Sponsored Post Brinsea Products, the Incubation Specialists, celebrate 40 years of innovation with 12 new incubator

[FaerieChicken]

Would this be a good starter brand? I have never artificially incubated before and am thinking I might need to for my little production of table birds.

I really only know that the temp and humidity have to stay consistent and lock down on day 18 along with twice daily turning, candeling only on days 7 and 14?

Is artificial incubation time consuming and stressful? I have only hatched using broody hens!

Thanks in advance for feedback

 

[amynrichie]

...

Would this be a good starter brand? I have never artificially incubated before and am thinking I might need to for my little production of table birds.

I really only know that the temp and humidity have to stay consistent and lock down on day 18 along with twice daily turning, candeling only on days 7 and 14? 

Is artificial incubation time consuming and stressful? I have only hatched using broody hens!

Thanks in advance for feedback     



I'm pretty new at this too and have had great success with my Brinsea

 

[crazee4chickens]

Does anybody have any suggestions on other brands of incubators that are more afforable? I would love to have a Brinsea, but they are pretty pricey. I need something more within my budget.

 

[Braxton Brigade]

Would this be a good starter brand? I have never artificially incubated before and am thinking I might need to for my little production of table birds.

I really only know that the temp and humidity have to stay consistent and lock down on day 18 along with twice daily turning, candeling only on days 7 and 14?

Is artificial incubation time consuming and stressful? I have only hatched using broody hens!

Thanks in advance for feedback

You will save yourself time and money by using a brinsea instead of the typical styrofoam incubator.
The brinsea has been my first and only incubator to use. My first hatch yielded a 90%+ hatch rate.
All you do is add enough water to create the desired humidity, make sure the temp is right.
The only thing you change on lockdown is to remove/stop turning the eggs, remove them from the holders so they can move more freely and add more water so you have at least 70% humidity.

Using a incubator requires slightly more attention than a broody but is by no means time consuming.
The only thing you have to do is occasionally add water into the water vessels during the hatch, that is not even a daily task.

 

[Braxton Brigade]

Does anybody have any suggestions on other brands of incubators that are more afforable? I would love to have a Brinsea, but they are pretty pricey. I need something more within my budget.

They have a model called the Octagon Eco, without the turner it is only $180. Honestly you will save money by using a quality bator.
These newer models do come with a higher price point but they also have lots of new features. However I believe on a beginner and budget friendly scale you can't do much better than the Eco Octagon. The turner is even a good investment but it can alway be bought later if you decide you don't want to turn manually.

http://www.mypetchicken.com/catalog/Incubators-and-accessories/Octagon-20-Eco-Incubator-p666.aspx

 

[chkiror]

Love brinsea products

 

[JS69135]

Do you have to fill the max amount of eggs for the brinsea to work correctly?

 

[amynrichie]

Do you have to fill the max amount of eggs for the brinsea to work correctly?

Not at all. My octagon eco is designed to hold 24 chicken eggs, but the hatch goes a bit smoother if I have fewer eggs in it. I've run it with only 6 eggs, and I've packed it clear full with 24. It holds temperature perfectly either way.

 

[Braxton Brigade]

Do you have to fill the max amount of eggs for the brinsea to work correctly?

The fewest eggs I've put in mine was still a dozen... but it runs well wethers it's maxed out or if it is lightly filled.
In my experience I get a better hatch rate when there are more eggs, this could be simply be attributed to more chicks talking to each other (encouraging pipping) though.
Or it could be as basic as more mass creating a more stable turning process during the first 16-18 days, my turner seems to be a bit more rocky when it is loaded down with tons of eggs.

 

[QueenMisha]

Would this be a good starter brand? I have never artificially incubated before and am thinking I might need to for my little production of table birds.

I really only know that the temp and humidity have to stay consistent and lock down on day 18 along with twice daily turning, candeling only on days 7 and 14? 

Is artificial incubation time consuming and stressful? I have only hatched using broody hens!

Thanks in advance for feedback     

I would consider Brinseas an excellent choice for a beginner. A Mini was my first incubator and it has always been incredibly simple to use. I wouldn't call it time consuming unless you consider adding water every three days (Advances) or adding water every three days and turning twice daily (Ecos) time consuming. It's a little stressful only in the sense that it's a lot harder to resist messing with the hatching process when they're in an incubator versus hidden beneath a broody hen - out of sight, out of mind and all that.

Does anybody have any suggestions on other brands of incubators that are more afforable? I would love to have a Brinsea, but they are pretty pricey. I need something more within my budget.

Unfortunately incubators - like many machines - are very much "you get what you pay for." What you save in money you'll lose in time and heartbreak. Have you considered a Mini Eco? They are the lowest tier model but they offer the same quality craftsmanship and hatchability as other models, just not the same level of automation, so you'll need to turn the eggs yourself and such. I have both a Mini Advance and a Mini Eco and although the Eco is not so much set-it-and-forget-it, it gives me the same hatch rates as my Advance. I believe the prices generally run around $100 for a Mini Eco - not much more than you would pay for a much lower quality incubator.