First timer here! How do I know if I have adequate ventilation?

[silkiemama002]

Hey there! I am incubating eggs for the first time, and I am really worried the eggs don't have enough air
(big overthinker here LOL)

My incubator is from Amazon and inexpensive (I bought it before I realised how important a good one is) and it came with only one 6mm vent above the fan which is contributing to my fear of insufficient airflow.

The incubator is 13 inches by 15.5 inches, and I have added seven 3mm circular holes to the lid. Three of these new holes are now covered up to increase humidity, leaving four 3mm holes and the one main 6mm vent above the fan.

My silkie eggs are now on day nine. Three eggs are developing well; I could see a lot of strong movement and good blood vessels when I candled on day seven. Two eggs were not fertile (I took them out today) and I accidentally broke sixth one on day four... So just three eggs in there now.

The humidity has dropped a couple of times overnight to about 20% and I am terrified I have done harm The temperature has been steady at 37.5c - 38c give or take a few fluctuations in the first few days. I have four hygrometers so quite confident on the readings.

My question is, is there any way to calculate or test whether there is enough ventilation / how much ventilation is needed for a certain number of eggs (or per egg)?

Perplexity did this nifty calculation for me:

Total vent area = Area of 3mm vents = 28.4mm2, + Area of 6mm vent = 28.27mm2, equals a total vent area of 56.67mm2

Thanks so much for any help! From a very determined to hatch gal!!

 

[Debbie292d]

Oh heavens, I can't even do chicken math right.

Humidity, unlike temperature, is an average. So say you want it to be at 50% and sometimes it falls to 35%, and when you fill it, it rises to 65%. That's fine, as the average is what you want. That's provided these highs and lows are just happening for hours and not days.

Most incubators come with a little vent in them, which seems so small, but it's sufficient. I have a 56-egg Brinsea, and the same little tiny hole is enough ventilation for a full incubator as it is for just a few eggs.

If you're having trouble maintaining humidity though, you'll need to cover some of those holes you made. It must have a good heater in it if that's keeping up.

Temp/humidity should be verified with another thermometer/hygrometer though too. Don't just trust that your incubator is right, as they seldom are.

 

[FunClucks]

If your eggs are alive, they are getting enough ventilation. Since there's a fan involved, that helps a lot. Id say just go with what you have, cover some holes if necessary to keep humidity up, and see how things turn out. The manufacturers usually do that calculation when they design their incubator. It doesn't take much.

 

[silkiemama002]

Thank you guys! I covered up some of the holes after I posted this and the humidity has been great since... very stable thankfully!
Appreciate your comments and help. It's hard work trying to suss everything out for the first time and someone worried me when they said about having enough air haha

I will keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best!