Ameraucana thread for posting pictures and discussing our birds

[tennesseeckn]

Just did a quick search on the Brinsea EX. It holds 20 eggs? If it is the same one it looks like it is over 500.00. Gosh for that much money a couple hundred more and I could hatch 300 eggs.
I want something that will hatch about 100 eggs and be easy to monitor...and only cost about 300. lol Got that incubator makers of the world?? That is my wish.

I use a hovabator with fan and turners and I have no problems really. Just wanted to be able to hold more eggs. I have two more styrofoam incubators. One has a fan and no turners. I use it for hatching. One has no fan and no turners. Maybe I should just get another set of turners and a fan to install in my fan-less one. Then I could incubate 84 eggs and have the last one with fan installed for hatcher. (I tried hatching without a fan... crazy temperature variation inside the incubator)

I guess that is probably my best bet right now. Maybe someday I will get a fancy incubator. Can't really justify it right now....but if I could..... I would be all over that!!

OK, it was WAY less when I purchased mine. I had to go to there site to make sure we were talking about the same one. It still wasn't cheap, but it was less than that AND they were doing a 30% off sale. I think that you had to "Like" them on Facebook.

A friend borrowed mine and liked it so much she bought the ECO. She says she likes it just as much, but wishes she's bought the auto turner.

 

[kfacres]

Build one. I took a dumped chest-of-drawers, 3 Little Giant heating elements and 3 LG thermostats, a couple of ceramic light sockets, fans, some scrap plywood, and MUCH help from my electrician husband (now he won't even admit to having a hand in it), and turned it into a big incubator/hatcher (incubator holds 512 eggs and hatcher holds 196 eggs). I do have to hand turn and rotate the eggs.

so do you do anything else other than stand and hand turn 5

00 eggs all day long?

 

[admhotel]

Build one. I took a dumped chest-of-drawers, 3 Little Giant heating elements and 3 LG thermostats, a couple of ceramic light sockets, fans, some scrap plywood, and MUCH help from my electrician husband (now he won't even admit to having a hand in it), and turned it into a big incubator/hatcher (incubator holds 512 eggs and hatcher holds 196 eggs). I do have to hand turn and rotate the eggs.

I second this suggestion, I built one out of an old dorm fridge. I built a turner into it and it will hold 90 eggs. I used 2 light bulbs, 2 fans, and a hot water heater thermostat. We have been setting every 9 days, that way at day 18 they come out and go into a Hova- bator for lockdown and the next batch can go in.

 

[Christie Rhae]

Quote:
My husband took an old small fridge to the dump not two months ago.. argh!!! I totally could have used that! I think I might make one. Wonder what craigslist has that I could use.... hmmmmmm

 

[Cass]

It's probably something I'm doing wrong, but I never could get the humidity level up above 40%, even with wet paper towels covering the entire bottom. It was probably more humid outside than it was in the bator!

Have you tried a new/clean large kitchen sponge instead of paper towels? It worked for me....had 11 of 12 hatch and no shrink wrapping (not that I even knew what that was at the time I hatched them with my class)

 

[DMRippy]

It's probably something I'm doing wrong, but I never could get the humidity level up above 40%, even with wet paper towels covering the entire bottom. It was probably more humid outside than it was in the bator!

I have that same problem here. In the summer when it is about 99 in the shade, I think I will just leave the bator door open....

 

[DMRippy]

Build one. I took a dumped chest-of-drawers, 3 Little Giant heating elements and 3 LG thermostats, a couple of ceramic light sockets, fans, some scrap plywood, and MUCH help from my electrician husband (now he won't even admit to having a hand in it), and turned it into a big incubator/hatcher (incubator holds 512 eggs and hatcher holds 196 eggs). I do have to hand turn and rotate the eggs.

You sound like me! I just made mine out of some scrap and 2 sheets of plywood. I did make an automatic egg turner with help from hubby and an engineer volunteered a motor. Mine hold 540 eggs. (it is in my siggy if anyone wants to look)

WHILE we are on the subject.... are Ameraucana eggs just harder to hatch? I just don't have great hatches with my Ameraucanas. Others like WL, EE and Rocks just hatch like crazy. The develop but don't hatch

well some do but not many.... any tips.... I dry hatch.... can't get the humidity up much anyway in that monster incubator. No granted I can't see in the eggs much so they may start and quit...Maybe I can tell more now with the 400 Lumens flashlight I just got.

 

[DMRippy]

Have you tried a new/clean large kitchen sponge instead of paper towels? It worked for me....had 11 of 12 hatch and no shrink wrapping (not that I even knew what that was at the time I hatched them with my class)

I have tried a sponge and it helps but not much.... I saw a youtube video where a guy rigged a sock in his water as a wick. He could raise and lower it as needed and it was right in front of his light. I thought that was a good idea... but I could not do that exactly so I put a shop rag (cut in half) in my water and let it hang over the sides (it will drip so you may want to put something under it) and now in the hatcher I can get the humidity up to near 70% steady. I might should try that in the incubator too. I don't like the humidity in the 20's I like 35% ish.

 

[Dipsy Doodle Doo]

Quote:
so do you do anything else other than stand and hand turn 5

00 eggs all day long?

That's all I do, all day. But seriously, it takes less than 10 minutes, 3 times a day to do the turning. I spend countless hours candling eggs --- I just love watching 'wigglers' wiggling. edited to add: I've never set more than 10 doz eggs at a time, but I set eggs every week.

 

[ChickenLeg]

ChickenLeg, if you keep hanging out on BYC you'll have one before long!!! LOL I got my first one in the spring of '10 and my second one in spring of '11.
I have 30 bitties peeping in my guest bathroom (now my hatchatorium) right now.
It's SO much more fun to hatch your own than to buy from the feed store. But I did buy from the feed store for the first 8 yrs of my chicken experience.
Best of luck and I'm sure you'll get a bator when the time is right.

I hope I might get one for my birthday (gift to myself) in July

Though I doubt I'll hatch anything til next spring!
But thanks for the wishes! I wish the best for your little crumb grabbers !