48 Eggs Automatic Incubator???

[A1momof3]

I have been looking at these and reading the reviews which sound good but I wanted to get reviews from people I trust know what they are doing. So has anyone used these and how well do they work?

 

[A1momof3]

This is a pic of it.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I have been looking at these and reading the reviews which sound good but I wanted to get reviews from people I trust know what they are doing. So has anyone used these and how well do they work?

What brand and model are you looking at? There are multiple incubators that will incubate 48 eggs. I use a little giant with fan kit and automatic egg turner. It is not a well loved bator, can be tempermental, but I am doing ok with it as I have the availability to babysit it during use. It is one of the cheapest incubators. The Brinsea has an incubator that holds 48 eggs. It is 5 x's more expensive but it is, from the recommendations here, an incubators dream machine. I have seen midline priced incubators that also can do 48 eggs. It all depends on the brand and model as to what opinions you are going to get.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

The no name chinese models...lol It looks alot like the pics of the Janoels I've seen just slightly different. I know there are a couple threads on here about the janoel bators. They may be helpful.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

This thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/736899/the-incubator-thread/210 (page 22) someone asks about the eggcubator, you might find something usefull there.

 

[A1momof3]

The brand name is Eggcubator. I don't know where it is made just trying g to find out if anyone has ever used it and if they liked it.

 

[FarmerMac]

Hey A1momof3,
I bought one from eBay for $75.00. It was easy to set up. Adjusted the temperature to 37.8 degrees C. and put about 20 eggs. I had it in my basement where is about 64 degrees, had to keep the lower part inside the Styrofoam shipping container where it came in to maintain the temperature and cover the top with a towel, leaving the two top vents clear for air flow. As far as the turner, it turned the eggs every two hours. Most of the eggs developed, I found a few bad eggs when I candled them day 10 and day 18.
My mistake was not increasing the humidity and keeping the incubator closed during lockdown. Before lockdown, the humidity stayed constant about 45%. During lockdown, it remained about the same maybe 50%. After the first chick hatched, I took it out and put it in a brooder which was my second mistake. Third mistake was my family kept opening the incubator to see if any other chick had hatch, humidity was lost every time it was opened. The last chick to hatch lasted almost 48 hours, had to help it out. The membrane was dry the rest of the eggs did not hatch. I did a float test to see if they were alive and there was no movement. I opened the eggs to see what had happened and they wee fully developed just could not pip.
The machine work great, it was human error that caused the poor hatch rate. For my next batch (March), I will bring up the humidity to about 70-80% and will keep the incubator closed.

 

[dheltzel]

Hey A1momof3,
I bought one from eBay for $75.00. It was easy to set up. Adjusted the temperature to 37.8 degrees C. and put about 20 eggs. I had it in my basement where is about 64 degrees, had to keep the lower part inside the Styrofoam shipping container where it came in to maintain the temperature and cover the top with a towel, leaving the two top vents clear for air flow. As far as the turner, it turned the eggs every two hours. Most of the eggs developed, I found a few bad eggs when I candled them day 10 and day 18.
My mistake was not increasing the humidity and keeping the incubator closed during lockdown. Before lockdown, the humidity stayed constant about 45%. During lockdown, it remained about the same maybe 50%. After the first chick hatched, I took it out and put it in a brooder which was my second mistake. Third mistake was my family kept opening the incubator to see if any other chick had hatch, humidity was lost every time it was opened. The last chick to hatch lasted almost 48 hours, had to help it out. The membrane was dry the rest of the eggs did not hatch. I did a float test to see if they were alive and there was no movement. I opened the eggs to see what had happened and they wee fully developed just could not pip.
The machine work great, it was human error that caused the poor hatch rate. For my next batch (March), I will bring up the humidity to about 70-80% and will keep the incubator closed.

I wouldn't be too quick to blame yourself. When the chick externally pips (makes a crack you can see), then the higher humidity matters a great deal, but if they die before pipping (egg still completely intact) then the humidity had nothing to do with it (and by extension, your opening the incubator). It's more likely temperature related if they developed but never pipped. Given the trouble you had keeping the temp regulated, I would not recommend this incubator to anyone. They undersized the heating element to save money and made it a management headache.

 

[FarmerMac]

I ran the incubator again and this time I put two hygrometers/thermometers to check the variance in temperature and humidity. The temperature reading on the incubators digital display was different from the other thermometers. It should been 100 but it was only 96 so now I have it cracked to 38.2 and the reading on the other thermometers is 99.5 and 100. The humidity is off too. It is higher than what it displays so now I am using the reading form the other two hygrometers.

 

[A1momof3]

I ran the incubator again and this time I put two hygrometers/thermometers to check the variance in temperature and humidity. The temperature reading on the incubators digital display was different from the other thermometers. It should been 100 but it was only 96 so now I have it cracked to 38.2 and the reading on the other thermometers is 99.5 and 100. The humidity is off too. It is higher than what it displays so now I am using the reading form the other two hygrometers.

You know this is really good info about what all you are dealing with using this machine. A great ongoing review. That you so much for sharing it. I keep going back and forth on to build or to buy one. I get started building and then I stop because I'm so unsure about certain things so then I say just buy a good one. But then I don't know which ones I can trust if I buy. So I still dont have anything. Lol