First is the Relative Humidity (RH) expressed as a percentage. There are two ways to measure the humidity level and you need to understand the difference between the two. The increase in humidity helps the chick to avoid getting stuck to its membrane which is just inside the eggshell when they break out and hatch. We have what we call a lockdown period which is the last three days prior to hatching.īy this time, the humidity level should increase to 70-80%. But the majority agrees that it should decrease below 25% or above 60% between setting and three days before hatching. Humidity is the most difficult of the controlled variables in egg hatching and therefore is commonly misunderstood.Įxperts in the poultry industry still debate on the specific humidity level required for hatching eggs. When incubating eggs, humidity control prevents excess loss of egg moisture. Humidity plays a major role in animal and plants survival. Generally, humidity is the amount of water vapor present in the air. With this article, we will discuss what humidity, what is its role in incubating eggs, and how you should maintain the right humidity level for your eggs. The eggs can hatch but the chicks would have deformities and can eventually die. Embryos fail to develop or even die when the humidity in the incubator is not right. Poor incubator humidity results in damaged eggs or interrupted hatching. Do not turn eggs for the last 3 days of incubation.Humidity in Incubator is the most important thing to maintain correctly together with the temperature.
HUMIDITY IN INCUBATOR FOR CHICKEN EGGS MANUAL
If yours is a manual incubator they need to turn 180 degrees each time. Most new incubators do this automatically but ensure all eggs turn. Turning your Eggsĭuring the standard period of 21 days incubation, your eggs will need to be turned a minimum of twice a day, 3 is better or more. If the humidity is too low add another pan of water and alternatively if it is too high reduce the size of the water container in the incubator. Keep in mind too that the depth of water has no bearing on humidity it is the surface area of water exposed to air. Temperature inaccuracy will definitely cause problems during hatching. Humidity does not need to be as accurate as temperature but a bad combination of both will definitely cause problems.
Humidity should be 40-50% during incubation and 50-65% during the last 3 days.
As you continue hatching if you keep solid notes of what you have done you should receive better results each time. If the eggs are hatching late the temperature needs to be raised and if they hatch early it needs to be lowered.
Gauge your hatch results and raise or lower the temperature accordingly. Most new incubators have accurate temperature controls, often with digital displays. Having an accurate thermometer is very important. In a fan forced incubator it should be 37.5 degrees measured anywhere in the incubator.
In a still air incubator, 38.5 degrees measured at the top of the eggs is perfect. The temperature of an incubator changes constantly but the temperature inside the egg will be an average of the temperature swing in the incubator. Remember that is internal temperature of the egg, not the incubator. If eggs reach an internal temperature of 105 degrees they will be ruined. It is too easy to ruin good eggs by not having your incubator adjusted properly. You should run your incubator for at least 24 hours prior to iron out any problems. Having your incubator checked and running correctly before incubating commences is important. When storing eggs for hatching you should always store them pointy end down. This way the eggs can reach ambient temperature. When you collect or have eggs posted out it is important to let your eggs settle for 24 hours, ideally next to your incubator.
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