Thoughts on Dry hatching and incubating without putting in any water?

[RedneckG1rl]

Seems I may have had the humidity up to high this batch cause some of the chicks air pockets were small. I ended up losing a fully formed chick with little to none of an air pocket but the others are hatching out pretty good and have pipped. I was thinking about doing a dry hatch next time and was thinking what happens if I just don't put any water in at all ? Any thoughts , suggestions or success stories ?

 

[lazy gardener]

It all depends... what is the humidity in your area? How do your air cells look? These 2 issues will weigh in on your approach with the next hatch. You might want to print out the drawing that shows air cell development, and keep it handy for a quick reference next time. I heat with wood, so my humidity stays around 11% in my house, though it will go up to 30 when it's stormy. My goal is to keep my humidity around 25% for most of the incubation period. Then, I will adjust depending on what day 14 air cells look like. Some folks weigh eggs and keep a chart on weight loss. If I had accurate scales, I might try that, but am satisfied by my current method. When I go into lock down, my goal is 65%. Succcess: first hatch in home made incubator = 5/6 with one early quitter.

 

[RedneckG1rl]

Normally I have about a 80% success rate , at least I did last year. This is the first new batch in the newer incubator . I live in the East TN so I don't think we have a lot of humidity . They chicks are hatching out right now and they are pretty wet. I think the humidity was just to high while they were in there . I hate losing the little boogers !
Have you ever not put any water in though ? I am going to see what it reads without any water. Right now it's up to like 74% with just a little water but then again the chicks have been hatching in there to .

 

[Fred's Hens]

Dry incubating is growing in popularity. Most folks find the average house humidity, ie around 25-40% to be all that is needed during the 18 days of incubation. No water added at all.

However, when it comes time for hatching, most folks do not go dry, but go ahead and raise the humidity on day 18 or 19 to 65%. This has worked well for countless numbers of people. Go ahead and try it next time and see if this method works for you.

 

[jammyjammy2112]

i dont really understand ths if it works without water why put in water i just dont get it i hatch with water couse i tought u had too do it ths way

 

[Cooper Farms]

I added water for some time till I read a peace on hear that said if u r getting a lot of peeping death it is problem from adding to much water during incubation I stopped adding water but for last couple days now iam up past 85%. If there is to much water in the egg at peeping cause too little evaporated out the chick will drown when it breaks the air sack. Just what I have seen

 

[goodb]

I did the dry method with slight variation. I upped the humidity at first as I had just built my own incubator and it was my first hatch. I got 4/4 and the humidity around 30% which was little to no water added. I upped it at lockdown and had no issues. I advocate it and here is the link to the dry hatching method:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/how-to-incubate-hatch-eggs-using-the-dry-incubation-method

First time hatcher with homemade incubator.

 

[RedneckG1rl]

I don't know what I am doing differently this year then last but I have had 10 fully developed chicks dead in shells. UGH!!!!! I have one that is a little bit out of its shell but don't know if it's going to make it and 5 or 6 more that I can see their beaks. This is the first year that I have bought eggs on top of my own and I am just upset that those little chicks were so close and probably operator error caused them to not make it.

 

[Tumbleweed Farm]

I don't know what I am doing differently this year then last but I have had 10 fully developed chicks dead in shells. UGH!!!!! I have one that is a little bit out of its shell but don't know if it's going to make it and 5 or 6 more that I can see their beaks. This is the first year that I have bought eggs on top of my own and I am just upset that those little chicks were so close and probably operator error caused them to not make it.

When I first started incubating some years ago I lost babies from drowning with too high of humidity. The babies that did make it from these high humidity hatches were sopping wet. Now I don't go above 35% and no more than 65% at lockdown. Doesn't happen anymore and my newly hatched are not sopping wet! I also don't raise humidity to 65% until one has pipped--I start lockdown at around 55%.

 

[RedneckG1rl]

I'll have to keep that in mind ...I started incubating last year and I never had this many in a batch do this ! Maybe 2 at the most . I am just like AHHHHHHH right now . I am changing things up next go around . If the ones I have left get all the way out of their shells I will have a little over 50% hatch rate. Blah