- Apr 10, 2012
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I've been incubating duck eggs in a borrowed LG, but it will be a staggered hatch, so I arranged to borrow a Hova-bator as well.
Is there any reason to pick one of them over the other to use as a hatcher? Both are still air, no turner.
Since everything is currently incubating in the LG, and as the Hova-bator points out on the box, it has higher walls to assist in removing chicks without anybody escaping over the edge, so that would suggest incubate in the LG, hatch in the Hova.
But... those windows in the Hova-bator are so gosh darned tiny that you can't see anything, especially once I stick a thermometer in front of one of them. The big picture windows on the LG are really appealling...
On a more practical note, the Hova-bator seems to hold a more steady temp - provided that I'm willing to pick a degree hot or a degree cold. The thermostat doesn't seem to have a setting where I want it.
The LG seems to vary more over the course of the day, but averaged out the temp would be in the right general area.
Is consistent temp or "right" temp more important? Is it more critical during hatching, or the time leading up to it?
The first hatch is only 5 eggs, and the breed that I care more about hatching. Second hatch is 20 eggs that I offered to hatch for a friend just because incubating 5 eggs by themselves seemed silly - and I only ordered 16 of those to begin with, so I have more room for a low hatch rate in that bunch.
Any recommendations?
Thanks!
Christy
Is there any reason to pick one of them over the other to use as a hatcher? Both are still air, no turner.
Since everything is currently incubating in the LG, and as the Hova-bator points out on the box, it has higher walls to assist in removing chicks without anybody escaping over the edge, so that would suggest incubate in the LG, hatch in the Hova.
But... those windows in the Hova-bator are so gosh darned tiny that you can't see anything, especially once I stick a thermometer in front of one of them. The big picture windows on the LG are really appealling...
On a more practical note, the Hova-bator seems to hold a more steady temp - provided that I'm willing to pick a degree hot or a degree cold. The thermostat doesn't seem to have a setting where I want it.
The LG seems to vary more over the course of the day, but averaged out the temp would be in the right general area.
Is consistent temp or "right" temp more important? Is it more critical during hatching, or the time leading up to it?
The first hatch is only 5 eggs, and the breed that I care more about hatching. Second hatch is 20 eggs that I offered to hatch for a friend just because incubating 5 eggs by themselves seemed silly - and I only ordered 16 of those to begin with, so I have more room for a low hatch rate in that bunch.
Any recommendations?
Thanks!
Christy
