Which is better?

[Mattlime]

Is it better to dry hatch or wet hatch? I am using an incubator that I have never used before and I just wondered what people thought would be the best way to hatch chicks...my house says 70 degrees...I have them by my bed on a nightstand...I have not gotten any eggs yet because it just got regulated today...I was hoping someone would tell me what they think...it is a still air incubator that I am borrowing...I have it to 99.5 degrees and I know I have got to find something that gauges the humidity...I have never done it without an automatic turner but this one does not have one...is it better to get one or do without? Please help I am just worried cause it has been about seven years since I hatched any babies out and I can use all the help I can get...I remember a lot of it but I just needed to hear other peoples opinions...thanks...

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

I dry incubate for the first 2 weeks.

I have only hatched a few times. Our house humidity is 50-60%. Which is why I dry incubate LOL.

I would wonder what your humidity is in your home???

 

[Mattlime]

Not sure I would imagine it is good our home is only about 11 months old...I am getting a acurite digital humidity and temp monitor tomorrow morning...I just want to have a good hatch...I have a still air styrofoam incubator that I am using without automatic turners...I have my work cut out but at least I am only incubating about 18 eggs so not to bad...

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

I use an auto turner (Brinsea Mini Advance) and love it.

The only advice I could give is that if your home isn't very humid best to go over to some of the old threads on "dry incubation" to see what they say before doing it.

 

[Mattlime]

More than likely I will do wet incubation I will keep humidity at 25-30 for first 18 days then 65 to 70 on last three days and two days after to make sure all that is going to hatch did hatch...I do not open the incubator if one hatches I wait at least a day or two before opening so I do not kill any other babies that might hatch...

 

[Mattlime]

I may need to ask for this as a Christmas present...I could use one like this when I wanted to hatch a small amount of chicks...thanks for the thought...

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

I may need to ask for this as a Christmas present...I could use one like this when I wanted to hatch a small amount of chicks...thanks for the thought...

Another advantage to only being able to hatch out 7 chicks at a time is that I don't buy too many hatching eggs LOL!

 

[Mattlime]

I understand that...lol...I have got my hygrometer in my incubator it reads at 100 degrees for temp and humidity is at 40-50 is that okay to place eggs in or do I need to get it up to about 60...humidity in my house is at 40 in my room...I know that the instructions with the incubator say to keep it at 99.5 but another book I was reading says keep it at 102 for a still air incubator...also it says after day 14 you do not open or rotate the eggs...is that true or do you do what everyone else says rotate til day 18 and then stop opening and turning...just was wondering after I read that book again...

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

I understand that...lol...I have got my hygrometer in my incubator it reads at 100 degrees for temp and humidity is at 40-50 is that okay to place eggs in or do I need to get it up to about 60...humidity in my house is at 40 in my room...I know that the instructions with the incubator say to keep it at 99.5 but another book I was reading says keep it at 102 for a still air incubator...also it says after day 14 you do not open or rotate the eggs...is that true or do you do what everyone else says rotate til day 18 and then stop opening and turning...just was wondering after I read that book again...

Here is a helpful resource.
http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/livestocksystems/di0631.html

I hope this helps!

 

[Mattlime]

Thanks that helped a lot I am ready to put eggs in...is it okay to place eggs into the incubator and then add more a few days later or should I wait and put all in together? I have a friend that brought me three eggs and then I have a lady sending me some off of here and I am not sure when they will be here...would you wait and put all in together or go ahead and place those three in now and add the rest when they get here?