Harris Farms Nurture Right 360 Incubator is AMAZING!

[jlwquilter]

It is a novel but one worth reading - lol! I’m going to try to keep the humidity lower at 45%. Don’t know how that’s going to happen but I’m going to start by adding just small amounts of water to see if I can get it to stabilize at 45% for any length of time. I get what you get - add any significant amount of water and it shoots up to 55% or higher. My daughter noticed last hatch that half a tablespoon of added water usually resulted in an increase of 4-5%. Using that info we were able to keep the humidity more stable but on the high side. I want to try to keep it lower this hatch.
I also read here about stopping the turner a day or 2 earlier to give the chicks more time to position themselves to pip and hatch. I’m going to try that too. This last batch of chicks seems to take a lot longer to dry off inside the bator. I figure keeping the humidity lower with help with that. Mine would be in the high 70s and even 80s with wet chicks.
I never heard of chicks drowning in their shells! I’m not clear on what causes that...? Would it be high humidity?
I also have a BR egg from the lady that has a weak shell spot on the pointed end. Just touching it made a tiny hole . After I candle it tonight to see what the rest of the shell looks like, if it’s ok otherwise I’ll use candle wax to drip a tiny blob on to seal
It and give it a go.
I just plugged the NE360 in. It immediately went to 50% humidity with no water in it. I’m going to permit run dry for awhile and see what it does.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

Whew! What a great thread this is! I’ve read thru it all, took me several days and I did skim in a few places- lol!
I’ve had my NR360 since last summer. I bought it used off of Facebook marketplace. It’s already paid for itself as the first 3 hatches went to a guy in a neighboring town who was restocking his chickens. I followed the incubator instructions but struggled with keeping the humidity constant. I erred on the high side as well, using a toothpick to prop open the lid many times to lower the humidity. Hatch rates were around 50%. Not bad but not very good either. Eggs were from my own flock - mostly RIRs with a few BO and BR crosses.
I took a long break over winter and just last week hatched my 4th batch of eggs. I did much better managing the humidity but after reading this thread, I was still too often on the high side. My hatch rate was 70% and I am happy with that overall. I had 5 late stage quitters and am hoping to reduce that number. I am setting the next hatch tonight. These eggs will be a mix of eggs from my own flock and from BR hens I used to own just a few months ago. I sold them to a lady who had a BR rooster. Now I’ve turned around and bought fertilized eggs back from her- lol!
I’m going to shoot to keep the humidity between 35-55% with the 45% target. Right now the bator runs at around 30% dry. I’m in southeast FL.
I’m very excited to try the tips I’ve read about here!

Welcome to the thread!! I'm glad you've found it helpful this far! I do suggested aiming for lower rather than higher when you're unable to get the humidity right where you want it but anything up to 55% for the first 18 days seems to provide good air cell development for me in the NR360. Good luck on your next hatch! Keep us updated!

 

[CluckNDoodle]

Like you, I have read much of this thread, but can not claim to have read all of it, it is a novel!
I have similar humidity here and the NR 360 runs about 30-35% dry. If I add any water at all, it shoots up to 55%. I dry incubate most eggs, but I would like it to be around 45% for my silkie eggs. Would you mind sharing the tips you have discovered about how to achieve this? Thanks so much!

For me personally at my house all I have to do is open the vent completely and take the red plug out of the B water port (I rarely ever use the plug anymore, it's just one more little vent when there's no water in it, lol). I do fill side A with water and that will bring my Incubator to about 45-50%.

 

[CHlCKEN]

I plan to read though this thread too, since I’m purchasing my own NR360 very soon. I’m excited!

 

[CluckNDoodle]

It is a novel but one worth reading - lol! I’m going to try to keep the humidity lower at 45%. Don’t know how that’s going to happen but I’m going to start by adding just small amounts of water to see if I can get it to stabilize at 45% for any length of time. I get what you get - add any significant amount of water and it shoots up to 55% or higher. My daughter noticed last hatch that half a tablespoon of added water usually resulted in an increase of 4-5%. Using that info we were able to keep the humidity more stable but on the high side. I want to try to keep it lower this hatch.
I also read here about stopping the turner a day or 2 earlier to give the chicks more time to position themselves to pip and hatch. I’m going to try that too. This last batch of chicks seems to take a lot longer to dry off inside the bator. I figure keeping the humidity lower with help with that. Mine would be in the high 70s and even 80s with wet chicks.
I never heard of chicks drowning in their shells! I’m not clear on what causes that...? Would it be high humidity?
I also have a BR egg from the lady that has a weak shell spot on the pointed end. Just touching it made a tiny hole . After I candle it tonight to see what the rest of the shell looks like, if it’s ok otherwise I’ll use candle wax to drip a tiny blob on to seal
It and give it a go.
I just plugged the NE360 in. It immediately went to 50% humidity with no water in it. I’m going to permit run dry for awhile and see what it does.

