three days into my first incubation and its already a disaster... :(

[wahmommy]

So I borrowed a Lyons Turn X from my son's teacher. I got the humidity to 86 (wet bulb) with temp 100- translates to 56% relative humidity. So then after a couple of hours and I'm thinking this isn't all that hard I check the wetbulb and its up to 100 degrees! I then call Lyons, they say use a turkey baster to collect excess water. I do that, it goes back down. Then I woke up at 3am and it was back up to 100 degrees. I couldn't figure out what to do at 3am so I left it that way, went to an appointment then came back at 10am and called Lyons. They said that the wick had probably dried out and was now reading the normal temperature, not the wetbulb - So I added more water, it seemed fine, two hours later it was up to 100 again. I took the eggs out carefully, took off the screen and sure enough it was completely dry. I am keeping an eye on it, and making sure I put enough water in (I don't think I was opening the fountain enough) but how will the first three days with high temp and mostly low to no humidity work for these eggs? I know some people dry hatch, but I think you add some water, right?

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

I dry hatch for the first couple of weeks in my laundry room which has some humidity in the air. No water in the incubator. I use a brinsea mini advance. I add water to one of the pots for the first part of the last week, then during lockdown the last three days I fill both pots.

I incubate at 99.5 degrees the whole time.

 

[nurse_turtle]

I have 2 words for you: DRY INCUBATION

Many folks use dry incubation where NO water at all is added until lockdown. At lockdown add enough water to reach 50-60% humidity. Consider just placing a dish of water in there instead of using whatever 'wick' thingy your incubator has.

 

[wahmommy]

okay, so now you are saying take out the water I just put in there?

LOL I think my incubator was trying to make me dry incubate...okay what do I have to lose, I'm already there I guess....

I do live in Southern California in a home that has central air so I would say its not that humid here..do you think that matters with dry incubation? How much humidity there is where you live?

 

[nurse_turtle]

It's more the humidity of your home or even the room where the incubator is. It's storming outside right now here in the mountains of NC which means humidity is near 100% and the reading in my dry incubator still says 28%, same as any other day. Try the dry method this once and you never know, it may be your new best friend.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

http://msucares.com/poultry/reproductions/hatchmgt.htm

You might find this helpful.

http://www.poultry.msstate.edu/extension/pdf/incubation.pdf

My house is currently 50% humidity and generally stays there.