Borotto Incubators (All about)

[RoosterML]

I'm just wondering how if they will be too loose in the spot for regular size eggs but too big for the quail egg space. Thanks for answering so quickly!

It should hold them nicely, the spot for the egg is tapered at the bottom along with a hole so the tip of an egg can slide down.

 

[rayrose]

What was your hatch rate? Would you buy this machine again?
Pros and cons. TIA

 

[RoosterML]

What was your hatch rate? Would you buy this machine again?
Pros and cons. TIA

I would buy again, currently on my third batch. You have to move the eggs around every 5 days. 85% Maran eggs 91% Ameraucana and 100% Olive egger
I don’t like the fact I can NOT turn the humidity pump lower than 40%

 

[rayrose]

Why do you have to move them around every five days. It's
advertised to be once and done.
Would you still buy the humidity pump? $130 isn't cheap.

 

[RoosterML]

Why do you have to move them around every five days. It's
advertised to be once and done.
Would you still buy the humidity pump? $130 isn't cheap.

It is a high quality pump. If your incubation methods call for settings over 40% I would recommend it. It is very easy to add the water from the exterior. You could always purchase the pump later. Moving the eggs I think is to accommodate for any hotspots. By moving them it evens everything out allowing them to all hatch at about the same time.

 

[rayrose]

This will be the first incubator I've ever bought, so I don't have any
methods from which to draw. I've looked at what videos and reviews that there are on this model, and yours is the only one I've seen that is honest and realistic. I down loaded the manual for this model, and it recommends rotating every five days, in order to increase the hatch rate. That seems to contradict the once and done concept. But I guess it shouldn't be a deal breaker.
I had an advertising professor that told our class that, "Basically, all advertising is a lie." I've never forgotten that statement.
Thanks, I really appreciate your review.
If you were a first timer like me, would you buy the pump or could you regulate the humidity sufficiently without it. I'm retired, so I have plenty of time to fool with this thing.

 

[RoosterML]

This will be the first incubator I've ever bought, so I don't have any
methods from which to draw. I've looked at what videos and reviews that there are on this model, and yours is the only one I've seen that is honest and realistic. I down loaded the manual for this model, and it recommends rotating every five days, in order to increase the hatch rate. That seems to contradict the once and done concept. But I guess it shouldn't be a deal breaker.
I had an advertising professor that told our class that, "Basically, all advertising is a lie." I've never forgotten that statement.
Thanks, I really appreciate your review.
If you were a first timer like me, would you buy the pump or could you regulate the humidity sufficiently without it. I'm retired, so I have plenty of time to fool with this thing.

If you can get the humidity pump for close to the same price later I personally would try without the humidity pump. Remember the only problem is you’re going to have to get a different type of gauge to monitor the humidity because it does not show the humidity on the incubator itself.
I am not sure how many eggs you’re looking to hatch at one time. if you are going to do under 27 total chicken eggs I would highly recommend the incuview Incubator from Incubator warehouse I have that unit, it has performed flawlessly for two years now. I have done quail eggs chicken eggs and I currently have four huge buff goose eggs in there right now.The only thing I don’t like about that unit is you have to lift the lid to add water.
you cannot go wrong with both units

 

[Finnie]

.The only thing I don’t like about that unit is you have to lift the lid to add water.

Unless you get a little squeeze bottle from a craft store like this one:

And some fish air tubing, which you insert into the vent hole, like this:

 

[RoosterML]

Unless you get a little squeeze bottle from a craft store like this one:View attachment 2607565
And some fish air tubing, which you insert into the vent hole, like this:
View attachment 2607567

Yes, I also use a funnel with tubing to add water. I shouldn’t have to do that in my view. How hard would it be to have a port to add water from the outside. I think that’s the main design flaw with that unit.

 

[TwoShepherds]

I did NOT have good luck with the humidity pump on my first hatch of quail eggs. It flooded the tray at least twice, and I had to go in and drain out the water. Other times it kept running and running and putting more water in and I had to shut the pump down before it flooded. Maybe it was user error. As a newbie, I'm very willing to accept that I did something wrong, but I read the instructions multiple times and tested the set up for several days while waiting for the eggs to arrive and everything seemed stable during that time....so if I did something incorrectly, I'm not sure what it was.

Even with the pump problems I had a hatch rate of around 60-70 percent...I had more quail chicks than I knew what to do with. Most of the eggs that I lost had nearly formed chicks inside them. My hatch times seemed kind of weird...I had some hatch on the correct day and some hatch late. I did not move my 90-some eggs into new places every 5 days, so maybe the heating inside is uneven?

I set a new batch of eggs just last week--chicken eggs this time. I love how the egg tray can hold different kinds of eggs.

I am too nervous to use the pump, so I am using the incubator without it. Several of my extra back-up thermometers measure humidity as well, and so far it seems like the humidity has been pretty consistient with one tray filled with water. Supposed to fill the 2nd tray with water for lockdown.

We'll see how it goes.

I think I am going to be happy enough with the incubator. Maybe my pump is defective, or maybe I did something wrong, but I am quite disappointed with the pump and feel like it has been a waste of money, and I wish I had not bought it.