Incubators Anonymous

WVduckchick said:

Question — I’m 2 weeks in to this first run in my cabinet. It’s an older GQF 1202. Humidity has been running really low (23%ish) so I added a bowl of water on the top shelf. Didn’t change much, so I added another on the bottom. They weren’t very big bowls, so I switched both out with round cake pans (9” diameter?) Got the humidity up to 33. I’m not so concerned about the number, and the air cells look ok, but I’m wondering how the heck I’m going to get it high enough for hatch time? I didn’t get a pan when I bought this thing used, what does everyone use? And is it just supposed to sit on the top shelf in front for the fan?

I could just hatch in my Octagons and Nurture Right, but figured I’d try the whole deal in the cabinet.
I found another clear egg, so I’m down to 40

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The best thing to do is use another incubator as a hatcher. Using a different incubator as a hatcher will keep your cabinet incubator much cleaner. If you are going to hatch in the cabinet, the way to increase the humidity is to increase the surface area of the water. The GQF cabinet incubators are designed for the water container to sit on the top shelf in front of the fan. Use the pan that has the most surface area (perhaps a big rectangular cake pan). If that isn't enough area add coarse sponges or humidity pads with their bottoms in the water and the rest sticking up in the air flow. The humidity pads work much better than sponges will.

It is best not to close any vent holes. In the old 1200 series, the top vent is the inlet and the bottom is the outlet.

WVduckchick said:

I made some tall dividers from that craft grid stuff for my trays, since I have several breeds in now, plus I wanted to keep the seramas and cochins from separate pens separated as they hatched. I figured I’d put a piece of hardwire cloth over the water on the bottom, just in case, but I made the walls about 4” high. I might even put a top on it, if I have enough grid left.

Not quite done yet.
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I got one of the Plastic hatching trays. It is too long for the old 1200 models so I opened one end and cut some off. I made the new folds and put the staples back in the shortened version. It fits fine now. I just used hardware cloth cut into strips as dividers to separate the eggs during hatching. It goes on the bottom of the incubator.

They make a tray cover that you put on the trays if using multiple trays to hatch in. A good tinsmith should be able to make you some since it is just galvanized angles that fit over the tray with the open area made of hardware cloth just like the trays.

R2elk said:

I got one of the Plastic hatching trays. It is too long for the old 1200 models so I opened one end and cut some off. I made the new folds and put the staples back in the shortened version. It fits fine now. I just used hardware cloth cut into strips as dividers to separate the eggs during hatching. It goes on the bottom of the incubator.

They make a tray cover that you put on the trays if using multiple trays to hatch in. A good tinsmith should be able to make you some since it is just galvanized angles that fit over the tray with the open area made of hardware cloth just like the trays.

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Hatching in the cabinet was going to be more of an experiment this time, plus I’ll have to use all 3 of my table tops for all these eggs, if I hatch in them instead. Well, they might fit in 2.

My husband was an HVAC technician for many years, he even has a brake for making ductwork, but I think the cover you mention came with mine (pic doesn’t show in your link), if it’s what I’m imagining.

Thanks for the info on the vents though. I guess I have a couple days to decide how to hatch these babies. Maybe I’ll try leaving some in the cabinet and move some to the Nurture Right, which is my preferred hatcher because of the view.

WVduckchick said:

Hatching in the cabinet was going to be more of an experiment this time, plus I’ll have to use all 3 of my table tops for all these eggs, if I hatch in them instead. Well, they might fit in 2.

My husband was an HVAC technician for many years, he even has a brake for making ductwork, but I think the cover you mention came with mine (pic doesn’t show in your link), if it’s what I’m imagining.

Thanks for the info on the vents though. I guess I have a couple days to decide how to hatch these babies. Maybe I’ll try leaving some in the cabinet and move some to the Nurture Right, which is my preferred hatcher because of the view.

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I got a few covers around here, that came with mine. I seldom use them. Once I put the plastic grids on the ends they rub on the tray above them so the cover is redundant.

Before I got my hatcher, I used the foamies as hatchers they worked fine. I had small funnel so I could add water daily without opening the covers.

WVduckchick said:

Hatching in the cabinet was going to be more of an experiment this time, plus I’ll have to use all 3 of my table tops for all these eggs, if I hatch in them instead. Well, they might fit in 2.

My husband was an HVAC technician for many years, he even has a brake for making ductwork, but I think the cover you mention came with mine (pic doesn’t show in your link), if it’s what I’m imagining.

Thanks for the info on the vents though. I guess I have a couple days to decide how to hatch these babies. Maybe I’ll try leaving some in the cabinet and move some to the Nurture Right, which is my preferred hatcher because of the view.

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If yours is an older 1202, it has a solid door. I cut a big rectangle hole in my solid door and glued a piece of clear plexiglass on both the inside and the outside and put some trim around it to make it look nice.

They don't show a picture of the lid on the web site. They only included a lid for the hatching tray with the old 1202s. But any of the trays can take a lid so that all of the trays can be used as hatching trays.




The ideal location of the hatching tray in the old 1202s is the bottom of the incubator because it runs approximately 1°F cooler.

The only time to use the covers is during hatching.

I moved the older chicks into the brooder this morning.

Here are the 2 seramas that hatched (out of 3 eggs). I think the last egg is dead, but since the orps are now hatching, the incubator will be on for a few more days.

One chick is a day older, but because they're the same color, I can't be sure which one.


Here are the 1st 3 orpingtons:


1st one to hatch has "eyebrows"

2nd one is "extra fluffy"

3rd one is possible a "dark chocolate"

(We give them nicknames at hatch to identify them. We don't give them a proper name unless we decide to keep them.)

A buff orp from "Cupcake" also hatched, but it will have to wait until tomorrow's chicks are removed. It seems to have a herniated navel, so some extra time resting in the incubator won't be a bad thing. Cupcake is a Buff Colombian Orp, so I'm curious to find out if it will look like the mama.


Today is day 21. 8 eggs left, so more chicks coming......

Although I've hatched a lot of chicks, it just doesn't get old. It's like opening presents on Christmas morning .... so much fun & excitement to finally see what's inside.

WVduckchick said:

My cream legbar rooster only has 6 girls right now - 5 CLs and 1 BCM.
Fertility hasn’t been the greatest yet. Probably 50/50. He either has favorite girls or maybe just time of year.

I have a couple cockerels that a couple bantam cochin broodies hatched for me. They haven’t been around the CL flock yet. I’ve considered adding one of them to the CL pen, but can’t decide if I should or not, or which one?

I like the coloring on the right, but he looks more like the dad. Very light overall. Maybe I should use the other? But he’s darker and less colored. They are still young though. November hatch I think.
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Thought I’d send a picture of my Crested Cream Legbar Roo.

Flowerbh said:

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Thought I’d send a picture of my Crested Cream Legbar Roo.

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Handsome boy!

I just fired up my 2 Octagons and the Nurture Right. I added some water pans to the cabinet and humidity is still quite low. Air cells are large, so I’m moving them a day or two early. I’ll try it again in the summer when it’s so humid here.

Hi, everyone! I've been away for a while, and am basically restarting my flock after a particularly difficult fox issue and contemplating relocation. I have barnyard mix eggs in my Brinsea Octagon Advance 20 and two Hova Bator 1588s ready when I need them. I also just acquired a Hova Bator 2370 to use primarily as a hatcher - the ability to turn off the fan was a big selling point for me. I'm expecting to set more chicken eggs at the end of the week, if all goes well, too.

In retrospect, I probably should just have purchased a cabinet incubator.