Approaching first hatch---and super nervous!!

[coloradowildflower]

Just finished my first hatch with the Brinsea Mini II and I agree wholeheartedly. 4/4 little chicks hatched and doing great. Beautiful results. It takes all the guesswork out and allows you to just ENJOY the hatching process! Love my Brinsea! So glad yours is home!

 

[livhatcher]

Just finished my first hatch with the Brinsea Mini II and I agree wholeheartedly. 4/4 little chicks hatched and doing great. Beautiful results. It takes all the guesswork out and allows you to just ENJOY the hatching process! Love my Brinsea! So glad yours is home!

Thank you for that little boost!! I am in love with my new toy!! Can't wait to see babies!! That digital read out just makes me feel better!

 

[lilwildrabbit]

My first incubator hatch was back in February so I'm still new to all this also I was pushed into it myself I had a nice flock going from chicks last year I had about 50 birds 40 full sized hens 3 Roos and a few bantams 3 Roos one Dutch hen 2 Cochin hens and two EEs both hens I lost all but about 20 one night to dogs and two days later I lost a few more that sercum to the injuries. That's who I have an incubator now last chance effort to replace my flock. Now I didn't have much of a chance with my first two hatches first I was graced with 15 from 42 eggs all age old and just a snowballs chance. Second was worse than the first noting issues with the eggs from still extreamly stressed out hens and an emergency during incubation. I'm on my 3rd one still on the learning phase so I can relate with anxiety.

 

[livhatcher]

My first incubator hatch was back in February so I'm still new to all this also I was pushed into it myself I had a nice flock going from chicks last year I had about 50 birds 40 full sized hens 3 Roos and a few bantams 3 Roos one Dutch hen 2 Cochin hens and two EEs both hens I lost all but about 20 one night to dogs and two days later I lost a few more that sercum to the injuries. That's who I have an incubator now last chance effort to replace my flock. Now I didn't have much of a chance with my first two hatches first I was graced with 15 from 42 eggs all age old and just a snowballs chance. Second was worse than the first noting issues with the eggs from still extreamly stressed out hens and an emergency during incubation. I'm on my 3rd one still on the learning phase so I can relate with anxiety.

Sounds like you've had a rough go. I hope this 3rd time is the charm. I've taken a few days off from obsessing---at the beach & mom is monitoring the incubators for me. Going to try for enough discipline to wait to candle on day 10.

 

[lilwildrabbit]

Well I'm still on the positive note here it's just a setback but I'll live as I listen to a chick chirping in the background. And the incubator humming on 48 eggs!! It's truly an addiction and you learn by trial and error so it just shows this old man there's still more to learn in life even when retired!

 

[livhatcher]

Well I'm still on the positive note here it's just a setback but I'll live as I listen to a chick chirping in the background. And the incubator humming on 48 eggs!! It's truly an addiction and you learn by trial and error so it just shows this old man there's still more to learn in life even when retired!

Agree. I woke up the other morning thinking the birds chirping were chicks.

It's also fun for me to watch the fully automatic vs old school styrofoam. Can't wait to see which does best.

 

[livhatcher]

Back from vacation!

As soon as I got in, I couldn't resist the chance to candle my eggs. I am on day 7 with the Maxi and day 8 with the Hova Bator.

This is what I saw in the Brinsea:

3 nice jumping Silver Laced Polish bantams, 1 Isbar (darker egg, a little harder), 1 Bielefelder (same dark egg issue), and 7 good Crele Polish starting. I'm not sure about one cream legbar and one crele Polish. The Crele looks clear-ish and the CL looks iffy. I may try to look at the dark eggs again when it's officially dark tonight so maybe I can tell more.

I got started on all the eggs in the Hova Bator but got overwhelmed after I found a definite blood ring on a silver lace polish. I probably shouldn't have gotten upset, but it threw me off my game and I didn't really keep as good of notes as I did on the Maxi after that. I think I've got 4 questionable quitters. I'll regroup and look again on day 10.

The only thing of note that I thought of re: the Brinsea is that the temp comes back up SOOOO fast. It made me feel better about opening up to check them.

I also thought it was really cool to see how bouncy the little Polish bantams were. I didn't expect it and it was heart warming.

 

[eggbert420]

 

[livhatcher]

Day 10: lost quite a few yesterday from one batch of eggs I picked up. I had 11 and lost 5 to blood rings and failure to develop. By the 4th one I got tougher! In the hova bator we set 21 to start & have lost 7 total (4 from the above number & 3 polish bantams that didn't develop)

In the Maxi, I have lost 2 of the 18 set. I really like the simplicity & streamlined nature of the incubator, but I don't like not really knowing what the humidity level is. There's really no room to put a hygrometer in with the spinning unit inside & relying on filling to water line in the outside well doesn't *feel* precise. All the eggs are side lying in the brinsea. I have removed 6 eggs with saddle shaped air cells to the hova bator thinking that with blunt end up it might help the cells heal. Maybe that's wishful thinking.

 

[eggbert420]

Day 10: lost quite a few yesterday from one batch of eggs I picked up. I had 11 and lost 5 to blood rings and failure to develop. By the 4th one I got tougher! In the hova bator we set 21 to start & have lost 7 total (4 from the above number & 3 polish bantams that didn't develop)

In the Maxi, I have lost 2 of the 18 set. I really like the simplicity & streamlined nature of the incubator, but I don't like not really knowing what the humidity level is. There's really no room to put a hygrometer in with the spinning unit inside & relying on filling to water line in the outside well doesn't *feel* precise. All the eggs are side lying in the brinsea. I have removed 6 eggs with saddle shaped air cells to the hova bator thinking that with blunt end up it might help the cells heal. Maybe that's wishful thinking.

humidity is what controls the air cells.