Confusing Humidity

[coveyrun]

I am  just confused with all the different terms and charts and stuff. I have the radio shack temp and humidity gauge. What should it read for incubation and for hatching? Plain and simple please, I am left handed. Thanks :lol:

[coveyrun]

Someone must know how to answer this question. Thanks

[Fourche River Quail]

Coveyrun, go to   http://shilala.homestead.com/Howlongtohatch.htlm

This should get you what you need. mark

[coveyrun]

Tried to go to that site and it came up as Does not exist. There are several sites that give you a chart with temps on top and humidity on the left and then show you what the relative humidity shouldbe.
Thats not what I'm looking for.
I just want to know what the humidity % for incubating should be and for hatching. Thanks

[Fourche River Quail]

coveyrun, what type of bird are you tryin to hatch?  Most egg humidity is 50-60 percent until the last three days then you raise the humidity to 80 percent. This makes it easier for the chick to get out of the shell. An old momma turkey or chicken will not eat the last few days of a hatch,, BUT,, they will go to get water, If you have ever watched a chicken or a turkey or any kind of bird, they will find the nearest place to find water, they will look like they are takin a bath in it, but,, they are gathering up moisture to humidify the eggs.  Only god knows why they know to do this, but they have taught a lot of people a lot of things about hatchin an egg.  The temp should be 99.5 to 100.5, but I have had good hatches with the temp varying , the humidity is better off being lower than too high, or so I've been told. hope this helps. mark

[coveyrun]

Thanks Mark, The temp/humidity gauges that we buy at radio shack and various other places can be put right in the incubator and I thought it would be nice not to worry about wet bulb and just read the gauge. So 60-65% for incubating and 80-85% for hatching, these are the numbers I had in my mind also but just wanted someone else to confirm this. Wet bulb, relative and % of humidity, it all gets confusing.
I raise quail and I am always trying to hone my hatching skills, so I keep questioning everytrhing. It helps to talk with experienced hatchers like yourself.
One problem I am having is in the incubator (Sportsman) I can't get the humidity above 42% and I have 3 sponges in the tray. Should I turn the air flow down? What else can I do?
In my hatcher I  have 3 sponges in one tray and on the second shelf I have 3 pans of water and the highest I can get it is 58%. What else can I do? Thanks

[Fourche River Quail]

Covey,, I don't know what to tell you on that, I don't use a sportsman, so I dont know, maybe someone will come on here with the knowledge of a sportsman and they can help you, GOOD LUCK, but just rember(a person makes their own luck by what they do)  MARK

[Fourche River Quail]

HEY COVEYRUN, Don't think of me as beining experinced, I worked for a poultry producing company for almost 20 years as a field man,,, but when I started to hatch quail and pheasant, I found out real quick, that I don't know S*** about hatchin or rasin these birds, it is a whole different ballgame. mark

[Don McGowan]

Covey  are the vents closed on the back of the sportsman ?

[coveyrun]

I have 1 open on top and one open on the bottom. Last night I put several  more water trays in, so now 2 shelves are almost totally water. This morning the humidity is 67% and I have 2 aquarium bubblers going in 2 differemt pans.
Does this sound kind of odd?

[coveyrun]

By the way the humidity outside is 50% if that makes a difference and its not really a sportsman its one of the rattite hatchers.

[shagomatic]

Ratite hatchers are designed a little different.  Ratites are incubated with very low humidity.  When I hatched some out last year I ran with NO water until the last few days, and this was during the winter!  This may be why your humidity is staying low.  They are also designed to deliver a much higher volume of air flow so you may not need the vents open as much.

[coveyrun]

I have installed the lower volume motors, What else is different from the sportsman? Mine have 3 vent holes on top and 3 on the bottom.
What rpm motors is in a sportsman?
Thanks
Tim