Huntmaster
Free Ranging
If you are doing chicken eggs 3 days before hatch is day 18 not 15.
Harris Farms Nurture Right 360 Incubator is AMAZING!
- Thread starter CluckNDoodle
- Start date
JackVinehopper
Chirping
- Apr 4, 2022
- 33
- 82
- 66
Thanks for the great review. I just bought my NR 360 and my first batch just started pipping this morning. The temperature has been a little hard to keep consistent but the humidity has been very stable. I tested the NR360 display temp with a wireless temp/hygrometer from EZ Read which showed the incubator at 98 instead of 99.5 on the readout. I also noticed that each +/-5 degree increment on the display is more significant than that and more like 1 to 1.5 degree change so be careful. At lock down I had 11 eggs after removing duds and have 4 so far pipping. I can't blame the incubator on the duds because I have one rooster and 18 hens. One happy boy! So he may not get to all of the hens in time. I will try the dry incubation method next.View attachment 1688630
I know with Spring right around the corner, and chick fever setting in there are a lot of people out there looking to purchase their first incubator, or maybe you're still looking for that incubator with a better hatch rate that doesn't cost you an arm and a leg, so I wanted to share my experience!
I did a lot of research before purchasing an incubator and there are good and bad reviews for even the most expensive incubators out there so taking my budget into account and what I wanted from my incubator I am SO happy with the results I got from my new Harris Farms Nurture Right 360! If you do your own research on the incubator most of the bad reviews you will find are on a couple of design flaws in the older models where the holes covering the fan were too large and it needed a cover on the digital readout to prevent it from shorting out from the high humidity at hatch time. In the newer models, these issues have been resolved but if you get an older incubator you can email the company and they will send you the appropriate parts to fix it.
View attachment 1688764
So back to the PROS of this incubator, at least for me!
- It comes with an automatic turner! I found that the most reasonable incubators often require manual egg turning and if you purchase the accompanying auto turner you find yourself around the same price as this incubator or more.
- It also has an egg candler built-in to the top of the incubator. It worked well for the sake of testing it but I will admit that I didn't use it much because I prefer my little high lumen flashlight.
- The visibility all the way around the incubator was a HUGE selling point for me! I could say it was for my daughter to be able to learn from the experience but if I'm being really honest, I most definitely spent the most hours sitting in front of the incubator in awe as the chicks hatched. lol
- The temperature and humidity stayed stable throughout the entire incubation process as long as you add distilled water daily.
- You add water from outside of the incubator so you don't disturb the temp and humidity.
- The company calibrated the thermometer and hygrometer well and I didn't have to go through the headache of trying to adjust it myself.
- This is thanks to the visibility as well but I was able to clearly see that all of the chicks hatched with zero issues. The eggs zipped cleanly and chicks were healthy! Yes, some of this is from genetics but it makes a big difference when the temp and humidity stay stable for the chicks ease of hatching.
- Because I was incubating different breeds my smaller eggs hatched earlier and I didn't want to leave the chicks in too long. Since the larger eggs hadn't pipped yet I took the risk of quickly opening the incubator and removing the hatched chicks. While I don't recommend doing that, what I was pleasantly surprised to find is that the humidity returned to normal in seconds and the rest of the chicks hatched without issue.
View attachment 1688718
CONS
- The top is a bit cumbersome to open and close but once you get used to it it's not so bad. I have also seen where someone used the adhesive plastic hooks and attached them to the sides upside down so that it was easier to hook their fingers under and open.
- The incubator holds 22 eggs but I feel like it would be very cramped in there if all of the eggs are viable at the time of hatch. I had quite a few infertile eggs because they were the first eggs of the season (8 infertile eggs to be exact) and 2 were quitters early in embryo development (it's impossible for me to know if the 2 quitters were due to the incubator or something else but I feel with my experience that it's less likely to be related to the incubator). All but one of the developed chicks hatched successfully and I candled right before lockdown and didn't feel good about that egg prior to closing the lid. It was also a poopy egg that I was hatching for a friend, I typically only use clean eggs as the bacteria can enter the porous shell and may have been responsible for the late embryo death. So my first run with the incubator gave me approximately 80% hatch rate (not including the infertile eggs). I anticipate having an even better hatch when I'm pickier about the eggs I set to begin with. - I'll update this later.
View attachment 1688773
***I promise all of these pictures were taken through the plastic. I did not open the incubator to take pictures. lol
For anyone that reads this far through the thread I would assume you're actually interested in the incubator. So the best tip I have is that I used a condiment bottle to add the water and I left the vent open all the way through the entire incubation because I felt the ventilation was important and it didn't effect my ability to keep the humidity where I wanted it.
View attachment 1688789
So my experience was great! I'd love to hear about your experiences with the Nurture Right 360!
