JN8-48 incubator

PoultryDan · **Posted:** Sat Oct 19, 2013 6:21 pm

Chicka-Dee wrote:

It's here, it's here, it's here wee.

I've got it all set up and running now :-D

So happy I feel giddy :lol:

The humidity seems like a bit of a hard thing to work out and how to refill the channels every 4 days is going to be a juggle as well. conf665

What happens when the water starts to reduce?, wouldn't the humidity go down?

How long does it take for the water to disappear?

What does everyone who has one of these set their humidity at? The book says 55% for the first 18 days then 60-65%.

Signed
Excited but Confused (but that's not hard :lol:

)

Hey Chicka-Dee,

Great to hear to finally got it!

The first batch might be a bit of a test run as you encounter teething problems and figure out how things work.

The humidity will be determined by the surface area of the channels but not the depth. As soon as the water disappears completely however then your humidity will drop.

How fast the channels run out you'll have to just see. Can you see the channels without having to open the incubator?

To increase the humidity on day 18 I add soaked sponges as well as topping up channels but I have never used this incubator.

ChickenPox · **Posted:** Sun Oct 20, 2013 7:49 am

Chicka-Dee wrote:

It's here, it's here, it's here wee.

I've got it all set up and running now :-D

So happy I feel giddy :lol:

The humidity seems like a bit of a hard thing to work out and how to refill the channels every 4 days is going to be a juggle as well. conf665

What happens when the water starts to reduce?, wouldn't the humidity go down?

How long does it take for the water to disappear?

What does everyone who has one of these set their humidity at? The book says 55% for the first 18 days then 60-65%.

Signed
Excited but Confused (but that's not hard :lol:

)

very exciting for you. Yes the book is correct 55% for the first 18 days then 60-65%.

Chicka-Dee · **Joined:** Tue Jan 17, 2012 11:12 am **Posts:** 1194

PoultryDan wrote:

Hey Chicka-Dee,

Great to hear to finally got it!

The first batch might be a bit of a test run as you encounter teething problems and figure out how things work.
yeah, I totally do not expect much from this first batch, I've put in 26 eggs as that's what I had saved up
The humidity will be determined by the surface area of the channels but not the depth. As soon as the water disappears completely however then your humidity will drop.
interesting
How fast the channels run out you'll have to just see. Can you see the channels without having to open the incubator?
i sort of can but not very well, not enough to know how much water is in there.

To increase the humidity on day 18 I add soaked sponges as well as topping up channels but I have never used this incubator.

What humidity did you keep your incubator at during the first 18 days?

And, what did you increase it to after day 18?

Also is it normal for the incubator to go down in humidity over a couple of days?

I started mine at 60% humidity and then had to go away for 3 days and hubby-dee said it sat at about 58% for a couple of days & by the time I got home on Friday it was on 55% (which. Thought perfect, I got it to what the book said)& then yesterday it dropped right down to 52% so I put more water in & it shot back up to 61%.

Is this too much of a variance?

The temperature is staying constant though, which I read is crucial. [smilie=a_goodjobson.gif]

PoultryDan · **Posted:** Sun Oct 20, 2013 8:12 pm

I've tried a few different ways Chicka-Dee and I've used small auto turning incubator similar to yours.

The first was 'by the book' and checked the water channels everyday and made sure they were always full (Could refill them without opening the bator). Trying to maintain 60% humidity until day 18 when I would stop turning and raise humidity to 80% by adding sponges. This worked fine and I still had decent hatch rates but hatching took longer and found the chicks struggled a bit during hatching.

The second way and the way I always hatch my eggs now, is to fill the channels, then set it and leave it until day 18. No refilling at all. Then on day 18 fill channels and add sponges to raise the humidity to 80% and maintain that until they start hatching, then open the vents and away you go. Its more of a dry incubation but I personally get better results doing it this way. They hatch faster and seems less stressed. The goal is to reduce the weight of the egg so it has a decent air pocket inside, which increases the chances of hatching properly. Well that's the theory anyway

Just have to do what you are comfortable with. I did it by the book first and then experimented with other methods when I had more confidence in the incubator.

Sry for the long reply :roll:

PoultryDan · **Posted:** Sun Oct 20, 2013 8:20 pm

Just adding I live in a pretty humid place already, so this may also be why I have success with dry incubation....

