Incuview Incubator

[aart]

I bought the one called "Plastic Canvas 12x18-Clear" for $5.83. I ordered other things as well so I didn't have to pay shipping. The length doesn't quite reach across the diagonal length of the incubator. It's short about a third of an inch or so on both sides but this isn't an issue because the shape of the incubator holds it in place and the gap isn't big enough for a chick.

I was able to find a 13x22" sheet at Joann Fabric for $2.50, label pic below.
Any decent sized chain hobby place should have them, I had to drive 30 miles.
Five bucks at amazon with free shipping.
It's a '5 mesh', largest holes made (I think) for max airflow.

Preferably look for sheets that are stiff. Mine is very flexible, but still works.

As far as stiffness, the material isn't indicated. Mine's pretty flexible too.
Gluing it to a base and where the 2 pieces interlock will stiffen it up.
The flexibility at the top curve is actually helpful for it to settle into the corner groove of the lid, once trimmed just right.

 

[SimoneG]

thank you! I think I'll be ordering it online I'm about 90 miles from anything middle of nowhere ND. lol

 

[Ms Biddy]

Well peeps, I think my first hatch and first time using an Incuview is done. I do have one egg that's internally pipped and could still hatch, but it was a very old egg and I suspect it's going to have a hard time. It's wiggling though. I reported on the hatch along thread but will also report here. Days 1-18 were a breeze. Temperature was very steady. However for some reason my entire hatch came early, well before day 21 which technically doesn't start until this afternoon. I had checked temp and humidity against an incutherm prior to starting. Not sure what the issue was, but I think I may have had my heat sensor bent too low.

I liked the incubator but had a rough time managing humidity during lockdown. I live in an old farm house with variable temperature and humidity. I think a humidikit would have made things a lot easier for me, but they're expensive so it's on my wishlist. I lost two chicks after pipping before hatching. I think it was my fault for letting them get too wet or too dry while I was struggling with humidity issues.

My biggest struggle with the incubator was the difficulty filling the water tray and how impossible it is to see the water level, particularly when the incubator is full. At times, I couldn't get humidity above 60% and by continuing to fill the trays I flooded the floor and had to draw water out. This would have been impossible without the long needle and syringe I was using to reach the wells through the air hole. I ended up adding sponges, which wet chicks then climbed on. Opening the lid caused humidity to drop drastically and it was slow to build up again. That was stressful and as I said, I had two losses that had pipped and seemed positioned to hatch successfully.

Out of the 19 eggs that went into lockdown I have 13 fluffy, beautiful chicks. One is in the incubator drying off and encouraging the last egg. The rest are hiding under the mama heating pad but I can't wait until they become more active and I can get photos of them.

 

[SimoneG]

@Ms Biddy congratulations on your 13 fluffballs I did see some where that someone suggested using food coloring in the water tray to see the levels? That might be an idea to try.

 

[Ms Biddy]

@Ms Biddy congratulations on your 13 fluffballs I did see some where that someone suggested using food coloring in the water tray to see the levels? That might be an idea to try.

Thank you! Yes, I did use food coloring and it helped slightly but not enough especially after the shelf liner went in. I would not want to hatch directly on the screen.

 

[SimoneG]

I wonder if something like this... https://www.amazon.com/Crane-USA-Digital-Ultrasonic-Humidifier/dp/B019YPYBGA?th=1 might work if you were able to hook a hose or pipe to it & to the incubator?

 

[SimoneG]

or this https://www.amazon.com/Hunter-QLS03...r=8-24&keywords=personal+warm+mist+humidifier

 

[Ms Biddy]

@SimoneG I think it would help if I kept the incubator in a humidified room so things were more stable, but the advantage to the humidikit is the sensor that goes in the incubator and keeps you in a specific range. I did not like being tied to the house babysitting it since I also had to adjust the room temperature setting each afternoon. I'm really glad to just be focusing on my chicks now! I mean, how cute is this situation?

 

[SimoneG]

aww! I hear ya. I'm in an old farmhouse too. what is the tunnel under the quilt that they have?

 

[Ms Biddy]

That's their mama heating pad. This is my first time using one instead of a heat lamp. It seems to be going great so far.