AD21 GB Issue 01
8
African Grey 36.8 – 37.0°C 98.3 – 98.6ºF 28 days
Eclectus 36.8 – 37.0°C 98.3 – 98.6ºF 28 days
7.7 Developing embryos are fairly tolerant of short term temperature drops and the user need not be
concerned about cooling that occurs when inspecting eggs. Temperatures above ideal can quickly have a
serious detrimental effect on hatch rates and must be avoided.
7.8 The Octagon 20 Advance has a built-in temperature alarm which warns of high or low temperatures. See
section 4 for details.
8 Humidity and Ventilation
Short term variations in humidity are not important. The average humidity over the incubation period needs to
be near optimum to achieve the ideal weight loss. High humidity for the day or two of hatching is also important.
Beware chronic, excessive humidity.
8.1 Two factors affect incubation humidity: water evaporation within the cabinet (from eggs as well as from
additional water) and levels of ventilation. The water content of the air being drawn through the incubator
will also have an effect.
8.2 There are two methods available to bird breeders to achieve correct humidity levels in the octagon 20
Advance:
A) Monitor humidity levels and adjust to match published guidelines for different species.
Generally accepted incubation RH levels for species groups:
During incubation Poultry 40-50% RH
Waterfowl 45-55% RH
Parrots 35-45% RH
Hatching All species 65% RH or more
For more specific information on particular species’ requirements check the relevant literature.
B) Monitor egg weight loss which varies as a direct result of humidity and correct against published
weight loss figures for the species.
Eggs lose moisture through their shells and the rate of evaporation depends on the humidity levels around
the eggs and the shell porosity. During incubation eggs need to lose a fixed amount of water which
corresponds to a loss in weight of around 13-16% depending on species. By weighing eggs periodically
during incubation it is possible to monitor and, if necessary, correct humidity levels to achieve the correct
weight loss.
Weigh the eggs on the day they are set in the incubator, take the average weight and plot this on a graph
(see example below). The ideal weight loss line can be plotted by joining the point representing initial
average weight with the ideal hatch weight (13-16% less depending on species) with the x-axis
representing the incubation period (in days).
By measuring actual average weights every few days the actual weight loss can be plotted and compared
to the ideal weight loss line and corrections can be made. For example if the actual weight loss was
greater than ideal (see graph below) then the air has been too dry and humidity levels need to be increased
to compensate.
Typical ideal weight losses for species groups:
Poultry 13%
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