Mini incubator...

[rainee63]

I had a terrible hatch rate in the brinsea mini also . First two out spun and knocked the other eggs all over the place.... none even pipped... I'm selling it because who wants to start with 4 eggs so they have room ? Someone said it's a good hospital for hatched chicks from a " real incubator "!!

It did a great job incubating. Turned the eggs well and all that. I love the count down feature and how you can check the temp just by looking. It kept temp and humidity... but when it came time to hatch I was just torn with 'they gotta stay in there, can't open the lid or I'll lose the humidity.' And 'that chick keeps laying right on top of the other one's pip hole. I gotta get it out!'

 

[rainee63]

Oh, and for the record, the chicks I took out when I couldn't take it anymore are ok. Just lost that one that I thought was a dud til I picked it up, turned it over in my hand and found it's little beak just barely sticking out So close!

 

[3riverschick]

With The Brinsea Minis Forget What You Learned About Losing Temp And Humidity With Other Brands Of Bators. These Minis Are Much More Forgiving.

Hi Rainee,
You have a Brinsea Mini? I have 2 and love them. Yes, leaving everyone in there can cause the problem you had . I found that out my 1st time using it.
Here's how to fix it. These little. Brinseas come back to temp and humidity really fast. So, when the chicks start to hatch, take the dome off quickly and remove the broken shells. Do not turn the dome upside down as that will let the heat and humidity out. Set it down on a level surface as quick as you can. This whole procedure​ needs to be done quickly. Like 5-7seconds. When you put the lid back on, be sure to watch you don't pinch any chick toes. They tend to want to hop out when the dome is lifted. Watch how quickly the bator comes back to proper temperature and humidity. Less than a minute. Great little baters!! These Brinsea Minis are very forgiving of chicks needs during hatching time. I have found that given a choice the newly hatched chicks spend less time scrambling over unhatched eggs and more time in the areas the broken shells once occupied . You can also lift the dome just enough to take the broken shells out. That makes it easier to prevent chicks from trying to hop out

Best,
Karen

 

[song of joy]

I've hatched out chicks in a Brinsea Mini Advance, and did the unthinkable - I opened the incubator and removed chicks whenever it got to the point that two had hatched and were dry or semi-dry. It was driving me crazy seeing them roll the eggs over and crawl all over pipped eggs. My biggest concern was that pipped eggs where getting rolled over onto the pipped area of the shell. As 3riverschick said, the incubator comes back up to temp and humidity very fast, and this didn't seem to affect the hatch rate.

 

[3riverschick]

Yup! Yup!!

 

[rainee63]

Oh y'all, I just breathed the biggest sigh of relief! Thank you so much! It is the Brinsea mini, and I really liked everything it did up until those babies started flopping around. I gave my first 2 babies 12 hours in there. The last 3 only got about 9. But taking the shells out makes better sense. I really thought about giving up on that incubator, but now I feel better about another hatch. This is so addicting!

 

[3riverschick]

Yes, you are gonna love this little bator !!
Welcome to the club!

Best, Karen

 

[rainee63]

A friend of mine is giving me some eggs today! Do bantams hatch out the same as bigger chicks? I gotta do some research!

 

[song of joy]

I've never hatched out bantam eggs, but there's a 12-egg disk that can be used in the Brinsea Mini-Advance so you don't have to hand turn them. As to whether it will fit your bantam eggs, it really depends on the size of the eggs. I've heard bantam eggs tend to hatch around day 20 rather than 21. Also, as they're smaller you'll have to be more careful with humidity levels to make sure they don't lose too much water too fast.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

A friend of mine is giving me some eggs today! Do bantams hatch out the same as bigger chicks? I gotta do some research!

Just monitor the air cells to be sure of your humidity. Sometimes smaller eggs can loose moisture quicker. Bantams can hatch a day or two early, but not always. Everything is basically the same. What kind of bantams are they. Some, such as Japanese bantams carry a gene called the creeper gene that is responsible for shortened legs. If the chicks inherit 2 copies of the gene it is lethal.