Has anyone tried dry incubation and does it work well? And a sexlink breeding question.

[NatJ]

Thank you! But is it okay if they are in the super hot/warm and humid incubator for that long?

Yes

I agree. Yes, it is okay.

 

[talkinboutchickens]

I would say that would have to do with the ambient temps you are incubating in. If very high ambient humidity your incubator may run at around 30% without adding water. If incubating in a very low ambient humidity % you will have to add water to get to 30%. Most folks that dry hatch is because they are in areas of very high ambient humidities, and their incubators humidity runs around that 30% without adding water or very little. Also, water surface area in incubator is what determines humidity % not the amount of water added.

Is 30 percent humidity like the minimum ambient humidity? And does the temp have to be different with dry hatching?

 

[talkinboutchickens]

Splayed legs can be genetic, but the most common causes are slippery surfaces the chicks walk on their first days, or assisted hatches.

Thus, I always use the rubbery shelf liner for the lockdown incubator, paper towels in the brooder for the first few days then horse bedding pellets.

How many days should I use the rubber shelf liner? What is the lockdown incubator?

 

[Ridgerunner]

How many days should I use the rubber shelf liner?

I don't use that stuff so no idea.

What is the lockdown incubator?

Whichever incubator you use for lockdown. For many of us that is the incubator you incubate them in. Some people use separate incubators for incubating and for lockdown.

 

[talkinboutchickens]

Whichever incubator you use for lockdown. For many of us that is the incubator you incubate them in. Some people use separate incubators for incubating and for lockdown.

OH I get it. Don't you have to take the egg tray out, too?

 

[Ridgerunner]

OH I get it. Don't you have to take the egg tray out, too?

I take mine out but I don't know what you have to do with other incubators. There are a lot of different incubators out there. They do not all look alike or operate the same.

 

[Debbie292d]

How many days should I use the rubber shelf liner? What is the lockdown incubator?

Lock down for the vast majority of chicken eggs is 3 days prior to hatch so Day 18. I do it one or two days sooner as I've had early hatchers (silkies). When I used the NR360, it automatically turns the turner off. I took that white turning rack out. Then I put down the rubber shelf liner and didn't open it again until they all hatched.

Now that I have two Brinsea 56EXs, I use one to incubate the eggs until lockdown, then I move them to the other that doesn't have racks in it and just has the rubber shelf liner.

 

[talkinboutchickens]

Lock down for the vast majority of chicken eggs is 3 days prior to hatch so Day 18. I do it one or two days sooner as I've had early hatchers (silkies). When I used the NR360, it automatically turns the turner off. I took that white turning rack out. Then I put down the rubber shelf liner and didn't open it again until they all hatched.

Now that I have two Brinsea 56EXs, I use one to incubate the eggs until lockdown, then I move them to the other that doesn't have racks in it and just has the rubber shelf liner.

Can I do lockdown in one incubator?

 

[Ridgerunner]

If you lock them all down at the same time, yes. That's what most of us do. A second incubator for lockdown allows people that do staggered hatches to manage that.

 

[Eggs_Over_EZ]

We used dry hatch the last 21 days. Had 10 out of 13 hatch. Humidity was 25% the first 18 days and added water to only one section of our new Maticoopx 30 incubator and humidity went to 45-50%. Once hatching began it would rise from there. Highest reached was 79%. It would occur throughout the day but not stay there all day. I have to give props to those who recommended the Govee hygrometer Great having to get notices of the humidity and temps are outside of you range on the app.