Brinsea Mini Advance is Awesome

[BaaKaaawk]

@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?

Yes I am currently plagued with Broodys too!!! I have 4 mamas currently all with their own sets of chicks. :O

As for the humidity, etc. I simply don't worry about it and don't think you should either. Just follow the directions- use half the well for the first 18 days and then fill both sides of the well for the last 3 days. My chicks hatch every time.

Here's my mindset take it or leave it: I think people get way bent on hatching eggs- if you actually watch a mama hen do it- they could care less about beating the eggs up and tossing them out and how many hours they're on them a day - and I sure as heck have never seen a hen taking a humidity test. People get so worried about mundane and unimportant stuff- nature is tough and built to survive.

As for the Brinsea- I'm sure all sorts of scientists that are way smarter than me spent all sorts of time making those wells so perfectly sized to have the absolute ideal humidity in some six sigma tests to ensure the eggs hatch. My birds hatch every time = I simply don't care what the humidity is because if my chicks hatch and are healthy that "number" is irrelevant.

Anyway that's my take- I think you go for it and have a great experience!

 

[NorCalChicks101]

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.

When setting my eggs in I forgot to put the little cardboard insert in under the turner. Is it too late?

 

[Offshoreorca]

When setting my eggs in I forgot to put the little cardboard insert in under the turner. Is it too late?

Cardboard insert is only for lockdown when you remove the turner and put in the cardboard ring so that the eggs and chicks have a good surface with grip to be on.

I've used the Brinsea Mini Advance for three hatches this spring and it's been working wonderfully!

 

[NorCalChicks101]

Cardboard insert is only for lockdown when you remove the turner and put in the cardboard ring so that the eggs and chicks have a good surface with grip to be on.

I've used the Brinsea Mini Advance for three hatches this spring and it's been working wonderfully!

Whew! This is my first incubation (only used broody's before) so excited! 12 days left! Candled and all looked good with the exception of one with a blood ring which was removed.

 

[janiedoe]

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

I've been reading about egg weight & graphs, wet bulbs, and hygrometers. The more I read the more stressed I get! I'm going the simple route for my test run...fill it per instructions and see what happens.
I will however try the scales and make a graph just for the experience.

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.

My hens haven't had the best luck this season either. One hatched 1 out of 4 eggs. She has been great in the past but is getting old and didn't seem as devoted as she has in the past.
Another hatched 2 out of 6. One of the eggs broke and made a mess. Sadly one of the chicks that hatched was a mushy chick. She is tiny but active at 10 days so I'm hoping she will flourish.
My 3rd broody hatched 3 out of 5. All chicks healthy.
Anyway, it just seemed like the time to buy an incubator. A small one made sense to me 'cause the lord knows, I don't need more chicks. I hope I don't become one of those "incubator addicts "!

 

[BaaKaaawk]

When setting my eggs in I forgot to put the little cardboard insert in under the turner. Is it too late?

I didn't even know there was a cardboard insert! I just leave them in the turner wheel all the way through hatch... never had an issue. The turner stops a few days out anyway.

 

[FosterFeathers]

I just purchased my Brinsea Mini II Advance this spring. I have hatched 2 sets of Silkie eggs in it so far.. first hatch- 5 of 7 hatched (they were started in the hovabator then moved to Brinsea at around 1 1/2 weeks), second batch, 5 of 6 hatched. These were all shipped eggs. Before this, I was using my GQF Hovabator. Mama in the Dell is absolutely right! Amazing little incubator. I just filled the reservoirs per instructions and done! I love how you can view the eggs so easily! My kids got to see the chicks hatching perfectly. I do have one question for you other Brinsea owners. When mine turns the eggs it also beeps. Does everyone’s do this? Or is there a way to stop the beep? I mean, it’s really not a big deal, just curious.

 

[janiedoe]

I'm all set:

The house is at 68% humidity on average (per cha unit) and outside is averaging 76% a day (per weather thermometer and weather channel)
The small hygrometer I purchased said 47% in the incubator but I'm not sure I trust it.
I'm going to run dry for 3 days and then weigh my eggs again and adjust from there.

The starting weight for my 7 eggs is from 50.7 g to 66.5 g. The eggs are from my own flock of easter eggers, olive eggers, and barnyard mix hens.
Wish me luck, it's my first time without a hen.

Thank you all for your help.