Little Giant Incubator Tricks

[Davlyn]

THis is a frequently asked question. Opinions vary widely. Much depends on how much money you want to spend. SOme people start with a simple model and love hatching so much buy a huge professional model. lol

THe LG is for someone without a lot of money to spend AND is interested in learning the process of hatching. Getting good hatchines with and LG is not a set it and forget it model. Most small incubators are very influenced by the environment aound the incubator. Meaning as the summer temps rise, the temps in my LG rise too. WHen it rains, the humidity rises.

If you want to challange your abilities to become a pro at hatching, then the LG is for you. I built a homemade one and use the LG for hatching. I can handle multiple hatches this way.

Thank you. $$ can be a deciding point. I am not working full time & I am not thinking of doing this to start selling chicks . Learning is a good thing. I would be so disappointed if I went thru alot of work & got no hatch's . Last yr I did not want any more birds & 1 of my white rock hens showed up with 10 chicks. It was weird, I would do head count as I let them out in the morn & she'd be there. so I never had a clue. right now I have 2 broody hens so I have a few eggs + 2 duck eggs under them. Thought am incubator would be handy.
TY

 

[Arielle]

Quote: LOL I had a BO that did that to me: I would see her then , not see her. THen gone. No just sitting on eggs in a well hidden space. On a boat load of eggs!!

LG requires some thinking and some skill. Using your won eggs to start with is ideal, as you learn to candle to judge if the humidity is correct; and to test the thermometers for correctness. If chicks hatch on day 20-21, then thermometers are working well and operator is measuring in the right places.

I find it a challenge-- sometime frustrating, and often rewarding.

 

[cmom]

I just don't understand why all you guys put yourselves through the torture over 50 bucks, jeez, is everybody in Louisiana or what. Seriously though, for 150 bucks you can get one that does it all and you don't have to fool with it all the time, you can have a life. I'm the new guy on the board, maybe I just don't understand...Roost

I think you have misunderstood the people posting on this thread also. For many it's not about $50 and for some it is what they were able to get at the time. Most of the Farm and Feed stores in my area only sell the Little Giant incubators. We try to help each other. We enjoy incubating and hatching. I have several styrofoam incubators and in the past have incubated and hatched a lot of chicks successfully. I now use a cabinet incubator that I picked up several years ago at a very good price and incubate in it but I still use my LG's, Hova-Bators and homemade as hatchers. I have had many great hatches in my styrofoams. I also believe as many others do that you can successfully incubate and hatch in a styrofoam incubator.

 

[Hugeroost]

I think you have misunderstood the people posting on this thread also. For many it's not about $50 and for some it is what they were able to get at the time. Most of the Farm and Feed stores in my area only sell the Little Giant incubators. We try to help each other. We enjoy incubating and hatching. I have several styrofoam incubators and in the past have incubated and hatched a lot of chicks successfully. I now use a cabinet incubator that I picked up several years ago at a very good price and incubate in it but I still use my LG's, Hova-Bators and homemade as hatchers. I have had many great hatches in my styrofoams. I also believe as many others do that you can successfully incubate and hatch in a styrofoam incubator.

I sure didn't mean to upset anyone, just didn't understand why someone would even buy one of those still air from tractor supply or wherever, and then spend countless hours modifying it trying to get it to work right, when you can call up GQF and have a good one with all the right parts delivered to your house for 150. I started out with two of those little Styrofoam ones and had very good luck, then decided I needed the 1202...Roost

 

[CGinJCMO]

I just don't understand why all you guys put yourselves through the torture over 50 bucks, jeez, is everybody in Louisiana or what. Seriously though, for 150 bucks you can get one that does it all and you don't have to fool with it all the time, you can have a life. I'm the new guy on the board, maybe I just don't understand...Roost

