What do you wish you had known before incubating?

[PNW_Peepers]

While we're on the topic of humidity, I wish I had known that what is more important is egg weight loss.
Cheap hygrometers are worthless. A gram scale will insure correct weight loss and you can add or subtract water as needed. On average, the eggs need to lose about 0.65% weight per day.

I don't even own a hygrometer any more. I'll probably invest in some good ones if ever I'm heavy on cash again. With 4 cabinet incubators, I may sell one and use some of the money to buy 3 good humidor hygrometers.
IMHO, a guaranteed accurate thermometer is WAAAAY more important than any worry about humidity.
First of all, eggs will vary dramatically in their porosity and weight loss. Knowing humidity doesn't tell you how much weight they have lost.

I’ve got a decent Hygrometer, I think.
I haven’t calibrated it yet, I’m hoping it’s at least somewhat accurate. If not I have four more... This thing is pretty big though, comparative to the little incubator. Do I have to downsize the amount of eggs incubating to fit this Goliath of a hygrometer in?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I’ve got a decent Hygrometer, I think.
I haven’t calibrated it yet, I’m hoping it’s at least somewhat accurate. If not I have four more... This thing is pretty big though, comparative to the little incubator. Do I have to downsize the amount of eggs incubating to fit this Goliath of a hygrometer in? View attachment 1622963

Well you already know my view on hygrometers vs. gram scales.
If it were me, I'd take all 5 hygrometers outside, put them in the same place in the shade away from any body of water. Go inside and pull up Accuweather or any other weather site so you can enter your zip code. Get the current humidity for your area. Go back out and compare that number to the readings on the 5 hygrometers. Then judge for yourself.

 

[WVduckchick]

Learning to judge air cell sizes as incubation goes along is my preferred humidity tester. No specific number works for everyone, nor every type of egg shell, for every season. Reading the air cells growth along the way works for me.
So I guess in relation to the question for the thread, is learn to watch air cell size along the way.

 

[aart]

Test your thermometers and hygrometers, so you know how accurate they are!!

Best way I've found is to compare to a medical grade thermometer:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...incubator-thermometers-and-hygrometers.73634/

 

[Gail Laubenthal]

Loving these so far!
I’m worried about regulating the humidity correctly, as it doesn’t regulate it at all. Any tips on that?

I have that incubator and as long as I followed the instructions about the water levels and not opening the top to remove chicks too often, I have not had any issues. The one thing that you don't have control over is if your eggs are all fertile. I have my own roosters, so I take a chance when choosing the eggs, just hoping that they are fertile. I just hatched eggs on Christmas day and of the 14 eggs 5 were not fertile. They were all blue eggs, so I'm excited to add these puffy cheek sweeties to my flock...hope that most are female.

 

[bobhoke]

I'd return the incubator. Buy two silkie hens and two bantam cochin hens. You won't have to worry about any settings. After that weed them out and keep the best mothers. They are absolutely an effective and efficient option.

 

[aart]

They are absolutely an effective and efficient option.

Ehhh, maybe...but harder to 'un-plug' a broody!

 

[ChocolateMouse]

That chick dust will kill brinsea mini incubators. Mine died when I left the two chicks I hatched in there for two extra days cause my lamp broke.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Broody's are NOT set em and forget em peeps...

What I wish I knew...

That when I thought... "eh, I will never be able to fill a 42 egg incubator"... that I would have three more running at the SAME time ALL year long. Hatching is addictive!

You get what you give... and I get great hatches from my still air hand turning, JUST as much as my forced air auto turned.

Also wish I knew... to cull now instead of try to save the bent toes or splay legs... things get worse as birds get heavier... sad but true survival of the fittest is better than having to cull a bird later on who has become uncomfortable... due to power outages or such that effect incubation.

 

[cmom]

You will get all kinds of advice which is good but you will have to find out what works best for you. Hatching eggs isn't rocket science. I incubate at low humidity where I have had my best hatches. You can put two hygrometers next to each other and likely they will not read exactly the same and the same goes with thermometers. Now I use a humidor hygrometers and digital thermometers. If the temperature is a little high the chicks may hatch a day or two early and if it runs a little low they may hatch a day or two late. The biggest problem most people have from my observation is running the humidity to high during incubation which causes condensation in the air cell and when the chicks pip the air sack (internally) they drown, so you will have a dead fully formed chick.

I do take my chicks out periodically when they hatch and I have a special brooder they go into while they are drying. After they dry they go into another brooder where they stay for a couple of weeks until I put them in the chick/grow-out coop. When I take the chicks out of the hatchers, I mist the remaining eggs and this also helps to bring the humidity up a bit quicker. I do not hatch in my incubator. I use my styrofoam incubators as hatchers. However you do things, good luck and have fun...