Brinsea cool down feature

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calliescluckers

In the Brooder
5 Years
Apr 24, 2014
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hello all, I just finished my first hatch in a brinsea octagon 20 advance. I'm wondering if anyone uses the cool down feature that comes in the new models? I did not in my last hatch. Any advice on this incubator in general? I hatched 20 eggs last time and it was very crowded.
 
I have the octagon advance 20 too and I love it :love
The cool down feature replicates the hen leaving the nest everyday to eat and drink. I feel it is an added bonus feature to get better hatch rates as it replicates nature better. I have mine set for an hour a day. I like it too as I have the humidity pump with mine and don't have to open to add water. Sometimes opening the incubator can replicate the hen leaving the nest but as I don't have to I like the cool down.

It can get a little crowded yes in them. Do you mean when you have eggs set or when they hatch? I can fit 24 polish eggs in between the dividers but yes it is crowded at hatch time. I'm not an opener in general and let nature course but when it looks full I do open to remove the most dried chicks to the brooder. It gets back to temp and humidity levels very well and quick too.

All round great incubator I have found.
 
Last edited:
Yes when hatching. I find it's insanely crowded. I'm going to try a staggered hatch to minimize crowding at hatching. I don't have the humidity pump so I open every couple to three days. Do you start the feature at 7 days?
 
calliescluckers said:
Yes when hatching. I find it's insanely crowded. I'm going to try a staggered hatch to minimize crowding at hatching. I don't have the humidity pump so I open every couple to three days. Do you start the feature at 7 days?
Click to expand...


When you say staggered hatch, how far apart can you do them? Like, could you set two batches in the same incubator to hatch like a week apart? I've never hatched before. Wanted a Brisena but my budget got me a Little Giant. Lol
 
I don't use a Brisena but I do, do staggered hatches they are pretty much the normal for me... As for time between hatches that all depends on my egg supply, sometimes I'm setting eggs every day, other times it's a few days or a week apart... No real method to my madness... I use the free Hatchabatch app to keep track of when eggs are hatching...

This season I'm using my larger DIY incubator, it's deep enough that I can suspend a basket near the top and use that as an internal 'hatching' area as the eggs bellow continue to be turned... Last year I had two incubators running and one was fully dedicated to just being a hatcher... Makes it much easier when you can move the to be hatching eggs out of the general population in staggered hatches...

As for the OPs original question, I candle almost every day so my eggs get a cool down, can't say if it actually benefits but I see no ill effects and when I finish my grand daddy fully automated incubator I'm working on I will incorporate a cool down option just for good measure...
 
I'd just take them out as they fluff up instead of staggering a hatch, but that's just me.
smile.png
Different things work for different people.

Yorkshire - have you done hatches with and without the cooling feature on? Was wondering if your experience showed that it helped your hatch rate.

Thanks!
 
The problem with taking chicks out once fluffed is the remaining eggs get vacuum sealed. I added hot water and did it in a steamy bathroom but they still got vacuum sealed
 
How do you deal with the lockdown increasing humidity? Do you find it affects the eggs not due to hatch?
MeepBeep said:
I don't use a Brisena but I do, do staggered hatches they are pretty much the normal for me... As for time between hatches that all depends on my egg supply, sometimes I'm setting eggs every day, other times it's a few days or a week apart... No real method to my madness... I use the free Hatchabatch app to keep track of when eggs are hatching...

This season I'm using my larger DIY incubator, it's deep enough that I can suspend a basket near the top and use that as an internal 'hatching' area as the eggs bellow continue to be turned... Last year I had two incubators running and one was fully dedicated to just being a hatcher... Makes it much easier when you can move the to be hatching eggs out of the general population in staggered hatches...

As for the OPs original question, I candle almost every day so my eggs get a cool down, can't say if it actually benefits but I see no ill effects and when I finish my grand daddy fully automated incubator I'm working on I will incorporate a cool down option just for good measure...
Click to expand...
 
calliescluckers said:
How do you deal with the lockdown increasing humidity? Do you find it affects the eggs not due to hatch?
Click to expand...


I don't do a lock down, never have... I have a small humidifier inside the incubator when I have eggs pipping and zipping I increase humidity temporarily but only while they are hatching, when they are done I lower the humidity again... I have seen no negative effect on the egg not due to hatch from the temporary humidity increase... IMO it's no different then eggs sitting under a broody bird when a storm rolls in and drives the humidity up temporarily...
 
calliescluckers said:
The problem with taking chicks out once fluffed is the remaining eggs get vacuum sealed. I added hot water and did it in a steamy bathroom but they still got vacuum sealed
Click to expand...

What were you running your humidity at? My incubator recovers temp and humidity in less than a minute, no matter how much I opened it. You may have had another reason for your shrink-wrapped chicks.

Hard "lockdown" is for incubators that have a hard time holding their temps and humidity, especially the Styrofoam incubators.
 

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