Reviews by California_chickie

I have WC cuckoo polish, Silver laced Polish, WC chocolate Polish, and Buff laced frizzle Polish. All Bantams, all very unique personalities. Everybody loves to look at them! I got them from a BYC breeder, and could not be happier with all of my hatches. I used to raise only Silkies, but now I have equal amounts of Silkies and Polish. They all get along great, and as they get older I have noticed that they tend to stick with their own breed, and divide up by color! All my buffs hang out together, but there is one tiny buff Silkie that runs with that crew as well!
They cannot see well at all. I don't trim their crests back, but they are not allowed to free range too much. They don't wander off very far anyways, and will call out to eachother if they get lost. I have one that runs into the fence at least twice a day--almost like clockwork, she cannot see. It's pretty comical, but no one is getting hurt.
I spoil all my birds like crazy, but I have learned that I need to spend more time with them (Polish) as newborn chicks than my Silkies though. It takes a lot more effort to get them to bond with you, and if I don't constantly surround myself with baby Polishes, then they grow up to be much much more flighty & scared. My Silkies always come around, the Polish, not so much. They can be handled easily, and some will fall asleep in my lap while I'm sitting on the hammock.
Like a previous reviewer mentioned, a lot of my Polishes are used for Ag Education groups, or "therapy chickens" since everyone is so fascinated by their plumage. I am incredibly happy with them and will continue to have Polishes--they are awesome!

This is incubator is pretty good, but not awesome. I've had 4 incubators total in my "chicken lifetime" so far & while this one gets the job done, it's pretty expensive to purchase initially & you can only hatch a small amount of eggs. Set up is easy, everything is digital, but there is no humidity control. The directions state that on the 18th day you fill up both sides of the reservoir to control humidity. That's it. I've used it 3 times, and while my hatch rate has increased significantly over time (with shipped eggs) my hatch rate is only 80% or so. Not bad, but not great! Once the chicks hatch, they are kind of smooshed in there- like kids pressed against the window on a school bus. I only have hatched Silkies and Polish, both tiny breeds but it's awfully cramped in there when you're waiting for the others to hatch.
I recently purchased a Brinsea Octo 20 advance (not the EX) and I'm much happier with the results. It is a little bit more expensive, but not that much more. Everything is digital, the auto turn cradle literally rocks them back n forth like a baby crib. It's spacious, and easy to clean up. Hatch rate has been much better, but it might just be luck.
I wish I would have just waited, saved up my money & bought 2 of the Octo20's.