Chicka-Dee · **Joined:** Tue Jan 17, 2012 11:12 am **Posts:** 1194

Oh no don't apologise, I like long responses it means they are more comprehensive [smilie=a_goodjobson.gif]

PoultryDan wrote:

I've tried a few different ways Chicka-Dee and I've used small auto turning incubator similar to yours.
Wow, small huh. I thought I was going big for a first timer with 48 :lol:

. So what type of incubator do you have now?
The first was 'by the book' and checked the water channels everyday and made sure they were always full (Could refill them without opening the bator). Trying to maintain 60% humidity until day 18 when I would stop turning and raise humidity to 80% by adding sponges. This worked fine and I still had decent hatch rates but hatching took longer and found the chicks struggled a bit during hatching.
Why 80%? I thought it had to be 60-65%? What made you go 80%?
The second way and the way I always hatch my eggs now, is to fill the channels, then set it and leave it until day 18. No refilling at all.So, what does the humidity go down to if you don't add any water during the 18 dys?Then on day 18 fill channels and add sponges to raise the humidity to 80% and maintain that until they start hatching, then open the vents and away you go. i don't know if mine has vents? What do I do if it doesn't?Its more of a dry incubation but I personally get better results doing it this way. They hatch faster and seems less stressed. The goal is to reduce the weight of the egg so it has a decent air pocket inside, which increases the chances of hatching properly. Well that's the theory anyway

Just have to do what you are comfortable with. I did it by the book first and then experimented with other methods when I had more confidence in the incubator.

Sry for the long reply :roll:

Also, did you candle the eggs at all during the process? If so how long can I keep the lid open?

Thanks for your help Dan than657

PoultryDan · **Posted:** Sun Oct 20, 2013 9:17 pm

Sorry 80% was incorrect [smilie=a_doh.gif]

The incubators I've used don't have humidity gauges so I borrow a hygrometer to figure it out, I've raised it to 65-70 on day 18 then just kept replacing sponges as they dry out. Leaks has been my main issue, so I raise it higher to maintain the humidity. I'd say yours probably seals way better, so you wont have to raise it as high.

Quote:

i don't know if mine has vents? What do I do if it doesn't?

Maybe the manual indicates where they are? It could be just a small hole somewhere to let some fresh air in.

Quote:

Also, did you candle the eggs at all during the process? If so how long can I keep the lid open?

I Candle them at day 10 and day 18. I quickly take 1 out at a time, keeping the lid on while candling the egg. By day 18 you'll see some eggs shaking about so you wont have to candle them all

Chicka-Dee · **Joined:** Tue Jan 17, 2012 11:12 am **Posts:** 1194

PoultryDan wrote:

Sorry 80% was incorrect [smilie=a_doh.gif]

The incubators I've used don't have humidity gauges so I borrow a hygrometer to figure it out, I've raised it to 65-70 on day 18 then just kept replacing sponges as they dry out. Leaks has been my main issue, so I raise it higher to maintain the humidity. I'd say yours probably seals way better, so you wont have to raise it as high.
okay, so I will raise it to 70% & let it go down to 65% as the bare minimum

Quote:

i don't know if mine has vents? What do I do if it doesn't?

Maybe the manual indicates where they are? It could be just a small hole somewhere to let some fresh air in.
Ahhh, I think I know where they are now. I'm so dopey :lol:

there's 2 on the top & one at the back. So should I close them off during the first 18 days?. Maybe that's why the humidity seems to go down so quickly. Will give it a try to see what happens. Good tip [smilie=a_goodjobson.gif]

Quote:

Also, did you candle the eggs at all during the process? If so how long can I keep the lid open?

I Candle them at day 10 and day 18. I quickly take 1 out at a time, keeping the lid on while candling the egg. By day 18 you'll see some eggs shaking about so you wont have to candle them all

I did not know they shook :-D

I must go down to see Clara & see if any of hers are moving. Hers are due to hatch on Tues or Wed.

Def learning something here Dan, so I deeply appreciate your help with this.

than657

PoultryDan · **Posted:** Tue Oct 22, 2013 8:53 pm

Hey Chicka-Dee,

I think if you left it at 65% you should be ok :-D

I had problems maintaining my humidity so unless you have the same problem you should be fine.

Great you found the vents! If they are open then that could certainly be why your humidity is dropping. I had to close mine completely to keep up my humidity but you might just have to play around with them until your getting it stable. Keep them closed until the chicks start hatching and they need some air.

Watching the eggs shake about is very cool 8-)

Kinda mesmerizing......

Chicka-Dee · **Joined:** Tue Jan 17, 2012 11:12 am **Posts:** 1194

Dan

Your help has been very valuable.

I have started a new post for first time incubators like myself in hope that anyone else new can either learn & ask questions.

Your input has been fantastic so please bring you valuable advice to this post as well

viewtopic.php?f=39&t=54043
than657

Cheers
Chicka-Dee

AUSTRALIAN POULTRY FORUM™

JN8-48 incubator

Who is on the Forum