wet paper towel for hatching

[rianxera14]

I've noticed that some wet a paper towel and lay the egg on it or ensure that the egg is touching it. Can someone explain this hatching/humidity technique.

Why it is done?
Any problems with it or possible problems encountered?
Is it to avoid shrink wrapped?

 

[silkiecuddles]

I do it dry so they have something secure to hatch on. But the reason people wet it (I think) is because humidity is based off surface, so if the entire paper towel is wet, it's gonna make more humidity than filling some cups or channels. But it also dries up faster than a cup of water.

Hope that helps!

 

[lazy gardener]

Most don't put eggs on damp paper towels unless they are doing an assisted hatch, and then, it's to keep the membranes from drying out. You can put damp paper towels in the incubator if you need to quickly raise the humidity.

My personal opinion is that I don't want the chicks/eggs to encounter any dampness other than the humidity in the air in the incubator. The reason being that the moist warm environment is a perfect breeding ground for bacteria. When a chick hatches, he's dragging the raw stump of his umbilical cord around until it dries up. There is also a fair amount of liquid that comes out of each egg as it hatches: albumen, sometimes some blood, and the first poop from the chick. So, the dryer the floor of the bator is, the better. The first chicks to hatch will play hockey with the yet to hatch eggs, so you can imagine how messy things can get if the floor of the bator is wet!

I have a styrofoam home made bator. While I do have some water under the hatching "tray", I use a sponge to keep my humidity up. I'm such a stickler about keeping the floor dry, that I literally screw my sponge to the wall of the bator. Then, I can pour water onto the sponge as needed to keep my humidity up.

 

[WVduckchick]

Agree with lazy gardener. And I think extra wetness actually touching the eggs is not good. I think the shell could absorb too much on that one side and cause problems, in addition to the bacterial issues.

I think other reasons that people use paper towels is for easier cleanup, or to cover wire mesh if that's what their bottom is made of. I have plastic grid flooring and use rubber shelf liner (sanitized and dry) then just roll it up and throw away.

 

[TollieOllie]

In the middle of my first hatch. My understanding is that for ducks, the shell is stronger, and they need the humidity to soften the shell. If there's not enough humidity they don't always hatch. The wet paper towels help to soften the shell go increase hatch-ability. The 2 above, are referring to Chickens. Different ball game.