It has been several years since I hatched any eggs in an incubator. I am looking at some of the newer things available now and am really surprised how things have changed from the VERY basic bator I had previously. Does anyone have the RCOM20? Has it functioned properly for you without any headaches? Is it as simple as adding eggs and water and letting it go? Is the hova-bator with the pre-set thermostat and automatic turner just as good? I am a bit skittish now about hatching my eggs but want to give it a try again. I am forever traumatized by the last batch of eggs I hatched. I went to work one day with eggs in the bator and all quiet and fine. I came home that afternoon to a bator full of half hatched eggs and all dead chicks. I have never touched an incubator since. That was at least 12 years ago. I think it is time to shake off the past and try again. Any suggestions to your preference in a bator would be welcome.
I was acutaly wondering the same thing. I would like to get an incubator also. And I was wanting to know which one would be best to get.
Hello, I bought a R-COM 20 incubator and had hatched my first batch last week. I have had many many different incubators including a Octagon 20, and I can say I really like the R-COM. The only thing I would be careful of with my experience with this unit is to make sure it is calibrated. What I mean is to do it yourself and not rely on what Brincea says! ( They told me it is calibrated at the factory and is ready to go) I was incubating these eggs with a 45% humidity setting. As incubation continued I candled every few days but the air cell wouldn't grow as needed. I purchased some accurate thermometers and found the humidity to be actually 65% on the 11th day, so I had to run incubator dry the rest of the time till pipping. It is digital and easy to use, easy to calibrate and easy to clean. I think it is the best small incubator out there right now, though it is expensive!
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, I set 8 eggs, all were fertile! Humidity was way off most of the inc. period, temp was 1° lower than actual, ran dry till pipping occured and managed to hatch 6 out of the 8!
Not sure where to post this so many people will get it.. Just purchased the Genesis Hovabator at Incubator Warehouse.com Price 119.99, cheapest I found. Turner 42.99 , also the cheapest I found. plus a thermometer/ hygro. digital 9.99 plus shipping 13.99 total 186.00 or there abouts. Many had the just the incu for that total price. Just thought you might like to know.
MissPrissy, I statred with the LG still air - hated it! Horrible hatches. The forced air thing is a MUST! I went to the Hovabator 1588 with a turner. it was really good and fairly cheap - compared to some of the others. This year I went looking around for a different one - maybe upgrade but The one I saw were smaller, less eggs and twice the cash(if not more!). It is honestly the best buy if you're not wanting to spend a bunch of money until you figure out if you want to hatch more. Plus, I am super super cheap...I mean frugal! So I couldn't see spending upwards of $300 for a 20 or less egg incubator. As for the pre-set temp thing, I wouldn't trust any of them to be correct until you test it out. I found mine ran a consistant 99.9 degrees and the humidity was easy to adjust by water addition. The 1588 is fairly easy to adjust if the temp is off from what I have read, as well. I wish it was better to clean though. The tray liner comes out fine and can be scrubbed up, but the styrofoam does tend to absorb and stain. I dont' like seeing the stains even though I know I've scrubbed and bleached it. Other than that, it's a good deal. I bought another one for this year. I had a turner that I bought a replacement motor for and so I didn't spend a ton of money on a new one. The 1588 is $127, I think, from the factory with out the turner. Oh, and an FYI I was not impressed with the customer service at the fatory from my experience last year. I got my second one from eggcartons.com this year and paid like 2 dollars more but I figure then they can deal with the manufacturer!! Just my experience...... Sarah
I also use a Genesis 1588 with auto.turner and I love mine.The temp.was very accurate right from the factory and I have found them very easy to use. I'm just finishing up a hatch in mine and I heat with wood.The humidity in my home is at 30%.All I did was fill the center trough with warm water and this gave me a constant 42% inside the incubator.I needed to refill every 4 days.For days 19-21 I filled 2 troughs and this gave me a constant 62% and again, no more refills needed.I use a plastic tube down through the top plug hole,along with a 60ml.syringe for water refills and it works out great. I am glad you have decided to put the past behind you and try again.Good for you and I wish you the best of luck.
This post is almost 3 years old. Miss Prissy is now a hatching genius and I believe she has quite a few bators including several she has made, hovabators and my all time wished for bator...the Dickey cabinet bator.
I have a Brinsea 20 advance that has performed flawlessly IF!!! calibrated. In my experience it would be foolish to trust eggs to any system without doing a basic calibration out of the box and then with each hatch. Keep a good thermometer and hygrometer in the unit to make sure it stays reasonably close to the desired numbers. I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of an rcom suro 20 that is due in a couple of weeks. The humidity pump and current sale price of $250 were too much to resist. It will be interesting to compare these 2 units that are so similar in design and capacity.