Brinsea octagon 20 - how to manually turn eggs- help !

[envirobg]

I've got a brinsea octagon 20 incubator. It does not have a cradle or auto egg turner.
Can some one tell me what is the correct method for manually turning the eggs with this model.

I have the instructions manual but it implies it has an auto egg turner - else ' turn manually' - but how do I turn manually.

The incubator short sides are like an octagon ( I think?) so do I just flip it to the next octagon side ?.... Obviously I can't keep flipping it the same way - else the eggs will fall out ! ... Does some one have a video or pictures of how this is done?

Thanks in advance.

 

[KYTinpusher]

Just keep rocking it from one side to the other, back and forth like a cradle, only let it sit on each side for a few hours, at least, before turning to the other side. When I have turned mine manually, I would do it 3-4 times a day. Or, you can start on one side, then straight up, then the other side, then straight up, then the first side. Only use the three sides so the eggs won't fall out. Does that make sense?

Oh, and

!

 

[envirobg]

Ya - thanks that makes sense .... But i thought i should be turning them a full 180 degrees ?
One side - then straight - then the other side will not be 180 - I think ?
Should I be turning them 180 ?

 

[KYTinpusher]

Ya - thanks that makes sense .... But i thought i should be turning them a full 180 degrees ?
One side - then straight - then the other side will not be 180 - I think ?
Should I be turning them 180 ?

Even the auto turner does not turn them 180 degrees. It only goes as far as the three sides. And after a few hundred eggs hatched, I can tell you that works quite well.

 

[envirobg]

Thanks KYTinPusher - it also seems if the water might flow out as i go to either side - but I'll try it.

I had a home made one before this and rarely had to open it - it seems I have to open his every time I need to put in water ?

If you are online I'd love to hear how you operate yours , how far to open vents ?, how often do you put in water and how ? - what do you keep humidity at ?

Do you leave all the chicks hatch in there ( space seems at a premium and how soon do you take them out ? etc....

If you have the time it wold be invaluable to hear from someone with you experience
thanks#

 

[KYTinpusher]

Well, I have the humidity pumps on both of my incubators, so I never worry about putting water in the bottom. Before I had the pumps, I only half-filled one side during incubation to try to keep the humidity at 35% or so. Usually, that was enough. During lockdown, when you need the humidity to be about 65%, you are not rotating the eggs so you can fill both resevoirs on the bottom if you need to. You may also need to drape a piece of cloth into the well and across the bottom to increase the surface area that is moist to raise the humidity high enough.

I now keep the vents wide open, but I used to adjust them as needed to keep the humidity where I wanted it. During lockdown, you need to keep the vent at least halfway open - I prefer it full open if the humidity inside will allow it.

I have added warm water through a straw placed through vent hole down to the bottom of the egg tray, and above the well during lockdown before. As for adding water during normal incubation, I candle so often (nearly every day

) that I never had to open it up just to add water. The Brinsea gets back up to temp so fast, I never really worried about opening that often. If you find your humidity drops a lot when you open it, a small spray of warm water will bring it right back up.

FYI - The internet at my house is down now and I don't know how soon the technician will be out to repair it.

I am going to try to check in every couple of days, so it may take me a while to answer any questions.