Tips on how to hatch bantams

[FenDruadin]

I'm glad to have found this thread! I just "received" a surprise batch of bantam eggs that were deposited in my hay shelter by the neighbor's bantam hen. I am planning to incubate them, and glad to hear it's similar to regular chicken eggs. But on the humidity--how low is too low? I was planning to dry incubate, but after reading this, I won't. But now I don't know what to do about humidity--I've only ever hatched duck eggs before, so this is all new territory to me.

Thank you!

 

[Akane]

The problem with actual humidity numbers is that it depends. There is a long thread on it somewhere. Your local climate and incubator require a different humidity to get the same results as someone else. My LG requires different numbers than my Hova. Even hatching at different times of the year can mean a different humidity works best. The hatches I did this summer required up to 10% more humidity than the hatches I did this spring during rainy weather. Really you just have to run a few hatches through and see what works best for you. For around here having a fairly humid climate and using a tabletop bator I'd suggest starting around 45-50%. There is a picture of air sac size at various days here:
http://www.all-science-fair-project...s/78/26/02a6438191a2a3698a488d71224b565f.html
Also those trying to be more scientific about it will weigh all their eggs. A chicken egg should lose about 10% of it's weight during incubation from water evaporating.

Dry incubation is also not entirely without watching the humidity. Some people humidify the whole room when doing dry incubation. It's not suggested in very dry climates with any eggs unless you do that. The usual number I see as the low is 40% but some will go down to 30%.

 

[FenDruadin]

Cool link! And thanks for the thoughts on humidity. I guess I'll run between 45-50% then, and see how it goes. I am not planning to hatch a lot of chickens--these were just a fortuitous find, and one little girl I'm very fond of really latched onto one egg and wanted desperately to hatch it and have a chicken (I'm wanting to convince her dad that she really needs at least *two* chickens, and hopefully the whole batch once it hatches, lol...), so I really want the hatch to go well. At least two chickens!

Thanks for the tips!