Heritage Large Fowl - Phase II

[RiddleMe]

Is that a Brinsea 20 in your second picture? If so, do you prefer the cartons over the rails? Just got a new Octagon 20 Advanced, setting my first hatch in it tonight and was trying to decide which to use.

 

[Fred's Hens]

OK, I will be pointedly honest. Hope it comes across that I've no axe to grind, 'cause I certainly do not.

The Octogon 20 is a fine enough incubator. No issues there, but a pretty lousy hatcher. It simply has no head room and it isn't easy to clean, well…. none of them are super easy to clean, are they. Don't care for the rail system.

Anyhow, building a hatcher out of freezer chest or foam box is so dead easy and only costs around $30 not counting the box itself. Lots of folks have igloo chests by the half dozen in the garage. Omaha Steaks and other businesses like medical supplies ship in awesome foam boxes.

Hatch elsewhere. The added bonus is you can turn around your re-load times faster in the Brinsea.

 

[ronott1]

OK, I will be pointedly honest. Hope it comes across that I've no axe to grind, 'cause I certainly do not.

The Octogon 20 is a fine enough incubator. No issues there, but a pretty lousy hatcher. It simply has no head room and it isn't easy to clean, well…. none of them are super easy to clean, are they. Don't care for the rail system.

Anyhow, building a hatcher out of freezer chest or foam box is so dead easy and only costs around $30 not counting the box itself. Lots of folks have igloo chests by the half dozen in the garage. Omaha Steaks and other businesses like medical supplies ship in awesome foam boxes.

Hatch elsewhere. The added bonus is you can turn around your re-load times faster in the Brinsea.

I use an Octagon ex 40 to incubate and Genesis 1588 incubators to hatch.

It is a great system!

 

[RiddleMe]

 
OK, I will be pointedly honest.  Hope it comes across that I've no axe to grind, 'cause I certainly do not.

The Octogon 20 is a fine enough incubator.  No issues there, but a pretty lousy hatcher.  It simply has no head room and it isn't easy to clean, well…. none of them are super easy to clean, are they.  Don't care for the rail system.

Anyhow, building a hatcher out of freezer chest or foam box is so dead easy and only costs around $30 not counting the box itself.  Lots of folks have igloo chests by the half dozen in the garage.  Omaha Steaks and other businesses like medical supplies ship in awesome foam boxes.  

Hatch elsewhere.  The added bonus is you can turn around your re-load times faster in the Brinsea. 

I use an Octagon ex 40 to incubate and Genesis 1588 incubators to hatch.

It is a great system!

No ruffled feathers here! The Brinsea was a Christmas upgrade, I plan to hatch in a styrofoam incubator so they have more room and I can stagger. I appreciate blunt feedback, I'm not a fan of causing myself headaches if I can learn from someone else's experience (most of the time ).

 

[RedRidge]

Interesting. We heat with wood and have a terrible time keeping humidity up in the winter so... I find out much easier to maintain hatching humidity in the Octagon than in the foam. So. .. I use two foam to incubate and transfer to an Octagon every 5 days to hatch.

 

[ronott1]

Interesting. We heat with wood and have a terrible time keeping humidity up in the winter so... I find out much easier to maintain hatching humidity in the Octagon than in the foam. So. .. I use two foam to incubate and transfer to an Octagon every 5 days to hatch.

We do have to adjust for where we hatch. I have to adjust for Heat in the Summer and others have to adjust for horrible cold in the winter.

When I was growing up, we kept a kettle of water on the wood stove at all times. We even cooked beans on it and warmed up tortillas.

 

[BGMatt]

Nothing wrong with that I have read it counseled in Sussex. Because the breeder has fewer chicks t watch
and can get to know each one better for evaluation. I have capability to hatch 14 at a time. That's fine with me. if I can get 4 hatches that's 56 chicks. plenty for me for a season. would I like to hatch 200? Sure. But I also have to have facilities to raise that many to culling and that's not happening here.

Best,
Karen

Nope, it's just starting where I am with what I have. Once everyone is laying I'll have 11 Langshan females laying so that should help a bit. I downsized from my old 4 1202's and one hatcher to a 1502 and a 1550 hatcher so will grow into it. I'll still raise out a minimum of 100 in each breed, just won't be as fast or early as desired. Hopefully next season will have everyone laying in Dec so can start in Jan and get to 100 of each variety of Langshan (going to try this year but if I want them laying by Dec/Jan I absolutely cannot hatch later than April). Like you I'd do more but I just don't have the facility yet.

Edit: Add one more to the hatch upright crowd. I typically just cut holes in the bottom of the cardboard egg racks. Might just go to the plastic egg racks this year, then run through dishwasher to clean and sanitize between hatches. Anyone done that?

 

[Zanna]

Nope, it's just starting where I am with what I have. Once everyone is laying I'll have 11 Langshan females laying so that should help a bit. I downsized from my old 4 1202's and one hatcher to a 1502 and a 1550 hatcher so will grow into it. I'll still raise out a minimum of 100 in each breed, just won't be as fast or early as desired. Hopefully next season will have everyone laying in Dec so can start in Jan and get to 100 of each variety of Langshan (going to try this year but if I want them laying by Dec/Jan I absolutely cannot hatch later than April). Like you I'd do more but I just don't have the facility yet.

Edit: Add one more to the hatch upright crowd. I typically just cut holes in the bottom of the cardboard egg racks. Might just go to the plastic egg racks this year, then run through dishwasher to clean and sanitize between hatches. Anyone done that?

Egg racks? Got a pic.?

 

[Ripster]

BGMatt,

Yes, I use the plastic egg flats since they have lots of ventilation and then just put them through the dishwasher. Although, I do an additional step of spraying with Oxine just before using them again. Works great for me.

 

[BGMatt]

Egg racks? Got a pic.?

Guess the correct term is trays. Nothing special. right now I cut holes in the bottom of the cardboard ones like everyone else showed:



What I'm wondering is if anyone has just used the plastic trays from the incubator, and then just washed/sanitized them afterwards. For reference:



Sorry for any confusion. My mentor always called them egg racks when I was starting out so I always have too.