. Should I just leave the water in the incubator to keep it at 35% or bump it up some like 45%? I need a manual for my homemade bator!!!!!!!!! I do think I am going to keep the humidity in the hatcher at 50% ish.
Since my humidity has not been high I don't think there is extra water to drown them. The air cell is bigger because they have evaporated too much moister, is that right? Should I just leave them alone and go like I was???
to reduce the aircell size you take the water out. Having too large of an aircell keeps the chick from forming properly and creates excess fluid which will most likely drown the chick at the internal pip. The cell is the key to a good hatch. I ran myself crazy on the first hatch too, I decided at about day 12 I had too much humidity, so I took all the water out and let it ride till lockdown. at lockdown I targeted 70% and out of my 5 only 3 hatched out normally, we had to take one out ourself, and the 5th one drowned. It was a fully formed chick. The second time I kept it around 20% +/- for the first 18, and I didn't let it go over 60 for lockdown. That was just much better for me. And I didn't have to help any of those hatch.
I think it just confuses everyone because it is called the aircell, So that makes you want to assume that the more moisture in the air the smaller it would get, but it just doesn't work like that, maybe it has fluid in it too... I'm not sure, and I think you'll still have some hatch, maybe just target different levels the next time, or even for this bunch you just put in. See the differences between the two bunches. You will find what works for you. I'm anxious to see some fuzzy butt pics from you. I'm planning on a bigger bator myself, so I'm excited to hear how it goes with you. We all figure this stuff out together, right?