As far as chicks drowning in the shell, that's caused by very high extended humidity actually building up fluid in the air cell so that when the chick pips internally in the air cell it can sometimes encounter that fluid build up and drown. I have never had this happen in the NR360, it would be extended periods of 80-85+% humidity, not the short spikes that you get while chicks are hatching. The spikes are normal from the chicks drying off and the interior of the shell being opened.

If the crack is small enough nail polish or liquid bandage are also good options for sealing the crack. I've used nail polish successfully many times now and I just picked up a package of liquid bandage to try for next time.

 

[UThobbyfarmer]

Third chick hatched overnight. Hopefully that's it till Friday. I'll pull them out this afternoon. Do a quick clean up and get ready for Friday's hatch.

 

[Dinoroar]

HI all! I’ve set some serama eggs in my NR yesterday. The humidity tends to run a touch high in mine too but I’ve still had good hatch rates. In the past I’ve just filled the a resivoir but I’m experimenting this time with hanging a piece of cellulose sponge into the vent for the water to evaporate. So far it’s holding close to 45. But taking the plug out of the b reservoir for extra ventilation is a smart tip! If this way turns out to be a pain I’ll try that!

 

[jlwquilter]

After turning the bator on it went immediately to 50%. Then settled down to about 33%. I put one tablespoon of water in it and it’s at 45-47%. I’m going to check on it during the day and see what it does. I want to set eggs tonight.
The instructions say to not run it dry. Am I risking the machine to essentially run it dry? One tablespoon could hardly count I’d think. But wait... I just stuck my finger in the A port and felt water! That surprises me. Maybe a tablespoon will be ok! Have to see how long before the water runs out. But.... the lowest I’ve ever seen it is at low 30s when I get up in the morning. I had started to get up in the night to add water - which would put it over 55% for some unknown time frame. Maybe I won’t do that this time. Just let it go to the low end and not worry about it too much.
I don’t know if I had circumstances that would have resulted in drowned chicks. Probably not. I did wonder that propping the lid open to reduce humidity levels fairly often may have had a negative effect on the eggs in the ‘draft’ area. All the quitters were on the outer ring and kinda in a row.

 

[WallyG74]

For me personally at my house all I have to do is open the vent completely and take the red plug out of the B water port (I rarely ever use the plug anymore, it's just one more little vent when there's no water in it, lol). I do fill side A with water and that will bring my Incubator to about 45-50%.

I guess I’ll add my 2 cents. For me, achieving 45-50% came from opening the vent all the way. Leave B plug in. Then fill A port. When I say fill “A” I mean before setting eggs, pull out all the pieces to expose the “A” and “B” reservoirs. Fill the entire “A” channel until all of the surface is covered with water. At lockdown, do the same with “B” and you should get a constant 70%. Well, I did at least.

 

[LynnaePB]

After turning the bator on it went immediately to 50%. Then settled down to about 33%. I put one tablespoon of water in it and it’s at 45-47%. I’m going to check on it during the day and see what it does. I want to set eggs tonight.
The instructions say to not run it dry. Am I risking the machine to essentially run it dry? One tablespoon could hardly count I’d think. But wait... I just stuck my finger in the A port and felt water! That surprises me. Maybe a tablespoon will be ok! Have to see how long before the water runs out. But.... the lowest I’ve ever seen it is at low 30s when I get up in the morning. I had started to get up in the night to add water - which would put it over 55% for some unknown time frame. Maybe I won’t do that this time. Just let it go to the low end and not worry about it too much.
I don’t know if I had circumstances that would have resulted in drowned chicks. Probably not. I did wonder that propping the lid open to reduce humidity levels fairly often may have had a negative effect on the eggs in the ‘draft’ area. All the quitters were on the outer ring and kinda in a row.

I have two nurture rights and often I don't add water for most or even the entire first 18-19 days. It hasn't seemed to affect how they run at all, they've been super reliable water added or not.