- Apr 14, 2013
- 146
- 15
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Does anyone here have any experience with both Natureform and Hatchrite incubators? We have 2 NOM-45's for incubation and 2 Sportsmans for Hatching and the set up seems to work well. We incubate our ostrich eggs on their sides in trays we created specifically for ostrich. The dollies in our Natureforms are 3 tray and I understand those were originally for Emu. But they work well for ostrich too and can hold up to 45 eggs each.
However, we have on occasion left 1 or 2 eggs in the nest to observe the birds' behavior. It is fascinating to me how they cup the egg under their beaks to roll them. Of course the birds lay their eggs and they end up on their sides the entire time in the nest. I know a lot of breeders are into 'air pocket up' style of incubating even for these big boys. Now I'm not saying one way is better than another. We just prefer to keep it as close to natural as possible.
So... I've always been intrigued by the Hatchrite incubators because they have rollers. To me, it seems like these guys went after the natural method in their engineering of these machines. The tricky thing with Hatchrite is that they are long out of business and there are no 'Hatchrite' replacement parts. So it makes getting one of these things pretty scary when your ranch or farm's ability to make money is contingent upon these things working.
Well... I took a leap of faith. There was a Hatchrite on eBay for 750.00 last week and I grabbed it. The reason I grabbed it is simple. The thing is brand new. Ok ok I know... everyone says everything on eBay is brand new without tags. Well let's put it this way. I have both of the original Mercury thermometers that came with the machine still in their sealed tubes. The fan assemblies were still sealed in their boxes. The heating elements are shiny without ANY type of discoloration. The rollers don't have a mark on them. The inside of the cabinet is pristine. There are no marks on the glass or even the back of the cabinet. There is no wear on the roller adjustment switches, any of the buttons, handles, temp control adjustments, etc. Things that should be showing signs of wear don't! No rust. No peeling paint. Even the top that covers the electronics is perfect. It is a 4 tray unit. And I couldn't be happier!
The best I can tell before putting it all together is that the bands that turn the rollers have to be replaced. I just ordered those from an industrial supply place in Georgia for less than 200.00.
Does anyone have experience with the operation of these machines? If so, I would love to hear about the pros and cons, do's and don'ts.
Thanks
However, we have on occasion left 1 or 2 eggs in the nest to observe the birds' behavior. It is fascinating to me how they cup the egg under their beaks to roll them. Of course the birds lay their eggs and they end up on their sides the entire time in the nest. I know a lot of breeders are into 'air pocket up' style of incubating even for these big boys. Now I'm not saying one way is better than another. We just prefer to keep it as close to natural as possible.
So... I've always been intrigued by the Hatchrite incubators because they have rollers. To me, it seems like these guys went after the natural method in their engineering of these machines. The tricky thing with Hatchrite is that they are long out of business and there are no 'Hatchrite' replacement parts. So it makes getting one of these things pretty scary when your ranch or farm's ability to make money is contingent upon these things working.
Well... I took a leap of faith. There was a Hatchrite on eBay for 750.00 last week and I grabbed it. The reason I grabbed it is simple. The thing is brand new. Ok ok I know... everyone says everything on eBay is brand new without tags. Well let's put it this way. I have both of the original Mercury thermometers that came with the machine still in their sealed tubes. The fan assemblies were still sealed in their boxes. The heating elements are shiny without ANY type of discoloration. The rollers don't have a mark on them. The inside of the cabinet is pristine. There are no marks on the glass or even the back of the cabinet. There is no wear on the roller adjustment switches, any of the buttons, handles, temp control adjustments, etc. Things that should be showing signs of wear don't! No rust. No peeling paint. Even the top that covers the electronics is perfect. It is a 4 tray unit. And I couldn't be happier!
The best I can tell before putting it all together is that the bands that turn the rollers have to be replaced. I just ordered those from an industrial supply place in Georgia for less than 200.00.
Does anyone have experience with the operation of these machines? If so, I would love to hear about the pros and cons, do's and don'ts.
Thanks
