Humidity in incubator

[Hanako]

If I understand correctly, the humidity while incubating eggs is supposed to be 70-80%. I remember last year I did not have any problems at all with achieving that. This year I am using the same incubator, doing exactly the same and the maximum I have managed to achieve is 60. I really don't know what I am doing wrong.

I have a big/wide bowl of water at the bottom of the incubator, then on the lower shelf a plastic container with eggs and at the top shelf again a big wide bowl with water. I even added a wet towel into the incubator, but the humidity did not increase.

I also tried to swap it around (put the eggs at the top shelf and the bowl with water at the lower shelf and another bowl at the bottom, I also to put there wet sponges...no matter what I do, it doesn't go over 60%. Unless my thermometer is wrong...

Last year I had only the water at the bottom; I didn't even bother with any experiments with extra wet towel, or wet sponges, or additional bowl with water on the top shelf. I am aware that it is not the content of water what counts, it is the water surface, but I have honestly filled every horizontal surface with water and it doesn't seem to be enough. The only thing that comes to my mind is wetting the substrate.

Any advice?

Will they hatch with humidity of 60%?

[egyptiandan64]

I would think your hygrometer isn't reading right then. Might be time to get a new one as the humidity should be higher then that with all the water you have in there. I think just the 2 bowls will be fine

Danny

[Hanako]

Thank you Danny! I will get another thermometer. (I did have two last year, but only one survived...)

It makes me feel better that the humidity must be higher than I think. (Unless the incubator is not well insulated and all the wet air is escaping leaving only the dry air behind?)

[Suze65]

With all that lot in there the humdidity must be high enough, so I think a new hygrometer

[Hanako]

Thank you guys!

[Hanako]

So now I added a new hygrometer. They are sitting next to each other, one says that my humidity is 55% and the other one says 87%. What should I do? Should I trust the new one? Or make average of their values? Why can't they just agree on some value that is within our recommended interval?

Should I now remove some of the water, or just leave it as it is? Would it hurt if the humidity will be too high throughout (like 87%)? Or should I get a few more hygrometers and make an average value of their reading?

[egyptiandan64]

I think the new one reading 87% is right. I'd change one of the water container out and replace it with a smaller one and see what you get for a reading.

Danny

[Hanako]

Ok, I will do that! Thank you!