The humidity level for incubating chicken eggs is 50-55 percent for every commercial chicken incubator. When setting eggs in the incubator, ensure the large part of the egg faces up, and the narrow region of the egg is down.
Poor humidity in the chicken incubator can lead to embryo cells dying. Humidity level for incubating chicken eggs is very important; hatcheries officers are expected to monitor the humidity level during incubation.
What is the humidity level for incubating chicken eggs?
Chicken incubator humidity refers to the degree of moisture level in the confined space of a working chicken incubator. This ranges between 50% to 55% for the first 18 days and then increases to 65% to 70% for the last three (3) days of hatching chicken fertile eggs.
The humidity level for incubating chicken eggs can be adjusted by reducing or increasing ventilation in the incubator. Add water to a container and place it under or above the egg trays, depending on the design and structure of the chicken incubator.
What happens when the humidity level for incubating chicken eggs is high?
High humidity in the chicken incubator will result in poor hatch due to poor evaporation. Excess moisture can hurt chicken embryo respiration, so, mostly, the embryo dies in the shell, hatch weak, or dies the moment there is a broken shell. Normally you will see the C’pipped on one side of the shell.
How to reduce humidity in the incubator
High humidity can be reduced in the incubator by increasing ventilation. If you use the open container filled with water to control humidity, you can simply reduce the water in it. In automated chicken incubators with in-built humidifiers, look for the humidifier and adjust it to release less moisture when the humidity is high.
What happens when the humidity level for incubating chicken eggs is low?
The low humidity levels in chicken incubators can cause embryo cell death when the temperature rises. The eggs exposed to excess heat will lose too much weight due to low humidity, causing the air space to be bigger than desirable. The chick will also be smaller than usual because of the vast air space. Chicks that hatch with low humidity may show pale skin and weakness symptoms and may not survive.
How to increase humidity in an incubator
Using an automated chicken incubator, you can adjust the in-built humidifier to release more moisture and increase the humidity level. For incubators without an in-built humidifier, locate the water container in the incubator and top up the water if it is low. You can also reduce ventilation to increase the humidity level. And finally, keep the incubator doors closed at all times.
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