Brinsea not a good hatcher...

[CelticOaksFarm]

We run 4 Brinsea bators, run dry incubation for all eggs (quail, chicken, geese, ducks, peafowl) and add warm water at lockdown with no issues with hatches. N aquarium tube or straw helps add water through the vent hole, otherwise the vent is kept closed enough to maintain humidity.

There is no exact setting since everyones home and where in the country you live effects the settings, but these really are a set and forget bator.


Shellie

 

[Lark Rise]

We started with a Brinsea Mini Advance and loved that incubation was so easy. However, I didn't care for the small space once the chicks had hatched. Also, it was difficult to clean the tiny fine feathers afterward. Now we have the ECO 20 which we only use it for incubation, mainly because of the space issue again, and humidity just won't pass 50% even with both troughs filled. We made styrofoam hatcher for lockdown. I like this arrangement alot better as it makes for easy clean-up and sterilization afterward.

 

[yinepu]

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Nope.. all I have is the plain old Brinsea ecos.. no humidity pump but I do have turners for both.. 41 little quail hatched out since yesterday morning.. no stickies or shrinkwraps.. the only eggs that didnt hatch were clears or were cracked and never developed.. and I had my bator open A LOT during hatch removing chicks and egg shells

I always monitor my humidity and add more water as necessary.. and if you don't want to spend the money on humidity pads (i don't have them) .. just use a handiwipe or paper towels to wick up extra moisture

 

[yinepu]

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with my eco 20's I have had humidity up in the 90's% range.. just add something to spread out the surface area of the water troughs

 

[Lark Rise]

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Thanks for the tip. I love the hatcher DH built that I don't think I'll ever hatch in the Brinsea, but you never know....if thermostat or something went bonkers during lockdown and I had to use the Brinsea, I know how to raise humidity now.

I'm going to have to get me a automatic turner now....are they worth it?

 

[lamoka]

I have hatched twice in my Brinsea Oct. Eco and have had some issues during hatching. First hatch I had issues getting Humidity up for Lockdown but I put Paper towel into the channels and let the water wick through it and it brought the humidity up. I also cut sponge up and placed soaked pcs between the eggs where I could fit them. This brought the humidity up but I still lost 5 out of 20 eggs that went into lockdown being resonably new to hatching in Incubators I was not to disappointed. Second hatch I did same thing to raise humidity and I had 3 die in the egg after lockdown and one I had to put down as he was deformed and could not stand, again I was pretty happy overall. I have found that I have to increase the surface area to get the humidity up where it belongs for hatching but once I got the paper towels and sponges in the incubator it would re coop temps and humidity very quickly after taking chicks out. Honestly I think I will get a seperate hatcher next year as the brinsea gets very crowded very quickly when you are hatching chickens in it and I do have some doubts about why I lost as many as I did after lockdown. Overall i am happy with the brinsea but it is a little on the pricey side as compared to some other units.

 

[NonnasBabies]

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VERY much so!!

 

[yinepu]

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I love my auto turners.. they have me so spoiled! No worries about "how many times did I turn the eggs today?" or "dang it I need to get home NOW to turn the eggs!".. just make sure you keep an eye on it every so often to make sure nothing is up against it keeping it from turning or that it is working properly (I have a cat who loves to lay next to mine.. so I have to chase him off the counter so the turner can work properly).

 

[Lark Rise]

I do like turning the eggs though.

I feel like a mother hen.

Still, like you said, it's constantly on my mind.....with the coupon code, the turner is looking pretty attractive now.

 

[yinepu]

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the coupon code is EVIL.. lol.. it has caused me to buy MORE stuff from Brinsea!
I have 2 of the bators.. 2 turners.. an EcoGlow 20 brooder.. the spot check thermometer and now the OvaScope High Intensity candler...

though I must admit that I love the OvaScope.. works VERY well on little quail eggs!