# Incubator humidity



## norcalgoats (Feb 22, 2014)

I woke up this morning and the humidity in my incubator was at 28%! Are the eggs going to be okay? It's a Styrofoam incubator and the humidity has been staying between 40 and 60% usually. The turkey and chicken eggs have been in for 5 days


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## happyhogs (Oct 12, 2009)

This early in the process they should be fine....assuming you have corrected the issue and have got the humidity back up to around 45 to 50%.....60% is too high for this stage really. If you over humidify, the eggs will lose insufficient fluid and then the air sac will not be big enough or will be fluid filled, causing the chicks to drown when they break through into it.

Also, have you considered what you are going to do with the two types of eggs when they hatch a week apart? The chicken eggs need 65% humidity for the last three days and then the hatching process normally sends that even higher due to the moisture released from the eggs but that is too early to up the humidity for the turkey eggs as they will hatch a week later and at that late stage in their development, again, the fluid could build up and fill the air sac.


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## norcalgoats (Feb 22, 2014)

We corrected the issue immediately and it's sitting at 47 right now at 100 degrees. We considered it and were going to build another incubator as a hatcher. Also my husband says he thinks the eggs are shrinking, is that normal? Our turkeys are laying almost an egg a day each!


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## happyhogs (Oct 12, 2009)

When you say the eggs are shrinking, do you mean those in the incubator or do you mean the eggs the turkeys are laying each day are getting smaller?

The eggs in the incubator will lose weight but not size. They should lose 13% to 15% in weight over the 21 days...this is why the humidity matters as an average rather than on each day. 

If you are going to have a second incy as a hatcher, you are best to move your chicken eggs into it on day 18 when you stop turning and up the humidity to 65% to 70%. That way, your turkey eggs can stay put at the lower humidity and continue to be turned until their 25th day, then stop turning and up the humidity for them.

I am assuming that all your eggs were set on the same day??


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## norcalgoats (Feb 22, 2014)

The eggs in the incubator he says he thinks are getting smaller. The eggs the turkeys are laying (we bought the chicken eggs) are okay. They sometimes vary in size from day to day but it's barely noticeable. He said when he turns them there seems to be more room than when we originally put them in. All of these eggs were set the same day.


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

The size of the shell doesn't change...the inside of the egg does change. The air cell will get bigger...


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## norcalgoats (Feb 22, 2014)

OK thank you!


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## happyhogs (Oct 12, 2009)

Yeah, I think that might just be your hubby getting 'egg fever'....when you check the darned things every five minutes and swear each time something is too hot, too cold, too wet, too dry!!! It drives you to distraction and I know how you feel as I have 16 eggs on day 4 myself! :GAAH:


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## Hurkett_Hill_Farm (Jan 12, 2014)

I have 22 Ameraucana eggs that just started to hatch out tonight! I love it when the eggs start cheeping  hope to have fuzz balls by morning. 


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## happyhogs (Oct 12, 2009)

Awwww, hatch day is so exciting and makes all the stress worthwhile! Good luck with your fuzzies!! :clap: I have a mixed flock, mainly Orps but all different colours running with a Cotswold Legbar cock so I am looking forward to seeing what colours come out of these. They are a test batch really for my new Rcom incy. Once these are 'cooked' and I know the incy is running well, I shall be buying in some Orp colours I don't have yet and some Jersey Giants....I like my birds big! Lol! :chick:


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## Hurkett_Hill_Farm (Jan 12, 2014)

I have a mixed flock of some barred rocks, columbian rocks, isa reds and some mutts I've hatched out. I can't wait for these guys to hatch! These are to replace some of my older hens. Wanted some colour in my eggs for my customers. 


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## mjs500doo (Nov 24, 2012)

Different hatch days hardly ever matter. We do not change humidity, nor do we even monitor humidity. We sell hundreds of chicks each spring. Hatch rate is up at 96% right now. Fertility 99% in our flock. We have a fabulous year. We have a cabinet incubator and have been using it for a few years now. It's great to hatch the cabinet for daily incubation, and then somewhere to hatch out once peeping/pipped. Automatic turners always on, straight up until the day before hatch expectancy. Our flock hatch 18-20 days, and we've bred for this trait. I like a styrofoam incubator for this period of time. We hatch duck, goose, guinea, chicken, and turkey all with this incubator, and do not practice "lock down". All our hatches have been fine. This minimal humidity issue will not cause harm. Gotta remember momma hen gets off her nest daily from 30 seconds-4 hours at a time. Even during "lockdown" our hens also get off the nest.


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## norcalgoats (Feb 22, 2014)

Thank you so much. We candled last night (a little early we know) and the chicken eggs all look great and have some veins and a dark spot except 1 that we think is blank. Turkey we couldn't tell yet but something seems to be going on. We were so scared thinking we killed them all!


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