Ended Battle of the 'Bators—16th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-Along

[BackyardinWales]

Two hatched. Ironically, the first one to pip is still not emerged. Praying she makes her way out.

 

[Mill Chick]

Two hatched. Ironically, the first one to pip is still not emerged. Praying she makes her way out.

Update?

 

[BackyardinWales]

Update?

Sorry, I forgot ... 1 and 2 chicks came out quite quickly, but
I had to help extricate number 3 as she was unable to help herself. I had messed up on the humidity in the new Brinsea. But the surgery went well, and she is doing well. Sadly only 3 of the 9 eggs have hatched, but it could have been worse.

The one in my hand is the one I had to help, the two 'yellow' ones were quick.

 

[Mill Chick]

Sorry, I forgot ... 1 and 2 chicks came out quite quickly, but
I had to help extricate number 3 as she was unable to help herself. I had messed up on the humidity in the new Brinsea. But the surgery went well, and she is doing well. Sadly only 3 of the 9 eggs have hatched, but it could have been worse.

The one in my hand is the one I had to help, the two 'yellow' ones were quick.

My best hatch rate has been 50% but I have only hatched 3 batches.

 

[Kjnannay]

I have the same one. The instructions say to use only one water bottle for the initial incubation, and two during lockdown.

But due to my environment, I use zero water bottles and just put a tablespoon of water twice a day. It is the only thing I cant stand because that stupid alarm goes off if it dips below 40% (which is where I like it). It was the only incubator that shipped to the islands for free- and I got it on sale from walmart.com.

Thank you

 

[GNeerChick]

• Manufacturer-Harris Farms
• Model- Nuture Right 360
• Egg Capacity- 22 standard chicken.
• What you like about it- easy to set. Auto turner. Great for viewing hatch.
• What you don't like about it- The lid is finicky to replace during candling. The candler is on top of the unit and does not block out ambient light from the unit itself. Unreliable temp and hygrometer. Difficult to regulate humidity to maintain below 50% for thick Marans eggs—I have to thread a gauze 4x4 in channel A and leave the tail end in a 3 ounce water cup to wick; maintains humidity at 40% for Marans eggs.

View attachment 4073124

Very similar complaint on the candler, if the top was made of black plastic it would be much more effective.

 

[BantyChooks]

This contest ends tomorrow!
Get your entries in!

 

[BantyChooks]

This contest is closed!
Thank you for your entries. The winners will be posted as soon as possible. ​

 

[BantyChooks]

The spreadsheet has been updated and we have our winners!
@BackyardinWales, @FlockandFlower_Farm, & @catsndogs4us​

All 10 entries were entered into a spreadsheet in the order they were posted and given a number. This random number generator was used to pick the winners.

First Draw, entry #8 - @BackyardinWales

Both are Brinsea.

The smaller one is a mini Eco and has been reliable for all my hatches. Though it says it fits 10 hen eggs, 9 has been a squeeze, hence the new bigger one. The bigger one is the Maxi 24, which I've just transferred all my eggs to for Lockdown, I can't say much about that yet. It was a bit complex for my head to set it, but I'll know more for the next time I do a hatch. It was a little pricey, £223, but it apparently auto rotates, but not using that function this time.

So far I've found my Brinsea to be reliable, only time will tell if the new one is as good.

Second Draw, entry #7 - @FlockandFlower_Farm

Very inexpensive incubator that turns a fun homeschool project into me wanting to be a micro hatchery as one does.

• Manufacturer- Apdoe
• Model- Apdoe 2025 Upgraded HatchPro 12
• Egg Capacity- 12
• What you like about it- It works! 360 glass and water bottles keep the humidity about right in our north/central Texas climate. 4/12 was a wild success for us. Second batch was 8/12!
• What you don't like about it-
• It’s SO HARD to get the lid off when there are baby chicks or fragile eggs in there. Things slip or leap out all over the place no matter how careful you are!

Third Draw, entry #10 - @catsndogs4us

Incubator: Harris Farms Nurture Right 360
I don't have the model number will check the paperwork tomorrow as I left it at school.
Egg Capacity: 22

I like this incubator a lot. It's simple to use and I have never had any trouble with it. It does exactly what it's supposed to do and I have had so far 100% successful hatches after infertiles/non starters removed. It's easy to clean after hatches. I think I've had it for 6 or so years. It's not the original version but the second edition.

I don't like the way the lid goes on, I always feel that I should check and double check that it's on perfectly. This is an issue I can live with though since otherwise the incubator works great for me and I wouldn't spend the money for a new one because of one small dislike.

Usually I hatch at home, this time I'm using it for a classroom hatch. The school had the big foam incubators for us to use but I chose to use my own. I'm used to it and don't have confidence in the foam ones. In fact a teacher who started with a foam one had to change parts because first the electronics weren't working right and then the turner was messing up. Also you have to fill that one with a baster which seems inconvenient to me. I will stick with my trusty Nurture Right 360.

The whole incubator photo has the temp a little off since I just had the lid off to start lockdown.

@BackyardinWales, @FlockandFlower_Farm, & @catsndogs4us, I will be sending you instructions on how to claim your prizes momentarily!

A HUGE THANK YOU to all who participated, this wouldn't have been possible without all of your entries!!!!
Great job everyone, this was so much fun!!

And THANK YOU to our BYC Sponsors (click to view & support them)


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[NorthwoodsChick]

Congratulations, Bator- battle warriors!