Quote: 1) Price I lucked into a second hand incubator with turner for $50 (seller upgraded to big bator). I noticed it was on sale (without turner) for $39. I would have a hard time paying more plus where where would I keep it?
2) Space I have a hard enough time storing eggs - 3ft tall dorm fridge plus my main fridge (gotta have a place for leftovers and what I plan to cook too) can sometimes be full but I have no room for another big fridge full of eggs. Those big incubators are the same size as a dorm fridge yet I wouldn't use it year round like I do with my refridgerator. I work in a school and my little bator can travel to a classroom. Not why I chose this one, but it is an additional benefit. Also, I can bring the incubator up to my dining room table so be able to sit and watch the miracle of hatching. Once it's in place, those big bators stay there.
3) Too Many chicks Unless I had crappy results (and for the price of those big bators, I would expect at least 80 percent success), I would have more chicks than I know what to do with. Maybe I'm too nice, but people want to buy pullets and I can't tell boys from girls until 6-8 weeks at least. So I brood them in my house until outside temps are close to what I've been lowering brooder temp to, then they go out to meet the big girls (thru a wire fence in the coop - don't have multiple coops for different ages or breeds of birds). I've got buyers when I can guarantee pullets. I call my self "Small Potatoes" when it comes to breeding; I'm mostly just wanting to continue my flock, not make money selling Easter Egger mixed chicks (not a pure enough breed to ask for big bucks). Plus with my small flock, I'd be having staggered hatches because I couldn't get enough eggs gathered to fill up one of those big bators.

CG

 

[Arielle]

Muscovy hen #1 hached out 14 duckings today-- I set 8 eggs earlier and got nada. I just can't get it right for ducks. So I let the broody take on 15 eggs. Will see if the last one hatches . . .

THree more broodies on the job--40 more possible ducklings.

THe best of intension when I think of all the yummy meals, but the ant of freezer space is rediculous!! lol

My point is I have no skills hatching muscovvey eggs in the LG. ANyone else try it and succeed??

 

[quailtrail]

Hatch day for my Dominique eggs!!!! Hopefully anyways!! Tho I did my match wrong, we were supposed to travel out of state but me and DD stayed home, so ended up mixed up on setting for lockdown. They went in a day early..ughh..will they be ok???

 

[Davlyn]

I have had a broody hen sit on a few eggs. But didn't want to hatch my own as I didn't want any Roo's or at least too many Roos. I was given a silkie Roo & then 2 eggs that hatched were Roos & I ended up with 3 pullets being Roos all got along well ( for the most part. Lost a few of them then my white rock appeared last may with 10 chicks & 2 were Roos. so that aside
the cost of buying is mounting, so thought I'd start hatching out my own & mabe sell a few.
The easiest & least costly of the brooders would be ??? thoughts one this please

 

[Arielle]

I have had a broody hen sit on a few eggs. But didn't want to hatch my own as I didn't want any Roo's or at least too many Roos. I was given a silkie Roo & then 2 eggs that hatched were Roos & I ended up with 3 pullets being Roos all got along well ( for the most part. Lost a few of them then my white rock appeared last may with 10 chicks & 2 were Roos. so that aside
the cost of buying is mounting, so thought I'd start hatching out my own & mabe sell a few.
The easiest & least costly of the brooders would be ??? thoughts one this please

You might for more varied answers over in the other section for raising chicks-- I use wooden boxes with heat lamps; a box stall w/ heat lamp. OThers use huge horse troughs or kiddie pool. Many options. I have also used huge paper boxes for the first few weeks. Only limited to your imagination and a few basic requirements: heat lamp, food, water, and protection from drafts.

 

[CrookdBeak13]

So...the 10 eggs I placed back in my LG for attempt at hatching all died in the shell, only one had pipped the aircell, a few look like they turned and the others didn't finish absorbing. I had 1 lonely black orpington egg in there they I believe has also died, it was due to hatch Monday so I am giving a few more days. I took that egg and placed it in my cooler bator which has held temp wonderfully for 10 days now. As I did that, I noticed that the thermometers I had in the LG were reading different temps. I have a total of 3 in the cooler and 2 are reading 100 and 1 is reading 103-104, so I placed a cooking thermometer and it is also reading 100 so I think my problem with the LG may have been a temp problem.

I am going to pick up a Roll-X 1 tonight so heres hoping I can start getting better hatch rates!