Brinsea Mini Advance Incubator

[Julie's Silkies]

How often do you have to hand turn eggs and do you have to get up during the night to turn as well.

 

[Brickman House]

I have an automatic turner, but for hand turning, people recommend either 3 or 5 times a day. Mark each side of the egg differently (X's and O's are common) and turn 180 degrees each time. You don't have to get up to turn them in the middle of the night. You should turn an odd number of times a day, so that the longest time the eggs go without turning (overnight) alternates sides from night to night.

 

[Sweetfolly]

Okay, now I have a question about the new Brinsea Mini 'bators, and this seemed as good a place as any to ask...

The water reservoir is in the middle, and I read someplace that marbles/pebbles should be placed in it before the hatch to prevent the chicks from drowning. Has anyone had a problem with this?

I'm trying to decide right now whether to try out one of these mini-bators, or just pay the extra $40 for another Octagon 20 ECO (it's over twice the egg capacity for just 1/3 more). I can't make up my mind!

 

[Pumpkinpup]

I just set my first batch in a Oct 20. I am very excited to see how well it works as I have heard tons of great things about it. So far since plugging it in and letting it run empty to be sure all was ok, it has held temp flawlessly.

We will see on Good Friday how we did! HATCH DAY!!!!

 

[Sweetfolly]

Quote:
I'm sure you'll have a great experience with your Octagon 20 - it's what I'm using now. Holds the temperature within a +/- .2 degree margin. I need to get another in the next two weeks though, because I ended up with a staggered hatch going on. I like that, in the Octagon 20, the water channels are underneath the tray and there's no way the chicks (or ducklings, in my case) can get into it. The Brinsea Mini makes me uneasy with the water right there in the middle, easily accessible to the hatchlings.

Right now, I'm leaning toward getting another Octagon 20.

 

[trilyn]

Quote:
I'm sure you'll have a great experience with your Octagon 20 - it's what I'm using now. Holds the temperature within a +/- .2 degree margin. I need to get another in the next two weeks though, because I ended up with a staggered hatch going on. I like that, in the Octagon 20, the water channels are underneath the tray and there's no way the chicks (or ducklings, in my case) can get into it. The Brinsea Mini makes me uneasy with the water right there in the middle, easily accessible to the hatchlings.

Right now, I'm leaning toward getting another Octagon 20.

For just another 40.00 bucks grab that sucker! I'm thinking of doing the same thing, had bad luck with the lg still air and when I priced the brinsea's after I had bought the lg, I realized that for another 60.00 bucks I could have had the the incubator and the turner!!! grrrrr

 

[Sweetfolly]

Quote:
I'm sure you'll have a great experience with your Octagon 20 - it's what I'm using now. Holds the temperature within a +/- .2 degree margin. I need to get another in the next two weeks though, because I ended up with a staggered hatch going on. I like that, in the Octagon 20, the water channels are underneath the tray and there's no way the chicks (or ducklings, in my case) can get into it. The Brinsea Mini makes me uneasy with the water right there in the middle, easily accessible to the hatchlings.

Right now, I'm leaning toward getting another Octagon 20.

For just another 40.00 bucks grab that sucker! I'm thinking of doing the same thing, had bad luck with the lg still air and when I priced the brinsea's after I had bought the lg, I realized that for another 60.00 bucks I could have had the the incubator and the turner!!! grrrrr

Alright - you made up my mind for me. It's twice the egg capacity for just 1/3 of the price more - although, it does have twice the energy consumption...but I won't be running it all the time.

I was looking at the dimensions of the Mini - it's only 6.5" tall with an 8.7" diameter (this is coming right out of the owner's manual that I managed to find on the Brinsea website) - that's very mini!

 

[Scott]

I ended up getting a Brinsea Mini Advance. I've got 9 call ducks in the new incubator as we speak. I put them in there on March 8th. I candled them this evening (right before this post) and all 9 eggs are developing. I'm very impressed with the Mini Advance. Its entirely digital. The temp stays at 99.5 (every one in a while it will go up to 99.6). And it keeps my humidity constant at about 50%... thats with one of the reservoir full. Its a set-n-go incubator. You ready don't have to monitor it... just put your setting in and it does its job. I really doubt that a chick could get into the reservoir. The reservoir sets above the floor several inches and then there is a fan duct that comes down from the roof to almost touch the reservoir opening. I dont think youd have to worry about a chick getting in there.

I'd recommend it, but I'm a bit partial.

 

[nmantime]

I have the Mini Advance also. I've had 2 hatches in it so far and i like it alot. The only thing i have changed is on lockdown day i do not fill up the second chamber. It takes the humidity up too high 65%+ and i lost chicks in the first hatch. After the success i had with my Brinsea 20 ECO hatching with low humidity i ran my second hatch in the mini advance with little water in one cell and on lockdown filled just that one cell. The humidity went to 51 and no higher on my calibrated hygrometer. 7 eggs -->7 chicks. I am on such a roll hatching (shipped) eggs right now (busy patting myself on the back, taking credit for the brinsea's work) 24 out of 24 in the ECO. Now with duck eggs i have read you need the higher humidity but all the chicken egg hatchers may try the lower rates. Anyway good luck on those call duck eggs...

Norm in N.CA

 

[Scott]

Quote:
Thanks! Congrats on your hatch rate.... can't beat that. I've been very impressed with the Brinsea Mini Advance as well. Its a reliable, no-worries incubator.