Incubators Anonymous

[Jessimom]

Keto an eye out on pennswoods.net and craigslist for used incubators. You can find one heck of a deal (I did!). Seriously though. I can't stand brinsea. Not only because of the rediculous prices but I had the opportunity to borrow one to try out. I didn't like anything about it. Don't write off the styrofoam bators completely. While I wouldn't go with a farm innovators, GQF hova bators work wonderfully and are worth the price. You can get a new one foot a decent price at www.cutlersupply.com

For me - I started with an LG with a fan. It was ok. Then I was given another LG without a fan. Hated it. I bought an Invaview. It was ok. I still wasn't getting very good hatches and they were a lot of work at lockdown. Plus, I had weird heat spikes in both. I bought a Brina 40 advanced. I hatched a friends eggs in HER Hoverbator at my house. I had My LG full, her Hoverbator full and My new Brinsea filled. The Brinsea had the best hatch, the LG, the next best and the Hoverbator the worst, but I think that was a batch of un-fertile eggs fault.

The Brinsea took me a little while to get use to how to load it. The tilting occasionally causes eggs to come loose. But, I went from 50 to 70 percent hatch rates, to 85 to 100% hatch rates.

There are pros and cons to every incubator. It really depends on how much work you want to put in to each hatch. What I like about the Brinsea is the humidity pump. The incubator SEALS, tightly. I consistently have better hatches in the Brinsea than I do my 2 other incubators. I can fit WAY more eggs into Brinsea than I can my LG or my Incuview. I feel that the plastic is MUCH easier to sterilize than the others, and I feel that I am able to get it much cleaner than I ever felt I got the LG.

There are negatives. - It's impossible to quickly pull out a dry chick. If the 'bator is even SLIGHTLY un-level at lockdown, the water leaks out,, and you can't keep the humidity high enough. Plus it makes a mess. The cover is a PAIN to clean. But, because the lid comes apart, I'm able to clean it better than I can the LG and Incuview which have the controls in the cover - 1 piece.



@3riverschick My suggestion would to be - figure out if you want to incubate eggs upright, or sideways. If you want an automatic turner, or you want to turn them yourself. With a fan, without a fan. But, I agree that the best place to look is on Craigslist, or even post something on facebook, asking if anyone has one you can borrow. Good luck!!!

I just bought a new smaller one to let my daughter's classroom hatch some eggs. Of course, I just used it to hatch my latest batch - I had to make sure it was going to work.....

 

[3riverschick]

Thanks everyone for your answers! I really appreciate you taking time to answer. I'm going to go take another look around the net . you have a good day!
Karen

 

[candirroberts]

I am new at all of this. I am only half way through my first set of eggs and I have already bought more for the first week of May. I can see this addiction getting worse. Hopefully there is no cure.

 

[3riverschick]

I have been over at alibaba.com. . the huge retail site, worldwide retail site. man, they have a Bazillion incubators on there. a lot of them you only have to buy one not five

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Quote:

I completely agree!!!

There were at least 6 chicks hatched before I went to bed last night. When I checked on them this morning there were at least 22 hatched.

Sapphire chicks

GORSH those are some cute pics Bob!!

Here are some of the chicks from my last 2 hatches, plus the 2 smallest silkies from last month's hatches.

RIR, SLW, Bantam EE, Serama, SS and some OEs.

Kathy the addiction Queen!! Love you woman!! too cute!!!

Moved some chicks from the hatcher to the brooder today.

AWESOMENESS!!! Congrats!

umm I bought an incuview incubator a couple of weeks ago ... and have been reading this thread ever since

... I have a feeling I am doomed to a new addiction. .. maybe I should run now

.. this is my first time incubating

Temps seemed to holding well, ran it a few days and filled it up last week
day 7 today at 2 pm.. nope I have not candled.

