Styrofoam Incubators Club

[beetandsteet]

So maybe you bought it because of the attractive price. Or maybe you got it as a gift from a kind relative. Or perhaps you got it online without reading the reviews! Either way, you may have realized now you have an incubator "everyone loves to hate." Yes, that's right, I'm talking about Styrofoam Incubators, especially the Farm Innovators and Little Giant models. People complain about every aspect of these, from the quirky temperature controls, the inaccurate gauges, and their tendency to temperature spikes and frying eggs.

I have had my Little Giant 9200 (with an added fan) for over 2 years and done 6 hatches in it. Messed up some hatches really bad, and had good success with others. I have found a few tips and tricks to using mine, and I'm sure there are a lot of people out there with their own methods.

I've noticed that there are lots of new hatchers with these Styrofoam incubators, who are just now reading about how "bad" their bator is. There are also hatchers who have figured out a way to "make peace" with their Styro-bator, and have fantastic hatches. This thread is for asking questions about your Styrofoam incubator, and for all y'all experienced hatchers to give advice. I'd love to eventually compile everyone's Styro-bator hatching secrets, and put them in an article. I'm open to learning new methods to increase hatch rate in my own incubator.
Make sure to respect everyone's opinions--for every hatcher, there are at least a dozen different methods!

Things I've learned from experience about incubating in my LG:

• A steady room temperature is very important in keeping the temperature inside your incubator constant
• Hasty temperature adjustments always lead to stress on your part, wild temperature fluctuations, and possible embryo deaths
• Do not trust the little thermometer that comes with your incubator
• Always always always use more than 1 calibrated thermometer. Always use an analog thermometer with a digital in case of battery failure
• Don't mess with the humidity until day 18. Adjusting humidity too much can create temperature swings. I hatch using the "dry hatching" method and monitor air cells
• Always have the incubator up and running at least a few days before setting eggs so you can get the correct temperature set and holding steady
• Don't use the water wells in your styro-bator for humidity. Use small wet rags, sponges, or cups.
• Don't follow the instructions that come with your incubator

Those are just a few things I've observed. Please feel free to comment on my methods. Welcome to the Styro-Bators Club!

 

[MeepBeep]

I read not to remove the chick until feathers are dry but doesn't all that knocking around and turning the eggs kill them?

You should wait until they are dry and fluffed before you move so they don't get a chill when moved... As for them bulldozing the other eggs, nothing to worry about it's perfectly normal and if anything it encourages the others to hatch...

I have said this before but it's worth repeating this 'lock down' phenomenon has grown into a set of supposed black and white rules well above and beyond it's original intended purpose... Lockdown's original purpose and still IMO it's only legit purpose is first and foremost to be a mental minder that the chicks are hatching soon and thus you should remove or turn off any automated turners so the chicks don't get injured or entangled in the devices and/or move the eggs to a hatcher... Second it's a mental minder that the hatching eggs could benefit from an increase in humidity to avoid shrink wrap... And that is about it...

The you can't open the incubator, you can't touch the eggs, you can't candle the eggs, you can't do this or you can't do that is 99.9% hyperbole...

A broody hen can't count, and thus she continues to handle the eggs under her the same exact way from day 1 until day 21 or beyond if they don't hatch, she doesn't know lockdown from day 0... When the first chicks hatch under the hen, they bulldoze the remaining eggs the same way they do in an incubator... The chicks pop in and out from under mom like whack-a-mole while mom attempts to keep the unhatched eggs under her that are getting pushed around by the chicks...

 

[raisingdaisies]

We have 4 pips! I don't think I'll be sleeping tonight!

 

[BantyChooks]

Hi all,

I have a 2nd hand LG 9200 and have been very pleased, with temps staying at a perfect 101.5 so far. This is my second attempt at hatching, 1st one failed due to user error and not by any fault of the 'bator!
As of day 10, 11/12 eggs I set are doing great, only 1 clear and no quitters so far.
Along with all the tips mentioned above, (I agree 100%) here are some more tips I have learned:

• Hot gluing a lego to the control stick of a manual styro makes it MUCH less fiddly.
  
