Ideal settings for Brinsea Mini Advanced - for chickens?

[ArkaFarmaMama]

Hi guys!

DH got me a Brinsea for my birthday. I am loving it, kind of. Set my first chicks, have 11 days to go.
Honestly I don't think they are going to do well. Candled some but it was pretty hard to see since the shells are so
dark. Just going to ride it out, fingers crossed!

So what settings do you have yours on for a successful hatch? Help!

 

[ArkaFarmaMama]

Help, pretty please!
I can't seem to find anything helpful online. Searched all the threads on here and nobody listed their settings...

 

[bethbug74]

Bantam eggs do best in the Brinsea Mini Advanced at 99.5F, 1 hour turn intervals, and a turn angle of 6. Adjust the turn angle up to 8 or 9 for LF eggs. I've never had a problem with hatches, as long as one half the divided cup is full of water until day 10, then both sides of the cup are full from then on. I always top it up to the very brim at lockdown. Make sure to NOT remove the lid (for any reason-removing chicks is not necessary) until at least half a day after ALL the chicks have hatched. This allows critical moisture to escape, especially with the domed design, and chicks that have pipped and not zipped will end up shrink wrapped inside their shells, never to be born. Just think of the thing as a fish tank until everyone is up and looking at you for a while. I remove the turning disc and put down a shaped piece of kitchen paper for the hatch to leave the mess on just before lockdown. Make sure the turning is set on AUTO, otherwise the thing will keep turning and pips will be impossible. Settings for other birds eggs always work out just fine with the appropriate settings, just follow the directions that came with the Brinsea. This one is basically the easiest incubator out there, there's really no reason to worry as long as you read and follow the literature that came with the thing and don't get impatient after lockdown.

 

[ShelterFarm]

FYI - I did my first clutch with my Brinsea mini advanced last month - 1 of the 7 died very early, but the other 6 did great and all hatched right on time. In my experience it's an awesome incubator and did a great job for me. I used the default settings with exception of the turn angle (put it at 10) and I used the cooling period. Compared to bethbug74 I only filled the cup halfway until we hit lockdown, at which I filled the cup up ALL THE WAY and put a cut up cloth in there to provide a surface and to ease cleaning. I also removed the egg guide at lockdown. My only real gripe is that once they start hatching the humidity gets so high it's hard to see anything through the condensation on the globe.

Basically, by reading the guide and following it I was able to do real well the first time around. Feel free to ask questions!

R-

 

[ArkaFarmaMama]

Thank you so much guys! I read that pamphlet 1,000 times! It always ends with the trouble shooting and problems, freaked me out!

I'm hatching RIR's, set the ang at 10 and have it turning every hour... That was my biggest worry, turning every hour seems a little extreme. Did a 2 hour cooling period, temp holding steady at 99.6/99.5. Keeping the well 1/2 full until lock down. My only thoughts were my eggs. A little late in the season and I SHOULD have checked the eggs better. Some are more porous than I would have liked. Also we had a 5 hour power outage 4 days in... Wrapped them up but that could have caused a problem... Have some kitchen cloth all ready for hatching!

This is my test run, will be shopping for some better blood lines in the spring. Hoping to get a few Cochin or American Game girls, I'd rather they do all the work!

Thank you again!
If anyone else has more tips I'd love to hear them!

 

[ArkaFarmaMama]

Do you think I should have only done a 1 hour cooling period?

 

[ShelterFarm]

I think you're probably fine with a two hour cooling period, but if nothing else it will be a good experiment. I also doubt that a 5 hour power outage would seriously harm your clutch - remember that the eggs hold a lot of heat. My incubator is locked inside a foot locker that's covered with a blanket which ensures a very stable environment, and also ensures the incubator doesn't have to do as much work.

 

[ArkaFarmaMama]

Thanks! 8 more days and I'll have the results I guess!
I have the bator on my counter in the kitchen, out of drafts and running pretty steady. If this doesn't work I'll isolate it better.

 

[ArkaFarmaMama]

Noticed movement yesterday in a couple eggs!! Woo Hoo!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Hillschicks]

I just had an idea... Problem: condensation build up preventing a good view of hatching chicks... Solution: wrap two small but strong magnets in a thin cloth and at lockdown put one inside the shell of the mini and one outside... Need to wipe the inside so you can see?? Slide the magnet and clear a window