The humidity can be adjusted by increasing or decreasing ventilation in the chicken incubator. You may need to add warm water from time to time. A pan of water under the egg tray provides the necessary moisture in most incubators. The humidity levels should be between 50 and 55% and then increase to about 65% for the final three days of incubation. A longer period of low temperatures however, can result in dead embryos. If your incubator experiences a short cooling period, do not be concerned as a brief period is not usually harmful. This will result in speeding up the development of the embryo, but will also reduce the chance of hatchability and can also result in abnormal chicks. Do not attempt to overheat the hen incubator in order to speed up the process. Generally, the temperature in your incubator should be maintained between 37 and 39 degrees Celcius. While this might seem daunting, if you have a good quality incubator that has both a temperature and humidity alarm, as well as a thermometer and hygrometer (more about these below), and you read on about perfecting the humidity and temperature we have put together for you, we promise the experience will be a lot more pleasant than panic-stricken!

If the incubator is kept at the incorrect temperature and humidity levels for a sufficient length of time (or if levels continually change), it interferes with the normal growth and development of the embryo, and unfortunately can stop the embryo developing further. This is the MOST important part of hatching, and can be the difference between your eggs hatching, or staying as eggs! Hatching your own chickens is one of the most exciting and rewarding experiences, especially when lots of your little ones make it through the entire hatching process! If you choose to incubate the eggs yourself it is important that you are educated in the correct workings of the humidity and temperature of the incubator.

Homemade incubator temperature