Brinsea mini, anyone have or use one? Please give me your input.

[silkies mama]

I am considering trying out a Brinsea, since my hatches STINK. I`m starting out small, (so hubby doesn`t freak out) and considering a Mini Brinsea... has anyone use one really often and what is your hatch rate. Mine is less then 20%. Or should I just move up to a bigger bator? I would rather hatch out more then just 6 or 7 eggs. But I use a 48 egg incubator now and I`m lucky if I get 6 or 7 hatch. All die in the egg except for the first few that pop out like clock work. They are either dried out inside or full of fluid.. I know its a humidity thing. but in what direction?? some dried, some soaking wet.... so I need a new bator.

My current bator is a China import, a Janole 48 egg.

Thanks for any input.

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

I would totally recommend Brinsea. I would get the best one you can afford. I have the octagon 20 advance EX with humidity pump. It really does take all the stress out of humidity. It is set and leave incubator all you have to do is keep the water tank topped up under the pump i maybe do mine twice over the incubation period. Also you can buy the pump separate so you don't have such a big hit in the pocket in one go but is most worth it. I had cheap Chinese one to start with that was very erratic. Have just done my third hatch in the Brinsea and got 11/11 second hatch 12/12 and first hatch 10/12. Good luck with your future incubation.

 

[silkies mama]

Thanks for responding to me...

anyone have the mini?

 

[aafairchild]

Hi,

I have a Brinsea mini advance. Only 1 hatch so far, but of the 5 fertilized eggs I set all hatched. I set 7, 2 were duds from the start. The other 5 hatched. I lost 2. One to an umbilicus hernia and 1 sticky chick due to my lack of knowledge. The 3 survivors are out in the grow out pen now eating like pigs. They are now about 5 weeks old. Brinsea products are not cheap but they do work.

Good Luck,
Alice

 

[ChickenPox]

I have a mini advance. LOVE IT. I have had it for years. (But I do wish I had gotten a larger model.) I also have two styrofoam incubators.

May I ask where you get your eggs from? Shipped eggs are going to be difficult to hatch no matter what incubator you use. If you are trying to hatch your own eggs and are getting such an awful rate, then I would reccommend Brinsea. (Well, I would reccommend one anyway, they are AWESOME.) But really, the humidity thing I think folks get a little too calculated over. I live in the south and do a dry hatch. I don't lock down religiously, and more than once (twice, three times, oops) I have completely forgotten to remove due babies from the turner. They just hatch upside down and moving. LOL!

Edited to add: If you think there is ANY way in the future you might EVER want to hatch more than 7 at a time (which hatching in the mini with 7 is hard anyway, very small) then I would suggest going with a bigger model. I love mine so much because you program it and walk away. Don't have to worry about turning and stopping a turner.......I do take the turning plate out and replace it with a circular papertowel for hatching.....when I remember. LOL! The slick plastic can make the babies get splay legged. Honestly, I"ve probably hatched about 500 chicks over the years and the biggest difference in my hatches is where I get my eggs from. Local or my own eggs have great hatch rates......shipped eggs do not.

 

[ChickenPox]

Oh, and just guessing here, but I also wanted to throw out there that silkies are hard to hatch too. I have much better luck with other breeds. Even my own silkie eggs hatch at a lower rate than my other breeds. For what that's worth!

 

[silkies mama]

yep they are silkies, sometimes its half shipped, half mine, sometimes its mostly shipped, sometimes its all my stuff. I have been hatching every 4 weeks since last September. So thats about 13 hatches. I have tried everyones ideas with humidity. I usually do a dry hatch too. My last group was with 34 FERTILE and Growing eggs. I had 3 pop out. The rest just gave up. After 12 hours we helped them out. They were dry and stuck. Those lived. The others were swimming in water or dead and dried in shrink wrap. so much death. So sad.

My husband says its me, I say its this darn incubator.

 

[ChickenPox]

It may just be the eggs. Try the Brinsea, you probably won't be disappointed either way.

 

[jcbrownacu]

I am borrowing the brinsea mini from a friend and also just purchased a 48 egg styro incubator with turner. So I'll do 7 eggs in the mini and then whatever is left in the cheapo. This will be my first time at hatching eggs so if you haven't made up your mind in a few weeks i will let you know my results. Mine will all be shipped eggs.
Josh