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Humidity levels are an important part of a successful hatch!
The hygrometer that comes with your incubator may not produce accurate readings until water is added to the channels. It may take an hour or longer once water is added for the hygrometer to settle out and give you an accurate reading. When adding water, we recommend using a clean turkey baster. Lift the lid and slide it far enough to allow a baster to fit between the lid and base.
Humidity will vary depending on the weather and temp in their area as well in the room where the unit is being placed.
For best results, set the humidity prior to settings eggs in the incubator:
- Fill one channel with water and run the incubator for a couple hours to allow the temp and humidity to stabilize.
- Take a humidity reading. If it is too low, fill another channel and repeat the process until humidity is at your desired level.
- Validate the humidity readout on the controller by using a separate hygrometer (digital or wet bulb) inside the incubator.
- If humidity is too high, you will need to remove water from one or more channels.
Note: Setting humidity can be a trial and error process. Channels 1 and 6 are larger than channels 2-5. The total surface area of water will determine your humidity and not the depth of the water in the channel. To increase humidity, add water to additional channels. Typical humidity settings for most species is around 45-55% during incubation and then increased to 60-70% during the last 3 days prior to incubation (lockdown).
It is normal to see a spike in humidity inside the incubator after the 1st egg hatches. This is due to moisture inside the egg being released into the incubator. You may need to remove water from a channel if the humidity spikes too high. During incubation, you should see little to no condensation on the windows. If there is excessive condensations hanging from the windows, your humidity is too high. Too much condensation could affect the circuitry of the incubator. Avoid high humidity for extended periods of time and thoroughly dry out the incubator after each use. The pics below are just one example. User results may differ based on the room temp and humidity.
In addition to observing humidity percentage, also be sure to look out for the formation of condensation within the housing. If the windows are completely fogged over or completely covered in condensation, your humidity levels may be too high. Some condensation on the windows can be expected during the lockdown period before hatching where the humidity in the unit is typically increased.
Check water channels daily, adding lukewarm water as needed. If the room where your incubator is placed is already humid, you may not need to add water as frequently than if your incubator is in a dry climate.