Hovabator Genesis... I just ordered one, tell me your experience

[MBLayfield]

I felt like I was taking another thread off topic talking about the genesis so I thought I'd post about it here.

DH got fed up last night because another batch of eggs died in their shell. I have no idea what is going on. I've replaced the wafers, am using a brinsea spot temp with a water weasel, and a flukers. Temps have fluctuated wildly for no reason, just one day I walk in and its 101 or 94. No one is messing with them and I don't open the incubators up except to candle and thats twice, day 10 and again on day 18. I'm using LG with an auto turner and an LG as a hatcher.

Anyway, I'm not going to complain at all about a new bator. I'm very excited for my own incubator! And one that is new, never used

So tell me what you like and dislike about it. Any hints and tips you've found while using it? Does it really stay right on the temps?

 

[tebs78]

LOVE IT! just in the process of hatching some out. 7 have hatched out so far out of 11 and I think there are still more to hatch that will!

 

[Poison Ivy]

I did 2 hatches in it and they both were running a day or two late. So I had to adjust the temp switch up 1 and that should take care of it. But it does hold temps great plus I added some aquarium tubing so I didn't have to open the bator to add water. Then I took 2 different color post it notes and stuck them on the bottom of the water tray up near the front so I could see the water level when I added water. Your going to really like it a lot it's a great little incubator.

 

[MissPrissy]

As with most things, use a surge protector. The temp in the room cannot flunctuate more than 5 degrees or you will have big spikes in temps. If you can put the bator in a closet against the inner most walls of your home the temps are likely to be more constant. Get that old bator to work for you. You never know when you will need it.

As for the 1588 - I LOVE mine! I have 3 if that tells you anything. The turners are pure luxury if you can get one to go with yours. It is as simple as plug 'n play. Add eggs and water. Wait 21 days. Play with chicks!

 

[ebonykawai]

I keep a log of temp and humidity and IT'S SO BORING. No lie, I write the exact same thing, 5 times a day, lol. I have a thermometer/hygrometer with a memory so I know I'm not missing anything.

My temperature has never been anything other than 100, and my humidity stays the same unless I decide to add more water or it evaporates a little. But still, I think my humidity has only fluctuated by 5 percentage points up or down. It's pretty amazing.

 

[twigg]

Temps have fluctuated wildly for no reason, just one day I walk in and its 101 or 94.

What are the room temperatures doing during the temp changes.

The nature of the control of simple incubators is such that ambient temperature changes can have a profound effect on internal temps.

Electronic controls do not necessarily cure this either. The heating elements in most table-top incubators is very small (my Hovabator is 25W)

Proportional control helps immensely, but I simply think that most small incubators are way under powered. 25W is simply not enough to cope with a room that goes from 70F to 55F overnight.

When I built my incubator I fitted a rope heater sized at 125W. The advantage is that it helps the incubator recover quickly after candeling, water changes etc, without being so powerful as to cook the eggs. Temp. stability is excellent.

Still air incubation simply compounds the problem. Manufacturers cover this by telling you to adopt conditions that are largely unobtainable as a method of coping with their cutting corners on design and building down to a price.

This is not a rant about still air, or Hovabator. Merely an observation that they tend to work, sorta, despite the poor design. OTOH, they are cheap.
There is a reason that the Lyon, Brinsea, R-Com etc are expensive

 

[littlebanty]

My Genesis has stayed at a constant temp of 99.5 for a week so far. I read where people have problems with the flutuation and have their temps skyrocket with other bators. The Genesis seems to stay consistant for me. I have 6 out of 9 duck eggs with embryos growing.

 

[Cuban Longtails]

I have the 1588 (plug & play w/ autoturner)

Mine stayed pretty constant, 99 - 100, the highest it ever got was 101 for a short time. I don't have central heat or air, so I kept it in a spare bathroom with a plastic barrier separating the part where the bathtub is (essentially making the room smaller and creating a barrier between the incubator and the outside wall). I ran a small ceramic space heater that had a programable thermostat on it to keep the temp of the room around 75 degrees (it was still cold here, so ambient temp would have fluctuated down into the 40s if not for the heater). I also kept everything plugged into surge protectors.

My only problem was getting the humidity right. It's quite humid here so I tried adding less water than called for. Problem was it wasn't enough "less" water so I lost some of the babies because the membranes dried out and suffocated them. That's operator error, not the incubator's fault.

My hatch rate was great (77% for my first time ever), love it and would definitely buy another.

 

[KYBOY]

Any of the small ones will work. The genisis is probably better than the LG. Adding a fan works wonders. My forced air LG hold temp great now..Ill say this, growing up working with my uncle on his game farm he used two large cabnit style bators. I can remember the look and design but not the brand(something very much like a sportsman but bigger). I can say this, he had them in a barn and there were no temp fluctuations. He added water and walked away. Checked them once a day for water when he feed. Thats the reason his cost over $500 and my LG cost $40

I can only hatch a limited number, he could hatch 300-400 quail at a time. I have to keep my LG in a stable room to keep the temp from fluctuating very much. He kept his in a barn

As with most things, you get what you pay for