Times running out!

[ghangis]

My issue is humidity. I read many other threads but to be honest I find them controversial. Some say less humidity some say more? I've attempted this before in an older incubator. I started with 41 eggs and if not all than most were either hatched or piping but, my egg supplier told me to leave them and don't touch until all had hatched. This ended badly, the humidity was too high and all died....ughhhhh. I have started again with a newer incubator, genesis hova bator with LCD screen. My incubator is in my basement for the temp is nearly constant. When I fill up trough 1 humidity is high at about 65 with the vent pulled out. With the vent in its over 70. Tomorrow I will be starting lockdown, should I fill up trough 2 or just refill trough 1 and leave the plug in?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

IMO 65 is more than enough.
Even the chicks that hatched died? Too high humidity can drown them in the shell but I wouldn't expect it to be a problem once hatched.

What I do is weigh the eggs when I set them and each week thereafter to see how much they're losing. I can't seem to find a hygrometer I can trust so this is how I get the humidity right.

Your humidity is right if you get 12 per cent total weight loss from initial egg weight during the first 18 days (between 0.6-0.7% per day) or 4.5% each week.
So a 60 gram egg set would lose about 2.3/4 grams by day 7 so would be about 57.25 grams, then at day 14 about 54.5 grams and at day 18 about 53 grams.
If you don't get that you can adjust humidity accordingly.

To simplify matters I weigh all the eggs together.

 

[ghangis]

Yeah I had like 16 jumping around but, still wet and multiple others were piping. He originally told me I should hatch around 30. I had more than that hatching and piping. I thought I was going to be a hatching king. He said to just leave them in. So I did and I sent him a pic text of the humidity but he never got back to me and it was too late. This is the first I'm reading about weighing but this only my second hatch. I never looked into weighing. Well, tomorrow I go into lockdown so it's too late to weigh. . Thanks for replying

 

[ChickenCanoe]

It's too late to weigh if you don't know what the original weight was.
I have 2 gram scales, one to weigh individual eggs and one to weigh a basket full.

Chicks not drying and fluffing out after about 4 hours is another sign the humidity is too high.
Lots of chicks hatching will add humidity.

No one can predict how many will hatch. I try not to let them stay in the incubator more than 2 days. If you open it to take chicks out have a spray bottle ready to spritz eggs and close up quickly.

 

[ghangis]

Agh...possible issue. I went to check on the eggs, humidity was a little high so I took this time to candle a couple eggs. Tomorrow is day 18 and I found a clear egg. I guess I should just remove it?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

If clear at day 18, yes take it out. Also remove all stinkers if any.

 

[ghangis]

Thanks for the help.

 

[ghangis]

I'm now down to 39. All the rest have air sacs and looking good. No funny odors.

 

[ghangis]

Alright, day 18. Eggs have been placed on their sides. Brooder box is set and ready and a second incubator is warming up to prepare as a drying incubator if humidity gets too high. Am I forgetting anything?