I, Farm Boy! Check Incubator Humidity To Hatch Healthy Chicks

For several months, I and the farm boys had been cracking our heads on why our Manok Pinoy chicks hatched using electric-powered incubators would suffer high mortality five days after they are placed in the brooders.

Those that did not survive beyond 10 days after hatching had common manifestations – wet feathers and the poop stuck in their vents.

At first, we suspected that there was not enough heat in the brooder so we added bulbs and finally moved the chicks from the open circular brooders to the box-type closed brooder.

Then, thinking that it could have been caused by bacteria, we mixed some medication in the drinking water.

The problem, however, persisted which prompted me to call veteran breeder and friend, Lance dela Torre of Concepcion, Negros Occidental.

After I told him of the physical manifestations of the chicks, he confidently said: “There’s something wrong with your incubators and hatchers. Check the moisture.”

I actually bought my incubators with hatchers from a Davao City-based fabricator who unfortunately does not offer an efficient after-sales service.

The incubators and hatchers with built-in thermometers, which measure the heat, and hygrometers, to measure humidity or moisture, were installed in the farm and calibrated only once.

The temperature was set at 37.9 and very little emphasis was given on the variation of the humidity or moisture.

Following the advice of Lance dela Torre, I asked another incubator technician to check on my incubators and hatchers.

What Lance told me was correct. While the temperature of the incubator was correct at 37.9C, the moisture in both the incubators and hatchers were irregular.

Humidity is determined by the volume of water inside the electric incubators which are usually placed in flat plastic containers and it is carefully controlled to avoid loss of egg moisture.

Both high and low humidity could affect the hatching of the eggs, according to the experts. High humidity results in late hatching while low humidity causes early hatching, both undesirable as it affects the health and vigor of the chicks.

I checked an entry on proper incubation posted in purinamills.com and here is the instruction:

“Temperature and humidity inside the incubator are critical factors for successfully hatching eggs. Suggested guidelines are as follows:

– Optimum temperature: 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit

– Temperature range: 99-102 degrees Fahrenheit

– Don’t let temperature drop below 99 degrees Fahrenheit

– Do not allow temps of 102 degrees Fahrenheit to last more than a few hours

– Double-check the incubator’s thermometer with a medical thermometer placed nearby to ensure the gauge is working properly.

– Relative humidity, day 1-17: 50-55 percent

– Equivalent to a wet bulb temperature of 85-87 degrees Fahrenheit

– Keep water channels in the incubator full to facilitate proper humidity

– Relative humidity, day 18-21: On day 18, raise the relative humidity to 70 percent

– Use a hygrometer to ensure humidity levels are correct throughout the incubation period

– Only open the incubator when necessary – doing so can let heat and humidity escape and can affect the success of the hatch.

– Increase ventilation as embryos grow bigger, especially from days 18-21.”

Following the adjustments made on our incubators and hatchers, I noticed very encouraging results in the last batch of chicks which were transferred to the brooders on the 22nd day.

They have cotton-like feathers and they appear to be more vigorous that the ones we had prior to the adjustments made on humidity.

There are two lessons which could be gained here:

1. The farm is the best classroom where new lessons are learned everyday.

2. Nothing beats Mother Nature because hatching eggs using mother hens would not need a thermometer or a hygrometer.

So, for backyard chicken raisers, the hens are still the best incubators.

#FarmingIsCommonSense!

#farmisthebestclassroom!

#LessonsFromTheFarmBoy!

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