Little Giant 9300 Incubator Problems

[beckymm]

Hello!

I'm hoping someone can help me out.

We have a Little Giant 9300 Incubator with circulated air kit added, and auto egg turner, I've been trying to get a good hatch for 6+ months and we have not been able to get more than TWO chicks out of any one setting, and a few times they ALL died just prior to pipping. First few I stuck to the manufacturer's instructions. Then I used tips and tricks I gleaned from forum posts here. This last round I bought eggs from my friend because I thought maybe our hens were getting too old to produce viable eggs even though they did seem to be fertilized and developing when candled. I've tried not using the auto turner, and rotating the eggs around 4 quadrants of the incubator incase there are hot/cold spots. I've tried not setting eggs directly under the heating core because I know that gets hotter. I have two additional thermom/hygro meters in the incubator plus the probe it comes with.

Has anyone had any luck with this incubator? Do I need to do anything different that I may not have thought of? I will even take suggestions for other incubators if it comes to that!! I've had better luck with a styrofoam cooler and heat lamps :/

Thanks in advance!

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

I had one, without fan, that I used as a hatcher for a brief period. It drove me batty with its temperature fluctuations...so, for my sanity's sake, I replaced it with a much more consistent Hova-Bator 2370 (which was not that much more expensive). I wouldn't use an LG 9300 again.

Perhaps other BYCers can recommend ways to make the unit work more reliably for you, but I don't have confidence in that model.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I still keep a LG as an emergency backup but I would never trust it to get a real hatch from.
To get a reliable hatch from a LG there are 3 things you must purchase. (doing so will bring you to the price of a real incubator)
Get a RT301WA thermometer from Thermoworks or a Brinsea Spot check so you know exactly what the temperature is. If you don't know the exact temperature, your chances of hatching eggs is near zero.
Get a high/low temperature alarm. RT8100 is a very accurate one but alarm levels can be set based on the readings of the previously mentioned thermometers. (LGs are notorious for huge temperature swings that will kill embryos).
Get a good cheap baby monitor. Put the baby unit by the alarm and keep the parent unit on your belt. Expect the alarm to go off on both high and low many times during incubation. You can then run to the incubator and adjust the temp.

Those three things will cost close to $100. Add that to the LG cost and you are at the cost of a real incubator.
An LG has killed hundreds of my embryos.

You should still get the thermometer I recommended because if you don't have a guaranteed accurate thermometer, you may never hatch eggs because thermometers and thermostats are notoriously inaccurate. Getting the temperature right is the first step. Humidity, turning, viable eggs, oxygen/CO2, etc. mean nothing if the temp is wrong.

 

[Rooster G]

I too bought one and now it is only used to germinate seeds. I might try making yogurt in it. Very frustrating incubator indeed. I do have great hatches with gqf 1583, 1588. I am curious about their 2365, and 2370.
http://www.gqfmfg.com/hova-bator/2370-electronic-thermostat-hova-bator/
Sorry, no tips.

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

I too bought one and now it is only used to germinate seeds. I might try making yogurt in it. Very frustrating incubator indeed. I do have great hatches with gqf 1583, 1588. I am curious about their 2365, and 2370.
http://www.gqfmfg.com/hova-bator/2370-electronic-thermostat-hova-bator/
Sorry, no tips.

I have a couple of the 1588s and a 2370. You already know that the 1588s are solid. The 2370 has been great as a hatcher (you can even disengage the fan) and while it doesn't have the nearly all-clear top like the 1588, the windows suffice to view activity in the incubator and it holds temps and humidity well. It has a digital display for temperature only that is the most accurate of the Hova-Bators I own; a separate hygrometer is necessary, but if you incubate often, you'd have one, anyway. I would definitely use this as a back-up incubator if needed.

In short, it's worth the price...you can find them new on Amazon for around $63.

 

[beckymm]

I still keep a LG as an emergency backup but I would never trust it to get a real hatch from.
To get a reliable hatch from a LG there are 3 things you must purchase. (doing so will bring you to the price of a real incubator)
Get a RT301WA thermometer from Thermoworks or a Brinsea Spot check so you know exactly what the temperature is. If you don't know the exact temperature, your chances of hatching eggs is near zero.
Get a high/low temperature alarm. RT8100 is a very accurate one but alarm levels can be set based on the readings of the previously mentioned thermometers. (LGs are notorious for huge temperature swings that will kill embryos).
Get a good cheap baby monitor. Put the baby unit by the alarm and keep the parent unit on your belt. Expect the alarm to go off on both high and low many times during incubation. You can then run to the incubator and adjust the temp.

Those three things will cost close to $100. Add that to the LG cost and you are at the cost of a real incubator.
An LG has killed hundreds of my embryos.

You should still get the thermometer I recommended because if you don't have a guaranteed accurate thermometer, you may never hatch eggs because thermometers and thermostats are notoriously inaccurate. Getting the temperature right is the first step. Humidity, turning, viable eggs, oxygen/CO2, etc. mean nothing if the temp is wrong.

Thank you all for your suggestions!! I will be looking into replacing our LG before our next hatch!