THE Brinsea Octagon 20 Eco Thread; Hatches, etc. (PICS)

[OHfarmerswife]

If you don't have your instruction booklet here is a download with a section on calibration ~ http://www.brinsea.co.uk/downloads34

If you have a known to be correct hygrometer I would pop that in too and see what it's reading.

Did you prime the pump tubing with water before wrapping it round and connecting to the rigid tube?

Thanks Yorkshire coop for you help. I didn't prime the tube but I know it is working because I watch the water go through the tube into the incy.
I will try recalibrating thanks for your help. Wish me luck I have another hatch on Friday. I use my brinseas as hatchers. Thanks again

 

[Blooie]

Okay, I finally have something to offer the thread instead of just asking questions. My granddaughter Katie had to come over and turn eggs for me while we were gone for a long time. She's only 10, and was having a hard time grasping the lid of the Octagon 20 to pick it up. It's slippery, ever notice? And she was scared it would slip out of her hands when she tried to pick it up and that it might fall on the eggs inside the incubator. So I glued strips of that rubberized shelving to the top. It worked! Oh, it's still awkward, but it's not slippery and awkward!

 

[WVduckchick]

Okay, I finally have something to offer the thread instead of just asking questions. My granddaughter Katie had to come over and turn eggs for me while we were gone for a long time. She's only 10, and was having a hard time grasping the lid of the Octagon 20 to pick it up. It's slippery, ever notice? And she was scared it would slip out of her hands when she tried to pick it up and that it might fall on the eggs inside the incubator. So I glued strips of that rubberized shelving to the top. It worked! Oh, it's still awkward, but it's not slippery and awkward!

After seeing you mention this on another thread, I draped a piece of that stuff across the top of mine, and just secured it with a strip of scotch tape across it.... just to see if I'd like it.... and I LOVE it! Will mount it better once I empty the bator, but it has helped tremendously! (both physically and mentally, and we all know I need all the mental help I can get!)

 

[fatcatx]

Brinsea 20 + Shipped eggs

I'm about to receive some shipped eggs and was wondering if anyone had any special tricks/advice when using the Brinsea or success stories. I'm assuming everyone is leaving the "railings" out and using the egg cart method? Better ideas? Once you begin turning are you doing it manually to each egg or just using the regular rocking motion?

Is there anything you do different in your Brinsea vs. what you did in an old-school incubator?

Basically I am following the advice of Sally Sunshine and a few others that have created Shipped Eggs pages on BYC. I'm assuming there isn't much to change when using the Brinsea but thought I'd ask.

 

[WVduckchick]

Brinsea 20 + Shipped eggs

I'm about to receive some shipped eggs and was wondering if anyone had any special tricks/advice when using the Brinsea or success stories.  I'm assuming everyone is leaving the "railings" out  and using the egg cart method?  Better ideas? Once you begin turning are you doing it manually to each egg or just using the regular rocking motion?

Is there anything you do different in your Brinsea vs. what you did in an old-school incubator?

Basically I am following the advice of Sally Sunshine and a few others that have created Shipped Eggs pages on BYC. I'm assuming there isn't much to change when using the Brinsea but thought I'd ask.

Do you have the auto turner and/or humidity pump?

I use the rails and the foam padding. Space the rails just wider than the egg, and let the foam hold them.

There are a few tips that could benefit you if you don't have the humidity pump and live in a drier area. Not gonna bother typing if you have the pump.

Another tip - I use food coloring in my water wells during the last 3 days (I run without water for the initial days). The food coloring makes it easier to see thru the tray.

 

[fatcatx]

Do you have the auto turner and/or humidity pump?

I use the rails and the foam padding. Space the rails just wider than the egg, and let the foam hold them.
There are a few tips that could benefit you if you don't have the humidity pump and live in a drier area. Not gonna bother typing if you have the pump.
Another tip - I use food coloring in my water wells during the last 3 days (I run without water for the initial days). The food coloring makes it easier to see thru the tray.

I have the autoturner but wasn't planning on using it since I presume I will have damaged air cells. Do you use yours with shipped eggs? Most pages advocate using the very subtle 45 tilt
No pump but I haven't had an issue with humidity control. At the end I use paper towels to increase surface area and that has worked fine.

Love the food coloring tip. Checking the wells is definitely a weak point with theis model.
The method of turning/tilting is what I am most concerned about.

 

[WVduckchick]

I have the autoturner but wasn't planning on using it since I presume I will have damaged air cells. Do you use yours with shipped eggs? Most pages advocate using the very subtle 45 tilt
No pump but I haven't had an issue with humidity control. At the end I use paper towels to increase surface area and that has worked fine.

Love the food coloring tip. Checking the wells is definitely a weak point with theis model.
The method of turning/tilting is what I am most concerned about.

I always use my turner because I'm not able to hand turn often enough. With shipped eggs, I usually sit it in the turner, i just don't plug the turner in for a day or two, depending on how bad the air cells look. Hopefully your eggs won't be too bad.

I have 2 Octagon 20s. One has a pump, the other doesn't. I tried something new a couple of weeks ago with the non-pump one. Used a piece of quilt batting (the thin cotton inner layer) thru the wells for extra humidity. Worked well!

Hope your eggs arrive in great condition. I have more on the way also.

 

[angelikimarie]

Giggle giggle chuckle snort...... Oooooooops..... Did I do thiiiiiis???????

I usually always put my eggs on their sides, do you get just as good hatch rates incubating vertically like this???

 

[enggass]

Supposed to be up on end - big end up, at least in the Oct 20, during incubation... remove rails and lay on sides during hatch.

 

[WVduckchick]

I usually always put my eggs on their sides, do you get just as good hatch rates incubating vertically like this???

Supposed to be up on end - big end up, at least in the Oct 20, during incubation... remove rails and lay on sides during hatch.

Works either way, but I always do mine vertically. Always have good hatch rates (unless they were shipped eggs that the post office played soccer with..lol)