Tips for a still air first time hatch?

[mpgo4th]

I know they are not ideal but the farm innovator still air was all I could get due to the price. I will be hand turning and setting the eggs next month. I plan to set 24 eggs and I'm thinking of trying a dry hatch. From what I understand you don't add any water until lock down and then only add a little, like maybe a damp sponge. I put a good meat thermometer in and ran it for 3 days with nothing in it and got the temp to stay at 99-101 and humidity at 35 with no water. Any tips to make this a good first try?

 

[Timba]

I will be starting a batch tomorrow. I've built two incubators. One is a still air, the other a forced air. I do plan on keeping some moisture in both because I'm afraid of the eggs drying out. I'll keep you posted as my 21 days tick down. This is my first attempt at incubating so let's see how it goes.

 

[Farmer Viola]

I know they are not ideal but the farm innovator still air was all I could get due to the price. I will be hand turning and setting the eggs next month. I plan to set 24 eggs and I'm thinking of trying a dry hatch. From what I understand you don't add any water until lock down and then only add a little, like maybe a damp sponge. I put a good meat thermometer in and ran it for 3 days with nothing in it and got the temp to stay at 99-101 and humidity at 35 with no water. Any tips to make this a good first try?

sounds like you've got it down! here is what I am for, I dry hatch also:

day 1-18: 25-45%
day 19-21: 55-65%

still air temperature: 101F
forced air: 99.5F

are you ordering sipped eggs or are they your own?


come join us in the hatch a long! we post as we set our eggs, questions always welcome and a lot more eyeballs on that thread
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/846539/jan-feb-2014-hatch-a-long/690

 

[Farmer Viola]

what I do is, add zero water day 1-18, and allow the eggs to evaporate and create their own humidity. If you have a full incubator, that'll be pretty easy. If for example you set 6 eggs in a 40 egg incubator, you might need to add some water!
but for full incubators you probably won't need to.

if it dips below 25% add 1 tsp of water
up to 45% you're safe

 

[mpgo4th]

They are my own eggs. I'm getting 5-6 a day right now and plan to set 24. I might keep some females but I plan to give them to a co-worker's wife who wants to get back into keeping chickens. My eggs are from my red sexlinks with a RIR roo with them

 

[Roadeo99]

After day 18 how do you raise the humidity I have it stable at 30% now with 1 vent open 1 closed. Humidity in my house is low 10% si I added a paper towel into the wells that was the only way the humidity would go up It was at 10% for 3 days until I added paper towels one it's stable 101' and 30% humidity does this sound right? Any and all help would be appreciated this will be mine and my nephews first hatch

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

That's about where I keep my humidity for the first 18 days. All I do to raise humidity is fill the water wells at the bottom of my bator. If you're having a hard time getting it to go higher you'll probably have to add a couple of sponges or something similar

 

[Farmer Viola]

After day 18 how do you raise the humidity I have it stable at 30% now with 1 vent open 1 closed. Humidity in my house is low 10% si I added a paper towel into the wells that was the only way the humidity would go up It was at 10% for 3 days until I added paper towels one it's stable 101' and 30% humidity does this sound right? Any and all help would be appreciated this will be mine and my nephews first hatch

to increase the humidity, you must increase the surface area of water. so an unfolded wet paper towel has more surface area than a folded one. a flat dish of water is another way of increasing surface area. I also like to use a sponge, or cut up pieces of sponge.

make sure you have 2 devices to measure humidity so you can trust the reading. If you are adding water and it is not going up, something might be off.

101F is the proper temperature for a still-air incubator

Day 1-18: 25-45% Humidity
Day 19-21: 55-65% Humidity

 

[mpgo4th]

I'm setting the eggs on Sunday. I decided to just do six my first try so if they all fail, I won't be to upset. Now my only fear is getting more males. I already have 5 roosters and don't need anymore.