Brinsea Mini Advance is Awesome

[BaaKaaawk]

First and foremost- I am not part of Brinsea nor am I paid in any way for this post! I just really love this silly thing and want to let others know who may be looking.

I read on here all the time about disastrous hatches, humidity issues, heat issues, turning issues, issues about issues... I have hatched dozens of healthy chickens in this incubator and I literally turn this silly thing on, put some water in the reservoir and let it ride for 21 days. Perfect every time. I'm simply amazed at the simplicity so I figured after all this time I might as well post about it.

If you are curious, here are the settings I use (super easy to program when you first start an incubation):

Temp: 37.5 C
Days: 22 (I do 22 because I don't like to count day 1 and it helps with my stress at hatching time lol)
T-Mode: Auto
Turn Int: 60 (my only small complaint is the turn noise is a bit loud, but it lasts like 5 seconds)
Turn Ang: 7
Alarm Hi: 1.6 C (it's never gone off lol, I'd probably freak out if I heard it)
Alarm Lo: 2.2 C (same!)
Cooling: 60 (this represents mama getting off the nest to go eat/poop/etc once per day)

That's it! Then I just fill the reservoir on one side until day 18 and then both sides for day 18-hatch!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Hey, we all have products we love that we want to share with others.
How many chicken eggs does it hold?
I promote good products here all the time. My favorite accurate thermometers, hygrometers as well as probiotics and nutrition supplements. I don't work for any of them.
Have you verified the temp settings and readings on the incubator with a guaranteed accurate thermometer?
No one counts day 1. That is the day you set them. They aren't on day 1 till they have incubated for 24 hours. So it is a 21 day incubation for chickens. If you set on a Monday at noon, they should hatch on a Monday at noon.

 

[BaaKaaawk]

Hey, we all have products we love that we want to share with others.
How many chicken eggs does it hold?
I promote good products here all the time. My favorite accurate thermometers, hygrometers as well as probiotics and nutrition supplements. I don't work for any of them.
Have you verified the temp settings and readings on the incubator with a guaranteed accurate thermometer?
No one counts day 1. That is the day you set them. They aren't on day 1 till they have incubated for 24 hours. So it is a 21 day incubation for chickens. If you set on a Monday at noon, they should hatch on a Monday at noon.

Hi there! Mine holds 7, but I can fit 3 more in there on top of the other eggs for the first 3-5 days to compensate for infertile eggs. I've never tested anything with this incubator and don't plan to because the chicks come out perfect every time, why overthink it?

 

[Mama_in_the_Dell]

This is what I have. I bought it on clearance from TSC a couple years ago but never used it until now. I had a broody hen come off her nest after only a few days and I didn’t want the eggs to go to waste. Only thing is it doesn’t seem to be turning. Every time I check the eggs are the same way. I took it off auto even though the display showed rotation on. At some point on the second day it started rotating. But after I last candled the eggs it seems like it’s not anymore. Any idea for why it would do that and how to rectify it. Otherwise I do love the incubator.

 

[Mama_in_the_Dell]

This is what I have. I bought it on clearance from TSC a couple years ago but never used it until now. I had a broody hen come off her nest after only a few days and I didn’t want the eggs to go to waste. Only thing is it doesn’t seem to be turning. Every time I check the eggs are the same way. I took it off auto even though the display showed rotation on. At some point on the second day it started rotating. But after I last candled the eggs it seems like it’s not anymore. Any idea for why it would do that and how to rectify it. Otherwise I do love the incubator.

It is working. I had to time it to check on it every 45 minutes and found that it turns one way and back the other so I guess every time I checked before they just ended right back the way they were. I also increased the turn angle and that may have helped.

 

[janiedoe]

@BaaKaaawk I just bought this from Brinsea scratch and dent sale. I've never incubated (I have so many broodies!) but I thought I might have a need for it someday.
Now I'm having buyers remorse or anxiety. Lol. I'm worried about my own competence and the fact that it has no humidity reading.
Wondering if I need to purchase a hygrometer?
I'm in a very humid area.
Question: Do you check your humidity at all? Do you literally just fill and go?

@Mama_in_the_Dell how was your hatch?

 

[Punkybrewster]

I live in the humid south and dry hatch with no water. Once and a while when incubating i will throw a reptile hygrometer in there to check humidity and its always 30-40%. I add some water when i see a pip.

 

[Mama_in_the_Dell]

@BaaKaaawk I just bought this from Brinsea scratch and dent sale. I've never incubated (I have so many broodies!) but I thought I might have a need for it someday.
Now I'm having buyers remorse or anxiety. Lol. I'm worried about my own competence and the fact that it has no humidity reading.
Wondering if I need to purchase a hygrometer?
I'm in a very humid area.
Question: Do you check your humidity at all? Do you literally just fill and go?

@Mama_in_the_Dell how was your hatch?

100% hatch so far. I was incubating along side a broody hen. She only hatched out two chicks. Another two were really far along but never hatched. Not sure why her rate was so low. She was a very devoted sitter. One under her was still developing but was about a week behind. One I had in the incubator was the same. I finished both those in the incubator. I even had an egg that was left in the nesting box after she got up with the baby chicks. I didn’t think it would develop but kept forgetting to get it out. After about a week I finally got it out and candled it before trashing it. There was a developing baby in there. I have no idea how it developed so well with her only sitting on it at night but it did and hatched out last week in the incubator.

This is an awesome little incubator! I’ve now hatched 11 eggs with this thing. I did end up purchasing small hygrometers. Outside the incubator stays at 50% so a lot of humidity here. Inside is between 50-60% I really don’t worry about regulating it much as it seems to be working great the way the incubator is designed and since all are hatching without issue there is no need to mess with it even though that seems high to me.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

@BaaKaaawk I just bought this from Brinsea scratch and dent sale. I've never incubated (I have so many broodies!) but I thought I might have a need for it someday.
Now I'm having buyers remorse or anxiety. Lol. I'm worried about my own competence and the fact that it has no humidity reading.
Wondering if I need to purchase a hygrometer?
I'm in a very humid area.
Question: Do you check your humidity at all? Do you literally just fill and go?

@Mama_in_the_Dell how was your hatch?

I have two suggestions for you. One and the most accurate is to weigh eggs rather than measure humidity. As a longtime hatcher @Sally Sunshine has said, "humidity isn't a set number". Not all eggs are the same in regards to porosity so eggs from one species/breed/strain will need different humidity than another. However, all eggs, regardless of species should lose between 12 and 15% weight during incubation and chicken eggs should lose 13%. So a good but cheap gram scale will give the best results for any kind of eggs. I weigh weekly and if they aren't losing enough weight, I let it dry out and vice versa. The only caveat to that is all the eggs in a setting should be the same type and size.
The other suggestion is an extremely accurate bluetooth thermometer/hygrometer that reports to your smart phone and you can even put high and low alarms in it.
https://www.amazon.com/Govee-Thermometer-Hygrometer-Bluetooth-Temperature/dp/B07R586J37

 

[Matilda Belle]

I love my @BrinseaUS incubators. 95-100% hatches every time.