I think my kids see me as a failure 😢

[BirdsBeesTrees]

Looking at the Brinsea website, i could see these 2 that will probably suit me.....

Ovation 28 Advance digital egg incubator - https://www.brinsea.com/p-583-ovation-28-advance-digital-egg-incubator.aspx

Ovation 56 EX fully automatic digital egg incubator - https://www.brinsea.com/p-587-ovation-56-ex-fully-automatic-digital-egg-incubator.aspx

Their abit pricey but I'm guessing their the real deal?
I wish there was something in between 28 eggs and 56, maybe something like 40 eggs.
Could someone whose used either of them please confirm that they are solid when it comes to accurate temperatures?
Would you still need to use an external thermometer to keep an eye on the temperature or is it safe to just trust the incubator thermometer by itself?
Thanks!

Brinsea is a good brand, RCom is a good brand.
The way to get the most out of a good incubator is still to have additional thermometer/hygrometers.
Try incubating at 30-40% humidity and 99.8*F.
Where are you getting your hatching eggs matters too.

 

[Briosafarm]

Just had another thought....are you getting hatching eggs locally from someone who has good fertility in their eggs, or are you working with shipped eggs? You probably know this, but shipping is very hard on eggs and usually results in very reduced hatch rates. It's worth it when someone is trying for a certain type or line of purebred chicken, but it can be discouraging.

 

[SomeSortOfHomesteader]

Have you calibrated the thermometers you are using to calibrate the incubators? You might be getting to hot if they are slightly high and you are calibrating high. Eggs really shouldn't get over 102 and 100% egg death is 104, it's much safer to be slightly lower than higher if you aren't sure. I always aim to be 99.8-100 and I calibrate my thermometer (I use a laser gun) before I calibrate my incubator.

 

[Katanahamon]

All i want in life is to successfully complete 1 batch of chicken eggs with my young kids.........
I have gone through 5 incubators and most have failed with a couple batches only hatching few chicks
The biggest issue has been the thermometer readings of the incubator, none have been accurate.

As you can see below, I've taken photos of my last 2 incubators during testing.
First and second photos are for comparison as the incubator shows one reading and the 2 individual thermometers inside shows different readings.
I've tried to play around with calibrating it, however can never get it right as the temperature internally keeps fluctuating during different times of the day.

Can someone please provide some guidance or tips so i can be successful please.



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Get Gail Damerow’s book “Hatching and Brooding Your Own Chicks.” She can’t tell you how to get the best success from an incubator, and valuable information about all things eggs, hatching, and brooding..

 

[LadiesAndJane]

I agree with either the Nurture Right 360 or any Brinsea. I have both and they are pretty fail safe. Source of the eggs is also important as @Briosafarm mentioned. Shipped eggs are always a gamble and even the most experienced folks can get very poor hatch rates.

 

[cherrynberry]

I use a Incuview incubator from incubator warehouse. Really good brand, & the staff will help you with your incubator if your having trouble. Just shoot them a message.

I second this. I have had accurate temp readings from the incubator as well. I have had several great hatch rates.

 

[MysteryChicken]

I second this. I have had accurate temp readings from the incubator as well. I have had several great hatch rates.

I had to get help with mine at the beginning. Kept trying to cook my developing chicks. Turns out it was a calibration issue.

 

[MysteryChicken]

I had to get help with mine at the beginning. Kept trying to cook my developing chicks. Turns out it was a calibration issue.

The staff were good help. Just needed a calibration of 1.9.

 

[SomeSortOfHomesteader]

I already commented on this but the more I think about it the more I think you need better secondary thermometers/hydrometers. They are barely a centimeter apart and have different readings. Now hydrometers are a bit notorious for being inaccurate in part because of how long it takes for them to give an accurate read but the thermometer... is concerning. I don't think you can calibrate the type of thermometers/hydrometers that you have. Consider getting a probed one that supports calibration.

You should follow the instructions that come with it; however, the basics are as follows. Put ice into a cup and fill with water waiting 10min then put the probe in adjusting it until it reaches 32F/0C. For the humidity mix 1/2C salt with 1/4C water in a cup and put the cup and hydrometer in a plastic and tightly seal it. Allow it to acclimate for at least 12 hours before calibrating it to 75%.

 

[ladybrasa]

I’ve learned that no matter how great an incubator is, always have a few other thermometer/hygrometers in there, just to cover any chance of fluctuations or inaccuracies. Even with the best machine, there could be small variations in equipment, spots inside the incubator, or deviation over time of using it multiple times.