[Chookiechook]

Having just splashed out £17 on a digital hygrometer...... I have now read that it is difficult to measure humidity in a still air incubator

I have a hovabator and its running at 63% ..... but how do I know if this is accurate

It was the hovabator incubation guide that said this...... but gave no way of doing it accurately.

I have 7 silkie eggs due to go into it tonight to hatch on sunday..... I am worried

Thanks for any replies

[Chookiechook]

Anyone??? 

[too many girls]

i have a still air incy as well as a forced air one, i wasn't aware that the digital hydrometor was inacurate in the still air, i've had good hatches from both, i wouldn't worry about it too much.

[Chookiechook]

Thanks TMG... Its a shame its so late in the year now..... I wont be able to try either bator out properly till next spring ...... such a long way away

I will experiment then

[woodside farm]

With my still air incubator I never bothered much with humidity, I used one of the hydrometers but that was more for getting the temperature right.
I put water in when I put the eggs in and then filled it up again when they where due to hatch.

Michelle xx

[Chookiechook]

Thanks Michelle.....

I think I over analyse it all to be honest..... looking for reasons why my hatch rate has been a bit hit and miss.

I seem to get about 20% dead in shell, fully formed but shrink wrapped.......  hence the ocd with the humidity.

I have 7 silkies due to hatch on sunday and I am desperate for them to all make it.... I know they are still viable as I candled them for the last time yesterday .... but am terrified they will die when hatching.

The chicks that hatched last saturday.... one hatched fine... two pipped, but had to be helped to get out of shell as membranes were too tough.... and three were dead in shell without pipping, but fully formed.

I feel so sad that they went so far and fell at the last   Especially if it could be my lack of experience that killed them

[woodside farm]

Hi,
it might be that you are candeling them too much, I candel mine at 5 - 7 days and thats it, what incubator do you have? I have only ever used Brinsea and in my old still air incubators I used to fill them with warm water the dy before they where due to hatch (so tomorrow).
It is a lot of hit and miss though, you need to find out for yourself, if you get a good hatch stick to that method and don't try to get it better.
I now have a Brinsea Ova Easy 380, the digital temp reading keeps that right, but with the humidity I still put water in when I put eggs in and again when they are due to hatch and don't take much notice of the humidity reading, I even had two duckling hatch two days early with humidity reading 40%.
Let us know how you get on.

Michelle xx

[Chookiechook]

I candled the chickens eggs about six  times during the 21 days   But the quails eggs I only candle on day 13 to see if any are non starters..... no point in looking for any other reason as I cant see through the spots

The silkie eggs got candled more than usual because I turned the bator off overnight by mistake early on, and I needed to know if I had killed them all....

I have a Brinsea Polyhatch autoturning one..... but have only had it for a couple of weeks and a Hovabator non auto one which I am using for the actual hatch itself.  I also have, but am no longer using, a cheap ebay polybox with light and thermostat..... this is what I have hatched most of the quail in, so not sure if that could be the reason for some of the failures.

It has been a fun summer though.... and I have learned loads already.... next year should be better

thanks for the reply and the advice