An incubator is a device that's used to help eggs hatch. Inside the incubator, the eggs require warmth and some degree of wetness. Humidity is a word that describes how much water vapor is in the air around us. High humidity means too much water in the air. When it’s too low, there isn’t enough water. Either way, if the humidity isn’t just right, the eggs might not hatch properly.
But every species has a slightly different requirement, so I wanted to collect more information on what to set here and how to treat the eggs. For instance, chicken eggs require approximately 50 percent humidity. That is, the air around the eggs should have just the right amount of moisture. If the air is too dry, eggs may dry out before they can hatch. But if the air is too moist, the eggs can develop mold that can harm the baby animals inside. Other egg types — like quail or duck eggs — might require another humidity level to successfully hatch.
These eggs are being developed into baby animals with shells before they hatch in an incubator. The eggshell is tough, but it has many little holes through which air and moisture can pass. And this is crucial for the developing baby animal inside. In an excessively dry environment, the moisture inside the egg can evaporate too rapidly. This can prevent the baby animal from developing enough to be strong and healthy enough to hatch.
Humidity in your incubator has a fine line you must walk, but here are some tips that may help! The first thing is to ensure how the humidity is measured in your incubator. A few incubators provide a special tool called hygrometer that is used to measure the humidity levels in the machine. This tool will tell you if you have to change something.
In case you notice that the humidity is low, then you need to fill the incubator with water. Other incubators have a designated area in which you can pour water. Some machines have a tray or pan that holds water along with the eggs. If the humidity is excessive, you may need to remove some water to reduce it. One way to accomplish this is to leave the top of the incubator open slightly for a little while to allow some excess moisture to escape, or use a special tool that helps to extract some excess moisture from the air inside the incubator.
There are many factors other than the water added to the incubator that can affect humidity. If your incubator is running in a location that has a lot of moisture in the air, such as a damp basement, you may need a dehumidifier for example. This is a special tool that draws extra water vapour out of the air, before it enters your incubator. In contrast, if you live in a dry area and your incubator is in one, you will probably have to add more water than normal to try to maintain the humidity levels where they should be.
Another factor that affects humidity inside the incubator is the temperature outside it. When outside air is warm, it can contain more moisture. That means you might not have to add as much water to the incubator to retain the proper humidity. But when the air is lower in temperature outside of the system, it can retain less moisture overall — so in this case, there may be a need to add in more water to retain humidity at the correct level.