Hova Bator 2362N.... any users?????

[magoochie]

Well the gal with the Roll X incubator never got back to me....

So tomorrow I am picking up a Hova Bator 2362N.......

This will be my first incubator. Anyone have any feedback on this model?

 

[magoochie]

I'm so excited to get this bator tomorrow!!

I think I jumped the gun though. I just won an ebay auction for 12+ black copper marans eggs!

I am going to get the bator set up and hopefully regulated before they get here this weekend.

Anyone use this model? Is it easy to use? any issues?

I'm sooooo excited!!!

 

[GreenGoddess]

I bought mine the last week of december and I've been hatching out chicks since the first week of January... I absolutely LOVE the 2362.. The temp in my house fluctuates really bad (60 at night and almost 90 during the day) and because of the fan, the temp in the bator is always stable!

Here are a few tips...

#1, a turner can only hold 42-48 eggs (depending on which one you get)... Without a turner, the bator can hold almost 70 eggs... I use egg cartons and I can fit 64 with those and then if I have extras, I lay the extras between the rows of eggs on their sides... I just use a 2x4 three times a day to "turn"the eggs...I place it under the left side and then 8 hours later I take it out and put it under the right side...I have an alarm on my phone at 7am, 3pm and 10pm to remind me...

#2, place folded up paper towels, toilet paper or even a sponge in the troughs... This will help keep the humidity higher and more stable, especially during lockdown...

#3, do NOT use the thermometer that comes with the incubator and DON'T get the cheap $6 digital from walmart!!! ... They SUCK!! Go to petsmart or petco and for about $11, get the thermometer/hygrometer set they use in their reptile tanks! Make sure you look at all of them and DON'T pick the one that is different than all the rest... LOL

#4, ENJOY your new incubator!!!!

Goddess

 

[magoochie]

I dont know if its possible to be more excited!

Thank you for the feedback. My house temp fluctuates as well.

I will not be getting a tuner with it, so i will have to buy one at a later time if I decide hand turning isnt for me.

Also, they already shipped my Marans eggs this morning!!!!

I will be picking the bator up at 1pm, then heading over to petsmart right away!!!!

I'm hoping to have this baby regulated by the time the eggs get here!


WOW LOTS OF EXCLAIMATION POINTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL

 

[magoochie]

I picked up my bator today!!! It is in great shape and the gal walked me through everything. She was very nice.

I also picked up a digital thermometer, and hygrometer. I was bummed the neither petsmart or petco had a thermo/hygro combo that was digital.....

Anyway, got a digital thermometer, and the hygrometer looks kind of like a compass and it has an arrow in it.

Anyway, I have my first eggs arriving in a couple days, and I will also take some of my mixed breed eggs from my current flock and try my first hatch!
I am nervous, but i cant wait to start learning about hatching.


Hope I have at least SOME success on my first go around....

 

[GreenGoddess]

Congrats on your new bator! The ones from petsmart and petco are not digital... it's a dial type duo pack... Please please please make sure your hygrometer is calibrated correctly.. I cannot tell you how many people I've asked AFTER they've lost an entire hatch only to find out they had no clue about doing it!!

Put 1/2 cup of salt and 1/4 cup of water into a coffee cup or small bowl... Place cup/bowl into a ziplock bag and place the hygrometer next to it in the bag.. seal the bag and place in a draft free room where the temperature is comfortable (not too hot or too cold) for 8-12 hours (it will read more accurately if it's done around 10-12 hours)... without opening the bag, read the hygrometer... It SHOULD read 75%... If it does not, you will have to do a little math when you read it in the incubator... Do NOT get the hygrometer wet!

edited because I'm an idiot and never said WHEN to read it.. lol

Goddess

 

[magoochie]

I will calibrate the hygrometer today! Thank you for letting me know.


I am having a heck of a time getting this temperature to balance out though. I turn it up and it goes down then up then down etc.

Its going anywhere from 96.6- 98.8 and I cant get it to go any higher. I dont know if its the thermometer reading incorrectly or the wafer going out.

This really sucks, I have eggs coming and I cant get even the temp right!

 

[DFCottage]

I bought a 2362 a few months ago. My experience with it is that the first hatch I really needed to watch the temps closely.. it never spiked, but I found towards the end of the hatch I had to turn the temp up just a little bit (which is contrary to what the instructions say) to keep it at 99.5. I wouldn't consider this bator to be a set it and forget it right away.. the first hatch was definitely a trial. But it's good you're getting good quality equipment to manage everything. I oddly enough found that the thermometer that came with it has been quite accurate.. I wouldn't trust it completely, I have another in there, but just to let you know. Maybe just keep it in there as a second one. Make sure you give it at least a day or more to stabilize when you first get it. It took a lot of tweaking to get it to the 99.5 range. BUT I'm on my third hatch now and it's running like a charm.. maybe it just needed a break in period. The first hatch I got about 50% (but I also had the humidity a hair too high initially) and now I'm at about 75%. It's all a learning process with every bator it seems! Good luck!

 

[GreenGoddess]

Unfortunately, it could be either one... do you have a thermometer in your house? You could use that to see how close it is to the temp (providing your house thermometer is correct) or you could put it outside (in the shade) and check accuweather, weather channel or another weather site to check how close it is to the temp in your town... Unfortunately, a thermometer is much more tricky to calibrate than a hygrometer... I hate digitals and refuse to use them anymore...

Goddess

 

[magoochie]

The biggest thing I dont understand is the bator is on my night stand in my bedroom. The temp is stable in the room, but the thermometer keeps bouncing back and forth and I cannot get it above 98.8. I had 99.0 for about 5 second this morning and it went down from there. I just dont understand.... I'm hoping its the thermometer not the bator/thermostat.

I am putting another thermometer in there from my brooder to see where that reads at.