![]() When the humidity is too high, not enough water can leave the egg. The volume of water lost in the egg via evaporation is replaced by air. Cross section illustration of bird embryo inside egg. This is why keeping humidity at the proper level during incubation is so critical, no matter what type of incubator you are using. So the comparatively high temperatures in the incubator are a perfect place for evaporation to occur. Higher temperatures increase the rate at which evaporation occurs. Moisture will move from an area of higher concentration, such as the contents of the egg, to an area of lesser concentration, the air surrounding it. Pores in the shell allow for the exchange of gases as the embryo develops, and also for the exchange of moisture between the embryo and the air in the incubator itself.Įvaporation is the process by which water changes from a liquid to a gas. But did you know that long before that egg you are about to put into your incubator becomes a fluffy, feathered chick, it is still a living, breathing organism? Incubator Evaporation We all know that temperature and humidity are critical for a successful incubation and hatch. More complex incubator systems have sensors that can register humidity levels and add water accordingly. Even the simplest incubators have thermostats, and reservoirs for water. Effortless Modern Incubatorsįortunately, modern incubators take much of the guesswork out of incubation, maintaining consistent temperature and humidity pretty effortlessly, with a little good management. There must have been a lot of guesswork and trial and error involved in a successful hatch, and success rates were hopefully high enough to make the effort worthwhile. Humidity was provided by moistened jute placed near and over the eggs. Temperature and ventilation were regulated by opening doors and vents to let smoke out and light in. Mud brick buildings, divided into chambers that were basically large ovens, were heated by burning straw, dung or charcoal. Historical records show that incubation of eggs was practiced in Ancient Egypt. You can browse through old posts, or splurge on my ebook for the more refined solutions.Learn how to hatch a chicken egg at home, the importance of incubator temperature and humidity for chicken eggs, and when to move to the brooder.īelieve it or not, incubation isn’t just an invention of the modern era. Knowing some tricks to maintain high humidity while still being allowed to open the lid seems to be key to higher hatch rates.Īfter several rounds of trial and error, I figured out the best way to incubate chicks. I’ve learned the hard way that if a newly hatched chick rolls a neighbor egg so that its pipping hole is facing the floor, the chick still in its shell can expire before you’re allowed to open the lid again. ![]() Now that I’ve had a bit of experience, though, I disagree. To be as hands-off as possible during the hatch, opening the lid only once every six to eight hours. I poured some of this warm water into the wells every time I opened the lid of my Brinsea Octagon 20 incubator, which meant that the humidity rebounded within a minute of me opening and then reclosing the lid. If you place part of the cloth or evaporating card in the well and let the rest sit along the bottom of the incubator, water will wick up into the extra surface area, resulting in more evaporation and higher humidity.įor an even bigger dose of humidity to counteract the vapor lost when you open the lid, heat up some water until it’s steaming but is still just cool enough to stick your hand in. You can buy evaporating card to stick in your incubator’s wells, but the cheaper method is just to use a piece of cloth. But the open vent tends to lower the incubator’s humidity, so that’s the solution? At the same time, you need to keep the vent at least a third of the way open because these hard-working chicks need more airflow to feed their struggles. High humidity during hatch is essential to lubricate your chicks as they do the hard work of wiggling around, pecking their way out of their shells. ![]() Around day 19, when the first chicks could potentially start to pip, it’s time to raise the humidity in your incubator to 65% or more.
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