The Poultry Keeper

Chris Kurzfeld · Joined: 29 Oct 2007 Posts: 1712 Location: Carmarthenshire

I have never hatched this time of the year before and I'm having a problem with the humidity. I have a Novital covatutto 20 which has a fan and automatic turning. The instructions say to fill the water well at the beginning and to top up every 2 days to keep the humidity around 40 - this i have done in the past - flooding the whole base to get the humidity up for the last couple of days for hatching. But this time, even with a small amount of water, the humidity meter is at 50 and only goes down to 40 when empty of water completely. I know that with the fan the eggs could dry out so I'm at a loss as what to do - any ideas?

Henwife · Joined: 31 Jan 2006 Posts: 3540 Location: Monmouthshire

Just follow the instructions. Interestingly the humidity in the incubator shed is 70, but I refil one water container every three days as usual and the eggs hatch. I don't measure humidity in the incubator & never have.

mojo · Posted: Thu Sep 04, 2008 9:33 pm Post subject:

usually humidity isnt a problem in normal weather.........but hot weather drys things out quickly

JC · Joined: 24 Mar 2008 Posts: 1116 Location: Sussex

I followed the instructions with my octagon 10 and then realised afterwards the humidity was way too high all the way through as the instructions are based on the natural air humidity being 0 where as it must of been higher.

Henwife · Joined: 31 Jan 2006 Posts: 3540 Location: Monmouthshire

Mine are Octagon 20s, which are forced air, but I also have a Brinsea Polyhatch, which is still air, and on the rare occasions I have used it as an incubator rather than a hatcher, I still follow the instructions and the eggs hatch. I cannot believe that Brinsea assume that the outside humidity is 0 since this (surprisingly) is more likely to be found in the middle of the antarctic.

JC · Joined: 24 Mar 2008 Posts: 1116 Location: Sussex

Thats what the instructions are based on Sad

my first attempt at hatching the chicks drowned in the shells. I havn't tried since.

Henwife · Joined: 31 Jan 2006 Posts: 3540 Location: Monmouthshire

Octagon 10s seem to be the only Brinsea to give trouble. Have you checked the thermometer against another one for accuracy. If it was registering above the true temperature, then the evaporation necessary wouldn't take place. Only a thought.