Lockdown! How high is too high on the humidity???

[corvidae]

We put the little eggs in lockdown this afternoon and the humidity has been a PAIN! If I leave the red plug in (yes, I can only find one of the blasted plugs) the humidity jacks up to 80%. If I pull it out, it drops to about 50%. If I kind of half cover it, I can sort of get it around 60%, but that plug seems to like migrating. I have no idea when those plugs grew little legs, but they never seem to stay where I put them unless I wedge them in place. Danged aggravating, that.

I also noticed that if I perform a short tap dance, the humidity will fluctuate with the tapping of my shoes. Clever, no?

Seriously, I wanted to keep it at 70%, and I'm bit worried 80% is too high. Is it?

 

[chickenman17]

Yeah I wouldn't keep it above 70% during lockdown. I usually try to keep mine around 65% or so. Good luck!!!

 

[BigDaddy'sGurl]

Honestly, I know people will disagree, but HIGH humidity at lockdown shouldn't hurt. I mean, why would it? If the humidity the entire incubation period has been appropriate, the air cell should be big enough to support internal pipping, so the chick won't (contrary to popular belief) "drown". Drown on what?? There is AIR in the big end of the egg by lockdown if your humidity was appropriate the first 18 days. And you're not pouring water over hatching chicks so I don't get the whole "drowning" idea at all. My last couple of hatches the humidity crept up to 90 % at lockdown and I had a much better hatch rate than I have had immediately before the last two that it got so high. The chicks may take longer to "fluff up", but if you have the brooder already "pre heated" and the hatch is done, just move them anyway. The one thing you DO want to be aware of though is to OPEN some vent plugs! I learned the hard way what a lack of ventilation and oxygenation will do! Good luck!!

ETA: Also on the whole "drowning" issue, like I said: if the humidity was appropriate the first eighteen days, the chicks are already as "dried out" as they can be...just because the humidity is high the last three days doesn't mean the chick can suddenly "regenerate" the fluid lost through incubation...they don't sweat...

 

[pascopol]

BigDaddy'sGurl :

Honestly, I know people will disagree, but HIGH humidity at lockdown shouldn't hurt. I mean, why would it? If the humidity the entire incubation period has been appropriate, the air cell should be big enough to support internal pipping, so the chick won't (contrary to popular belief) "drown". Drown on what?? There is AIR in the big end of the egg by lockdown if your humidity was appropriate the first 18 days. And you're not pouring water over hatching chicks so I don't get the whole "drowning" idea at all. My last couple of hatches the humidity crept up to 90 % at lockdown and I had a much better hatch rate than I have had immediately before the last two that it got so high. The chicks may take longer to "fluff up", but if you have the brooder already "pre heated" and the hatch is done, just move them anyway. The one thing you DO want to be aware of though is to OPEN some vent plugs! I learned the hard way what a lack of ventilation and oxygenation will do! Good luck!!

ETA: Also on the whole "drowning" issue, like I said: if the humidity was appropriate the first eighteen days, the chicks are already as "dried out" as they can be...just because the humidity is high the last three days doesn't mean the chick can suddenly "regenerate" the fluid lost through incubation...they don't sweat...

Yes young lady you have figured that right!

Higher humidity the better during the hatch, if it gets really high (75% +) it is better to lower the temperature during the hatch down to about 98 or even lower.

I do it all the time and get clean hatches (no helping, no days of struggling) What is ment to hatch pops out of the shell in no time, very seldom I got pipped eggs which do not hatch.​

 

[Buck Creek Chickens]

Quote:
50% is all I use, works fine, plus you will get fluctuating because the chick give off humidity as they hatch, it will go up and down, as for the plugs if the window fogs up to high, if not just right, duct tape is a good replacement but remember you need fresh air in the 'bator

 

[rancher hicks]

Quote:
Did I send you the article from Practical Poultry magazine on hatching? Send me your e-mail address and I can send it to you if you'd like to read it.

On day 19 your humidity should be 65% and to the end. I use a sharpie to block the hole in mine if I need to. I too have no idea where the red plug is. I know you can order more.

I would keep it at 60% rather than too high and add water to see if I could get the other 5%. I add water with an eye dropper. Getting it up there is not easy. If you can't I would stay at 60%. I ususally can get it to 60 or somewhere in between there and 65%.

Wish you all the best


Rancher

 

[Gypsy07]

Quote:
Why is it better to lower the temp if you have a really high humidity? I run my lockdowns at 75%+ but I don't lower the temp. I never heard anything about lowering it before. Just wondering what is the purpose/benefit of it?

And yes, I'm with you and Daddy'sGurl. If humidity has been correct days 1-18 and the eggs have lost enough moisture going into lockdown, then high humidity during lockdown isn't going to do any harm that I can think of. I've had mine as high as 90% before and chicks still hatch fine and fluff ujp quickly...

 

[Buck Creek Chickens]

Quote:
Why is it better to lower the temp if you have a really high humidity? I run my lockdowns at 75%+ but I don't lower the temp. I never heard anything about lowering it before. Just wondering what is the purpose/benefit of it?

And yes, I'm with you and Daddy'sGurl. If humidity has been correct days 1-18 and the eggs have lost enough moisture going into lockdown, then high humidity during lockdown isn't going to do any harm that I can think of. I've had mine as high as 90% before and chicks still hatch fine and fluff ujp quickly...

its science, the higher the temp the more water the air can hold. its why you hear about humidity more in the summer than the winter

 

[Gypsy07]

Quote:
its science, the higher the temp the more water the air can hold. its why you hear about humidity more in the summer than the winter

Okay, I understand that. But I still don't see why I would want to decrease my temps if I'm deliberately aiming for high humidity.

Is it for when you have unwanted high humidity that you're having trouble decreasing, and you'd drop the temp a bit so that the air would hold less water, and then you would lower your humidity that way?

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

BigDaddy'sGurl :

Honestly, I know people will disagree, but HIGH humidity at lockdown shouldn't hurt. I mean, why would it? If the humidity the entire incubation period has been appropriate, the air cell should be big enough to support internal pipping, so the chick won't (contrary to popular belief) "drown". Drown on what?? There is AIR in the big end of the egg by lockdown if your humidity was appropriate the first 18 days. And you're not pouring water over hatching chicks so I don't get the whole "drowning" idea at all. My last couple of hatches the humidity crept up to 90 % at lockdown and I had a much better hatch rate than I have had immediately before the last two that it got so high. The chicks may take longer to "fluff up", but if you have the brooder already "pre heated" and the hatch is done, just move them anyway. The one thing you DO want to be aware of though is to OPEN some vent plugs! I learned the hard way what a lack of ventilation and oxygenation will do! Good luck!!

ETA: Also on the whole "drowning" issue, like I said: if the humidity was appropriate the first eighteen days, the chicks are already as "dried out" as they can be...just because the humidity is high the last three days doesn't mean the chick can suddenly "regenerate" the fluid lost through incubation...they don't sweat...

This!!​