brinsea eco 20 semi auto

[jay781]

hi iv decided to buy a brinsea eco 20 semi auto direct from brinsea £80 including delivery and vat iv looked at reviews seem to be very good i also can get a brinsea octagon 20 advance for £160 fully automatic is this alot better then the eco 20 octagon? has anyone here used the brinsea octagon 20 eco and how was your experience using this incubator?.

 

[Pork Pie]

I've not used the Eco version, but here's a search with links that you may find useful.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/newsearch?search=brinsea+octagon+eco+20

If you are planning on doing lots of incubation, then the fully monty version may be better.

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

I started with a Brinsea Octagon 20 Eco and traded it in for the fully auto version (Advance 20). While the Eco prices at about half what the Advance costs, I think the Advance has some advantages worth serious consideration: temperature alarm, automatic cooling, autoturner, and most importantly IMO, digital controls. If you like fiddling with knobs to adjust temperature, then the Eco should be fine - and you'll need a thermometer and hygrometer to do manual readings. The auto-cooling feature in the Advance is a nice feature, especially for duck eggs, which I think really benefit from daily cooling.

As a more experienced hatcher, I'd probably just buy the Eco now, since I have multiple thermometers and hygrometers and prefer to be more hands-on (manually turning, misting, cooling). I'd recommend the Advance for novices or people wanting a more "set and forget" (but not really forget) unit, but I think most people would be pleased with the Advance.

 

[amynrichie]

I have the brinsea octagon 20 eco. I have been very pleased with my hatches in it. The biggest limitation is the size. While it will easily hold 24 eggs for incubating, hatching is a little tricky. I end up opening the lid to remove chicks and shells just to make more room for those yet to hatch.
If I had the money, I'd upgrade to the 40.
The eco 20 is great for a Dozen eggs though!

 

[Pork Pie]

Brinsea have a new range of bators that may be worth considering- think they come in eco, semi snd advance versions

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

I have the brinsea octagon 20 eco. I have been very pleased with my hatches in it. The biggest limitation is the size. While it will easily hold 24 eggs for incubating, hatching is a little tricky. I end up opening the lid to remove chicks and shells just to make more room for those yet to hatch.
If I had the money, I'd upgrade to the 40.
The eco 20 is great for a Dozen eggs though!

x2! I once hatched 22 chicken eggs in my Advance and won't do that again. I bought a styrofoam unit for a hatcher, so I could fill the Brinsea w/24 and move them to the hatcher at lockdown.

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

I have the brinsea octagon 20 eco. I have been very pleased with my hatches in it. The biggest limitation is the size. While it will easily hold 24 eggs for incubating, hatching is a little tricky. I end up opening the lid to remove chicks and shells just to make more room for those yet to hatch.
If I had the money, I'd upgrade to the 40.
The eco 20 is great for a Dozen eggs though!

I too wish I had bought the 40 and not the 20

Brinsea have a new range of bators that may be worth considering- think they come in eco, semi snd advance versions

I'm waiting for some reviews on these new models

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

x2! I once hatched 22 chicken eggs in my Advance and won't do that again.

I got 30 polish in my 20 advance, it sure was packed

 

[Pork Pie]

I read a post from one member who made a styrofoam cabinet but made to fit a brinsea advance small version lid to incubate a heck of alot of eggs! Great idea IMO

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

I got 30 polish in my 20 advance, it sure was packed

I bet it was! lol I loaded up mine with 24 the first time I used it and, to my surprise, all made it to lockdown. It was an unholy mess in there with empty shells and chicks, and I was new to incubation so I didn't dare open that incubator. One egg's external pip was sealed by a piece of an empty shell that stuck over it while the chicks were rolling the eggs around and the chick died in shell...wish I had gone in and taken out the empty shells, at least. Now I know I can open the incubator with impunity! Just kidding - but it can be done with some steps taken to mitigate the humidity loss.