AUSTRALIAN POULTRY FORUM™

Hi,

I took delivery of a new Hova-bator Genesis incubator today and have set it up for a test run to settle it in before loading it up with some quail eggs. I have noticed a couple of things about it, particularly in regards to humidity, that I would like some opinion on.

The temp setting looks good.....it maintains a good steady stable temp, at least in the several hours it has been running so far.

Humidity wise is a little different. The instructions say to fill "channel 1" for the setting phase, and then fill "channel 2" in addition to increase humidity for the hatch phase. This should result in a setting humidity of 45-55% and a hatching humidity of 65-75% once the second channel is filled.

Where I have my problem is that with "channel 1" filled I am battling to get below 65% humidity....too high for setting. I live on the NSW mid nth coast so it is naturally humid here - currently atmospheric relative humidity is 82% as I type this.

Naturally I accept that the climate here is likely the culprit. There are instructions with the incubator advising that alfoil can be used to cover part of "channel 1" to help lower humidity which I will try. Am happy to listen and take on board any advice of others who have more experience.

I have noticed that this particular incubator has a "vent" on the top that contains a plug. The instructions mention that the plug should be removed if incubating at altitudes exceeding 3000ft - I am at sea level so subsequently it is plugged.....but have read that with some incubators will drop their humidity if the vents are opened. As temp regulation should not be a problem (ambients here in the house between 24 and 28c daily) I am wondering if removing this plug might assist and not cause any other side effects?

Any other suggestions?

Happy to listen to advice and feedback.

Cheers,
Bart

Well after a little more research on the net (thank you Google) it would appear that this can be a common issue with this incubator (and possibly all incubators) when hatching in higher humidity climates.

Some in the US even run without any water until the hatching phase as the humidity maintains itself naturally.

Last night I removed all water, and the 'vent' plug. The unit settled with a constant 30% humidity. This morning I have added some water to one of the smaller compartments moulded into the water tray and thus far it has lifted to 35% and will likely go a little higher with time. I will monitor and see if I can get my target of 45-50% - I am hoping that I can get there by putting the vent plug back in.

From what I understand the humidity in the setting phase is not as critical as the hatching phase so I am guessing that as long as I can get it as close to the mark I should be right. I have read reports of quail being hatched with a setting phase humidity as low as 25% as long as the hatching phase is kept where it should be.

Bart

Hi Bart
Humidity is not all that important. It is probably worse to have it too high rather than too low. The main thing is the average over the duration of the incubation period. There are charts available for chook eggs showing the ideal air space and/or weight reductions as the hatch progresses.Don't know if there are any such details available for quail but you could extrapolate from the chook egg info. Higher humidity at hatching time does help the chicks to break out.
I would be inclined to reduce the surface area of water in the incubator rather than to increase ventilation as you are more likely to keep the temperature stable and evenly distributed without excessive ventilation.
It is worth keeping in mind that relative humidity is the percentage of water vapour compared to the maximum that can be held at that particular temperature. Relative humidity is roughly halved for every 10 degrees increase in temperature.

Thanks Doggo,

I have filled one of the 'spare' chambers in the water tray with water and returned the vent plug and am getting a constant 41% humidity. A lot of literature says 45-55% for quail - I have also noted some breeders mention that lower is better for quail - some saying 25%, others (like the author of the link provided in a Breeding Quail post in this forum) don't add water at all during the setting phase so I am comfortable with moving forward with a 41% humidity for setting.

I agree with your thoughts about reducing water surface area rather than increasing ventilation - Whilst temp control is not an issue this time of year, in the cooler months the extra venting may well increase the chances of temperature variation. I prefer to work out how to keep the humidity in the correct range without extra venting where possible (which looks like I have now achieved)

I predominantly wanted to ensure that I was not 'too' humid - I would not have been comfortable moving forward with 70% but 41% is more reasonable....and even if the water dries out it will only drop to around 30% which should still not cause any critical issues.

Now just have to do a bit more testing for the desired humidity during the 'hatching' phase and I will be ready to set some eggs!


Cheers,
Bart

Hi Bart70,

Should be interesting to see how your new incubator works out. Have never looked into a Hava-bator Genesis and will need a incubator next season, so keen to see the outcome.

I reckon your on the right track in making sure the humidity is lower rather then higher and as you mentioned, some breeders even prefer to use dry hatch methods.

It could also be possible that the machines readings could be incorrect. It may be worthwhile investing in a hygrometer as this will ensure some accuracy to the humidity readings. If they really are that high you might be able to get a dehumidifier for the room, maybe that will help?

Bart70

Thanks PoultryDan,

After several days of running the humidity has settled down (weather here is also not quite as humid). It was sitting comfortably at around 35% without any added water - I am comfortable with that from a setting perspective. Incidently I do have an electronic hygrometer but I am dubious of its accuracy. For what it is worth it constantly reads '10 points' lower than the Hova-bator - I am tending to trust the Hova-bator at this stage.

I added water to the 'setting' chamber and got constant humidity of around 50%, I then added water to the 'hatching' chamber as well and got a constant 70-75% so my 'hatching' humidity is now sorted.

My eggs arrived today so I will be setting them in the next day or so after letting them settle.

So far I am very happy with the Hova-bator. I have had it running here for a week now in 'testing'. It holds a good constant temp and the humidity does not seem too hard to get correct. It sells for $325 from Brookfields and comes with quail trays. Users in the US seem very happy with theirs. I am looking forward to getting some quail hatches out of mine, and extra excited that I may get an opportunity to hatch some python eggs next season all going well.

Cheers,
Bart