little giant 9300

[only1bgirl]

@MrsFitzDarcy How many chicks do you want to hatch?

 

[bamadude]

Bgirl: sorry to hear about your bad luck.

 

[MrsFitzDarcy]

@MrsFitzDarcy How many chicks do you want to hatch?

I would probably start with 6-8.

 

[only1bgirl]

Check out that little Brinsea incubator it does like seven or so eggs, I've heard nothing but good things about that brand and model, they're about $90.00. I was trying to hatch 1-2 dozen at a time so I went for this LG because the larger Brinsea is close to $300.

 

[only1bgirl]

We're in the brooder now trying to peck each other's eyes out but we're in the brooder now!
A bit early but I can rest knowing they're not getting cooked in the incubator. Heard a peep in there so maybe more will hatch, here's hoping!

 

[only1bgirl]

Another chick hatched at 3 AM, so happy I ran the incubator in my bedroom, LOL! Ended up assisting the wrong way pipper the membranes were dried out and its doing well so far.

 

[TheGeekySheep]

Yay another one! I run my incubator in my bedroom too. My first hatch went overnight and I got zero sleep, I was a zombie the next day. (But a happy zombie.)

 

[only1bgirl]

Just checked the other three eggs they're goners, still had yolk sacks and lots of fluid in the membranes. The heat spikes or too much humidity got them. So 4 living chicks out of 13 eggs. One chick is "butt walking" a term from sylviaanne, started another thread about this with a video, checkout the roly poly, very cute. It's not a shipped egg problem, these were local. I really think I've got a defective thermostat or this model was not made for a fan. I would not recommend this incubator to anyone, I've contacted Coopsnmore, no reply yet. I'm done with hatching now, maybe spring I'll try again. Good luck everybody!

 

[TheGeekySheep]

Just checked the other three eggs they're goners, still had yolk sacks and lots of fluid in the membranes. The heat spikes or too much humidity got them. So 4 living chicks out of 13 eggs. One chick is "butt walking" a term from sylviaanne, started another thread about this with a video, checkout the roly poly, very cute. It's not a shipped egg problem, these were local. I really think I've got a defective thermostat or this model was not made for a fan. I would not recommend this incubator to anyone, I've contacted Coopsnmore, no reply yet. I'm done with hatching now, maybe spring I'll try again. Good luck everybody!

Well I'm glad you have another 4 to join your brood, but I'm sorry the hatch rate didn't turn out better.

I thought for sure your issue was the shipped eggs but clearly it's more complicated than that.

I have heard that eggs that quit early on are usually the fault of the eggs (infertile, rough handling), and eggs that quit closer to hatch day are usually the fault of the incubator or the method (positioning, turning, etc.). In each of my hatches I had a couple chicks that quit at lockdown, and I wish I knew what caused that, because it's so frustrating to see them get that far and not have them hatch.

My next hatching attempt won't be until late October. I'm debating whether I should buy a turner for this incubator (which may or may not fix my malpositions / late quitters) or sell it and splurge on an IncuView from Incubator Warehouse. I'll be honest, if I had seen the IncuView before I bought the LG on a whim one day, I probably would have saved up and bought it instead. I like the transparent top and that it's all plastic (easier to sterilize), and the manufacturers are here on BYC and have been very responsive to their customers. I've been following the other thread and it looks as though people have been getting mostly good hatch rates from it, but there have been some bad ones too. Then again, I've seen some reports of bad hatches even with Brinsea bators, so it looks like disasters can happen with any product, depending on the variables. I think the key is to read lots and lots of reviews and try to spot the overall trend in satisfaction.

If anything, at least you've learned a lot about temperature, humidity, turning, assisting with hatching etc. The LG is definitely not "set it and forget it" so maybe if you get a more stable incubator, your hatch will be a breeze because you already know the elements of a successful hatch.

Have a great Fall/Winter, and I wish you lots of pullets!

 

[bamadude]

Bgirl: thats a bummer. I think a major flaw with these bators is that little clear plastic temp/humidity sensor. If it moves an inch; the temp fluctuates alot. If u open the lid, the sensor never ends up in the same spot. Its a major flaw in the design imo. For my next hatch; i plan to install a small computer fan and try to figure out a way to keep the sensor from moving.