Do you have a Little Giant 9200 Bator......if so how do you like it?

I started my first set in it three weeks and a day ago and my wife woke me up this moorning if chickens can peep in there eggs. Out of 18 I have 2 that have started poking through. Time will tell. I will say though they don't always hold the temperature well and mine requires constant adjusting. Also don't expect more that a 75% hatch rate, 60% is more realistic. Someone sugested to me and I did putting a moisened rag in the incubator to help with humidity.

 

Now I've hatch most of mine from a homemade bator but just bought the same bator and turner as you. I put my own fan in it and it seems to keep the temp more stable. I just use a pc and 12volt adapter. If you don't have a pc fan you can get one for about $2 online or take one out of an old pc. Good luck I got 9 eggs from my flock in there now

Nick

 

I had one that I used for awhile, but wasn't happy with how it performed so I switched to GQF hovabators and have been really happy with those. My 9200 didn't have the fan and I think putting that in probably would have helped.

 

the fan is a plus.. not necessary, but it prevents cold spots..

I get a kick out of the comparison between the LG and Hova.. they are both just styrofoam boxes.. the innards are interchangeable..
many home made ones are not constructed as well and they ALL hatch eggs the same.. many times bad results are blamed on the bator when it was bad eggs that was to fault. or somebody did something that they should not have done and had to blame something else rather than accept that they made a mistake..

 

I never could get my LG to hold a steady temp. It sat in the exact same spot in the basement where my hovabators do now without them having any problems. Tried many different ways to improve it's performance without success. About all I didn't do was add a fan. I got tired of wasting eggs trying to get them to hatch. Using my own eggs I think the best I ever did was probably 30%....at the very most. With my hovas (all four of them 3 1588s and one 1590) they have electronic thermostats so I haven't had to mess with the temps. Get great hatches from my own eggs and most of the time good ones with shipped eggs too.

 

My lg 9200 has electronic thermostat and that can make a difference but I still think the fan is what really helps. But eggs can play a big factor in the whole thing.

 

Quote:Yep and I've had two of them and HATED them both! Never could get a good hatch out of them like my Genesis Hovabator could. They are both made by different manufacters so it MAY be the difference!

 

We have the LG 9200 and really enjoy it. I'm sure it requires more attention than some of the others...but it allows us to play a more "hands on" role than otherwise...which is FUN!

If we were in it for an income, then we'd probably reconsider which incubator to use.

 

i have done 3 batches out of mine(still air) one hatch 100% live hatch,
second hatch 0% live, third time 1 chick out of 12. now, whether it was my error or the eggs or the bators i can't say for sure, but i ordered fans today to see if my hatches improve. so, you may want to test some cheap eggs, then decide if you want the fan. there seems to be a better hatch rate for those who have air circulated bators if you search for the threads
on the forum.