12 that are 1/2 or 1/4 CX... the 3 pullets that the eggs are from are 1/2 CX, BR or BJG , Dad is 1/2 CX .....same Barnyard mix roo is Granddad of all these eggs
15 that are from Hatchery BR or BJG hens.. unless I grabbed a 1/2 BO egg by mistake .... Dad is barnyard mix roo , unless one of the 1/2 CX or 1/2 BJG mix cockerels got lucky.

you can try to run, but it doesnt work, trust me.
GOOD LUCK!!

 

[OneMountainAcres]

@sally sunshine! How many made it to lockdown? It looks like the little serama (we nabbed her Sara serama lol) is just regular feathered.

 

[Roxannemc]

Hey Sally or one if you analytic types
who have kept good records
In chick factories I know machines put a hole in every shell to the air sac at some point before hatch i guess so chicks can breath even if they have a small air sac Wonder what you thought of doing that at home?
My air sac always seem to be very small Even now 7? years later i dont get super hatches This one veins were good into day 17 at lockdown on 14 eggs but i have 7 that hatched I have run humidity lower than 30 to 40 where i kept it but still same result. Half a hatch These were shipped but my home grown same result.Any thoughts?

 

[Roxannemc]

I have done one small experiment on hatching upright and laying down I feel its a good idea to keep shipped eggs upright but gave bo data to prove this either wsy.
My experiment came out numbers hatched even amount..
Anyone tried this? what was your result?

 

[R2elk]

Hey Sally or one if you analytic types
who have kept good records
In chick factories I know machines put a hole in every shell to the air sac at some point before hatch i guess so chicks can breath even if they have a small air sac Wonder what you thought of doing that at home?
My air sac always seem to be very small Even now 7? years later i dont get super hatches This one veins were good into day 17 at lockdown on 14 eggs but i have 7 that hatched I have run humidity lower than 30 to 40 where i kept it but still same result. Half a hatch These were shipped but my home grown same result.Any thoughts?

It is my understanding that the hole in the eggs at chick factories is due to the injection of the Marek's vaccine and not for any other reason.

I am hatching at one mile high altitude and have had some success making a pinhole into the air sac on shipped Cream Legbar eggs. It has seemed to help but it doesn't help eggs that were destroyed during shipping.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

@sally sunshine ! How many made it to lockdown? It looks like the little serama (we nabbed her Sara serama lol) is just regular feathered.

ummmm I dont know none stink so I just locked them down, didnt candle since the first time at what day 10 ? I told you I dont mess with them much. they just do their thing in there. Plus I like surprises!

the goose eggs havent been candled again either, not much I can do as they are already running dry anyways. I think I did this so much I know what the house is and what breeds need that I dont really need to fiddle much. I will candle the goose eggs tonight or tomorrow though as I have a week left to make adjustments

Hey Sally or one if you analytic types
who have kept good records
In chick factories I know machines put a hole in every shell to the air sac at some point before hatch i guess so chicks can breath even if they have a small air sac Wonder what you thought of doing that at home?
My air sac always seem to be very small Even now 7? years later i dont get super hatches This one veins were good into day 17 at lockdown on 14 eggs but i have 7 that hatched I have run humidity lower than 30 to 40 where i kept it but still same result. Half a hatch These were shipped but my home grown same result.Any thoughts?

I dont have an issue hatching, more is the issue for the malpositions remaining after all others hatch, usually the first malposition position that can pip externally gets out and makes it, very few actually croak and if they do its from moisture in the egg, and I dont really have that. then the mals that remain after all others hatch, a hole in them sure aint gonna help them hatch at all. So why bother? I rarely have chicks internally pip that dont get out, if I do it was a humidity issue.

I have done one small experiment on hatching upright and laying down I feel its a good idea to keep shipped eggs upright but gave bo data to prove this either wsy.
My experiment came out numbers hatched even amount..
Anyone tried this? what was your result?

I keep shipped eggs upright until at least day 12 and then I will lay them down. All other eggs get incubated on the sides and I roll the eggs with my palms dont really turn them per say.