I'll be participating in the Easter Hatch-A-Long with the same incubator so I will update my opinion if it changes.
I agree. Also, the +/-5 degree increments are more like 1 to 1.5 degree change.
- Thread starter
- #3,073
I don't incubate completely dry in the NR360 personally, I feel it gets too dry in there in my house when I don't add any water, just FYI. I do know people still have success doing it though. I also had successful hatches following the instructions exactly so your hatch should be just fine! My method of starting at 45% humidity for the beginning of incubation and increasing to 65% for the hatch is just what I have found to be the sweet spot for this brand of incubator. I don't panic if the humidity is slightly higher for periods of time or if I forget to add water and it's 35% when I wake up, I just keep an average of 45% for the first 18 days and monitor the air cell development or the weight and this seems to be the percentage that requires the least alteration regardless of what I'm hatching. Keep us updated on your hatch!!
DavidReaves
Crowing
Well, I've successfully tested my new NR360. None of the cheap aquarium thermometers from Amazon would accurately calibrate/measure a stable freezing point and they were out of range for boiling, so I had to use my digital barbeque probes. They both calibrated successfully with ice water and boiling water. I put them in through the vent space. Both were within 1/2 degree of the set point on the incubator.
After more than 24 hours and a couple of "A" refills, it was also able to hold around 50% humidity and the built in meter agreed within 1 % with a small hygrometer that I tested with a saturated salt slurry (75% humidity) in a sealed container.
Even used a plastic Easter egg to confirm correct rotation of the auto-turner. We are set for incubating starting Easter Saturday-- for a hatch on the weekend so my granddaughter can come back and be here for pipping and hatching!
After more than 24 hours and a couple of "A" refills, it was also able to hold around 50% humidity and the built in meter agreed within 1 % with a small hygrometer that I tested with a saturated salt slurry (75% humidity) in a sealed container.
Even used a plastic Easter egg to confirm correct rotation of the auto-turner. We are set for incubating starting Easter Saturday-- for a hatch on the weekend so my granddaughter can come back and be here for pipping and hatching!
I so want to get one of these. A chicken thing to tinker with. One that I don't have, and could learn a lot about. Resisting, so far. It helps that it's about $150-160, so not a cheap impulse buy.
Tre3hugger
Let Your Freak Flag Fly
After getting it set, there is not much to tinker with to be honest. Just add eggs, top off water once a day and wait for chicks! Ill be honest I didn't even do any external calibration. I set it and forget it. It may seem pricy, but there is no way the price will go down if you wait...
That being said, I bought mine like 8 months ago because I had money, and the price of everything was going up (I paid 149 shipped, its 160 now), and I knew I would be hatching more this year so I pulled the trigger. What are your hatching goals?
I'd like to be able to "replenish" my flock. That's probably the main thing. I admit, I'm really curious what some crosses between my girls and BO roo would look like, especially the Jubilee Orp.
Bielefelders look very interesting, being able to sex them at hatch, and I thought about ordering hatching eggs. I heard they eat a lot, though.
I don't have plans to create a specific cross/breed, though the idea is interesting.
I've been saving and growing some of my own garden seed. I like the self sufficiency of it. Maybe hatching my own eggs is related to that.
My new one came today and I set it up. The only thing is the only place I could think of to set it is under a window so there may be fluctuations because of that ... Hmm may have to rethink this. Maybe I can convince one of my daughters to let me use a space in their room to check it for a few days before I swap them out ... But so far this one is set at 100 and running between 99-99.2. But it has only been " at temp" for about 1.5 hrs. Will leave it at this temp for 24 hrs and see then adjust from there.
I may try to candle today, day 3. I st 5 of Ditzy's eggs, then 3 total from 2 others (a salmon Faverolles and an EE). Today I added one from another one that I saw Itzy mate with a couple times 3 days ago (another Cochin). And 2 more of Ditzy's eggs. Guess if zero are fertilized then it will show me either Itzy isn't fertile or his feathers are in the way...
I may try to candle today, day 3. I st 5 of Ditzy's eggs, then 3 total from 2 others (a salmon Faverolles and an EE). Today I added one from another one that I saw Itzy mate with a couple times 3 days ago (another Cochin). And 2 more of Ditzy's eggs. Guess if zero are fertilized then it will show me either Itzy isn't fertile or his feathers are in the way...
Yah, if you're going to be comparing to the other one, needs to be in the same ambient environment.
- Thread starter
- #3,080
Awesome!
Keep in mind that once you have eggs (real eggs, lol) in the incubator they will also release some moisture so you will probably need to adjust your methods for the humidity once they're in there. Not a big deal, you can just open the vent but I just wanted to make you aware.Similar threads
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