Just bought new incubator!!! HHD 48 egg incubator

[chelleomum]

is it out of the box, (some people leave it in it's box) also do you have other thermometers inside incubator to test inside temp? I never trust the digital. I am sure you didn't kill your eggs.

Yes I have an alternative temp+hydrometer in there and have done since we put the eggs in as I had read about making sure we did this before I started with this batch of eggs. Attached a pic of the set up (just going through yet another re-start so the temp is low)

, I've moved some eggs to a back-up bator but it will only hold 5 eggs.

 

[gimmie birdies]

Do you have vents?

 

[gimmie birdies]

99f to 102 is fine.

 

[chelleomum]

Do you have vents?

It was taped shut but have just taken it off to see if that helps

 

[FancyFeathers2020]

Hello,
Please use caution with HHD incubators...
I purchased an HHD 36 egg mini incubator and just hatched out my first batch of baby chicks. The 2 fans in the incubator are covered with white plastic slats. It is best practice to keep chicks in the incubator until they are dry before moving them to the brooder. 2 of my baby chicks put their beaks easily into the fan (the slats are way too far apart to keep the little babies safe). THE FANS CHOPPED THE ENDS OF THEIR BEAKS OFF!!!!! The little injured chicks bled all over the incubator and I had to remove all the chicks right after they were born and blow their little wet bodies dry by hand with a hair dryer, as the humidity was far too high.

 

[FancyFeathers2020]

Hello,
Please use caution with HHD incubators...
I purchased an HHD 36 egg mini incubator and just hatched out my first batch of baby chicks. The 2 fans in the incubator are covered with white plastic slats. It is best practice to keep chicks in the incubator until they are dry before moving them to the brooder. 2 of my baby chicks put their beaks easily into the fan (the slats are way too far apart to keep the little babies safe). THE FANS CHOPPED THE ENDS OF THEIR BEAKS OFF!!!!! The little injured chicks bled all over the incubator and I had to remove all the chicks right after they were born and blow their little wet bodies dry by hand with a hair dryer, as the humidity was far too high.

 

[gimmie birdies]

Last spring, I had started up my Yellow top incubator, I had only used it one season, and it quit- the second one I never got fixed and had to by a diff one (not a yellow topped one) that cam one week later killing many shipped eggs. Don't buy the HHD yellow topped incubator!

 

[Redhead Rae]

Hello,
Please use caution with HHD incubators...
I purchased an HHD 36 egg mini incubator and just hatched out my first batch of baby chicks. The 2 fans in the incubator are covered with white plastic slats. It is best practice to keep chicks in the incubator until they are dry before moving them to the brooder. 2 of my baby chicks put their beaks easily into the fan (the slats are way too far apart to keep the little babies safe). THE FANS CHOPPED THE ENDS OF THEIR BEAKS OFF!!!!! The little injured chicks bled all over the incubator and I had to remove all the chicks right after they were born and blow their little wet bodies dry by hand with a hair dryer, as the humidity was far too high.

Last spring, I had started up my Yellow top incubator, I had only used it one season, and it quit- the second one I never got fixed and had to by a diff one (not a yellow topped one) that cam one week later killing many shipped eggs. Don't buy the HHD yellow topped incubator!

If you look at my articles, you can convert it into a perfectly good hatcher. I was trying to use them as full on incubators, but I had problems maintaining temps and lost a BUNCH of chicks this year because of it. At the end of incubation, the fluctuations don't matter that much and they hatch out just find in it.
Franken-bator -- Converting a cheap yellow topped model with the Incukit Mini
Adjusting the Franken-bator -- Losing Humidity and Overheating

 

[FancyFeathers2020]

If you look at my articles, you can convert it into a perfectly good hatcher. I was trying to use them as full on incubators, but I had problems maintaining temps and lost a BUNCH of chicks this year because of it. At the end of incubation, the fluctuations don't matter that much and they hatch out just find in it.
Franken-bator -- Converting a cheap yellow topped model with the Incukit Mini
Adjusting the Franken-bator -- Losing Humidity and Overheating

Oh my gosh, you are a brave and talented soul...I would never dream of doing an incubator reno of this caliber....bravo...I have a Brinsea on my christmas list...I am hoping Santa takes the bait.

 

[Redhead Rae]

Oh my gosh, you are a brave and talented soul...I would never dream of doing an incubator reno of this caliber....bravo...I have a Brinsea on my christmas list...I am hoping Santa takes the bait.

I LOVE my brinsea ovations. I have a 56 eco and a 28 ex. I just have to keep an eye on the humidity levels in the ECO while the EX has a humidity pump. They both work very well. If you are torn between spending the extra $100 to get a 56 over the 28, spend the extra money. I just use my franken-bators to hatch because I hate getting my lovely ovations dirty.