• Make sure you measure temp at the correct level, (in still air styros especially!) just below the top, not at egg turner level. This was why my hatch failed, I had it at 101.5 egg turner level and it was 105 at the embryo level!

 

[MeepBeep]

Here is what I use to get the thermometers up to the right level, just cardboard and sticky tac:

That little glass aquarium thermometer that can be had at Walmart for a couple of bucks is what I have been recommend people purchase, they are incredibly accurate for their price and the steel beads help create a buffer so you get a better constant reading not one that jumps up and down with the heating element going on and off...

If you go to Walmart to get one, my only suggestion is to take every one off the hook and compare the readings across them at the store to make sure you don't get a dud... Each time I have done this they were all dead on to each other, but it's nice to verify...

One thing I did that helped greatly beyond adding a fan, with my original foam incubator was to make a 2ish tall trim ring out of layered 1/2" foam that extended the the height of the incubator moving the element further from the eggs, this helped remove any hot spots and did wonders for consistency... This also provided more head room so I could hatch peafowl in it without them touching the heating element or getting scalped by the fan...

 

[BantyChooks]

Ended up with a 91% hatch... Here are pics!

 

[SpinningJenny]

Guys! I didn't fry all the eggs! Today is day four so I did an early candle last night and tonight and not only do at least the ones I looked at have veins, but I noticed CHANGES and GROWTH in just those 2 candlings! I'm excited, and reassured that we might have a chance at getting some chicks.

Also holy moly they grow fast. Literally overnight the dark little speck of embryo (I'm pretty sure that's what it was) gained mass.

Question: I couldn't make out the air sac. Any tips for being able to see it better, or is that something that will be more obvious on/around day 7?

Yay! But still crossing fingers they don't quit.

 

[raisingdaisies]

I worry a little about exploding eggs, but not as much as dead birds. I know it happens, but still, I hope against reason we don't find any fully or nearly fully developed, dead.

Today, peeking in the windows I see eggs rocking a bit. We could have babies as early as tomorrow, but more likely Friday and Saturday

 

[beetandsteet]

You should wait until they are dry and fluffed before you move so they don't get a chill when moved... As for them bulldozing the other eggs, nothing to worry about it's perfectly normal and if anything it encourages the others to hatch...

I have said this before but it's worth repeating this 'lock down' phenomenon has grown into a set of supposed black and white rules well above and beyond it's original intended purpose... Lockdown's original purpose and still IMO it's only legit purpose is first and foremost to be a mental minder that the chicks are hatching soon and thus you should remove or turn off any automated turners so the chicks don't get injured or entangled in the devices and/or move the eggs to a hatcher... Second it's a mental minder that the hatching eggs could benefit from an increase in humidity to avoid shrink wrap... And that is about it...

The you can't open the incubator, you can't touch the eggs, you can't candle the eggs, you can't do this or you can't do that is 99.9% hyperbole...

A broody hen can't count, and thus she continues to handle the eggs under her the same exact way from day 1 until day 21 or beyond if they don't hatch, she doesn't know lockdown from day 0... When the first chicks hatch under the hen, they bulldoze the remaining eggs the same way they do in an incubator... The chicks pop in and out from under mom like whack-a-mole while mom attempts to keep the unhatched eggs under her that are getting pushed around by the chicks...

This new view on "lockdown" has been really eye opening for me. MeepBeep have you written an article about this? I think this alternative view is something people ought to hear about because sitting there for 3 days and being terrified to even touch the incubator because it's "lockdown" is nerve-wracking at best

 

[raisingdaisies]

2 babies and counting! Here's a pic of the first one as he hobbled over to the 2nd egg as it was hatching! lol