NOT so impressed with the LG (UPDATE: PIPS!!)

[FenDruadin]

Thanks again for all the feedback--wow! And I'm sorry you've had such a horrific experience, Annarie.

My eggs are all still living, but no pips yet, which is weird 'cause I usually have early hatches. I'm getting worried about them.

Nothing too awful has happened in the bator, but I had to give up on just lifting the lid to let cool air in because A) they're in lockdown and B) it wasn't working anyway. So I had to turn the knob. Grrrr!

I know the Brinsea would "pay for itself," but you have to understand that the ducklings I sell also have to pay for the feed for their parents, pay for the feed for any ducklings I'm growing out, pay for an improvements or accessories I need for the duck business, and also pay for winter savings because my ducks won't be producing all winter and even if they were, people don't buy ducklings in December generally. So it would actually take quite a lot of hatches at 20 eggs each to cover all my expenses.

My hovabator is awesome. I probably won't buy another LG, unless this hatch turns out really well, but I might buy another hovabator. It has performed spectacularly for me, turning out reliably high-percentage hatches, and it fits 42 eggs, so it doesn't take long to make up for its cost. The thing is, it has to pay for itself *before* I purchase it, not after--so I have to wait.

In the meantime... I'll keep doing what I'm doing and see if I can't get the LG to perform satisfactorily.

Oh, and Manda0227--I did get the LG before I needed it. The eggs were already incubating in my Hovabator, and I transferred them just for the lockdown portion of the hatch. I purchased the LG several days before I needed it and ran it to get it steady. I was actually quite impressed with it at first because it *did* hold steady, even when I added water. Right up until I put eggs in it.

It's actually a small batch--only 11 eggs. The rest of the batch was quail eggs that have already hatched and then there are another 21 eggs in the Hovabator that were set two weeks after the currently locked down batch. So if I lose them, it's at least not a lot. But I hate losing even one, so here's hoping...

 

[FenDruadin]

Oh, happy day! Two pips tonight! Probably more to come now that they've gotten started. Hurray! Now, if the LG will just refrain from cooking them...

 

[morninggloryhatchery]

Quote:
Congrats!!!

I am putting 40 chicken eggs in the bator I am borrowing which is a LG

it goes well!

 

[FenDruadin]

And now FIVE pips out of the eleven eggs so far. One is an eager beaver--has already seriously expanded the pip and has its sweet little nose out in the world.

And the towel trick worked--last night I put a towel over one window & side and this morning the temp was right on. Woot!

 

[rwwjsw]

I have 2 LGs one for an incubator and one for a hatcher and yes the temp bounces from 98 to 102 quite often but for the most part they rest between 99.0 and 100.5 so I do not worry about it. I try not to mess with the setting unless it goes above 102 then I will tune it down some but my biggest problem is the humidity I have the hardest time keeping that up. In my hatcher I have 2 sponges and a rolled up washcloth plus I fill the reservoirs and I cannot keep water in it the sponges and washcloth dry out in about 24hours and the water does not begin to stay in the reservoir. I use a thermometer and humidity gauge I got from Wal-Mart it gives out and in temp along with humidity but I have to put it in the hatcher to get the humidity, so I do the out and in temp both, the out wire I lay in the floor of the hatcher and then from what I can tell the in temp is red from the top of the thermometer so I am reading hi and low temps that does pretty cool and they stay with in about an ½ of a degree of each other but I cannot keep the humidity right. I can get the humidity up to about 70% and that is it in the beginning of lockdown but after that it drops barely able to keep 50%. Taped over almost all of the holes in the one I use for a bator and then taped over about ½ of them in the hatcher still cannot keep moisture up in it and my hatches are very poor. I am looking to build me a cab style got almost everything I need to do it but a thermostat I want a programmable one something like what you would have in your house but they do not get hot enough most all of them I have found only go to 95 deg. Guess I will keep looking. When I get it build and tested I will let everyone know how it does and how I built it.

 

[Sweetfolly]

Well, my four surviving duck eggs that were incubated in the LG (I moved them to one of my Octagon 20's to hatch) are all out!

I helped two of them a little, but I was surprised - when I moved them into the Brinsea, I opened a little hole in the egg and I could see how shrink-wrapped they were, but I got the humidity nice and high and they were actually able to move around enough to all zip at least halfway around the egg themselves! It wasn't pretty, it wasn't a clean, normal zip, but the little buggers did it.

I ended up with three healthy Dark Campbells and one Hookbill/Khaki Campbell cross (his navel is a little rough, but he'll live).

I really wish that more of the eggs had made it, but I have 20 Indian Runner eggs in my Brinsea (set in three different batches, the first one is due on Memorial Day, another batch on 6/10, and another batch on 6/17; and the 'bator could hold two or three more eggs yet!) to look forward to - they're all going strong.

 

[ginbart]

Quote:
I forgot to tell you. I put tape all around my windows. I think the heat comes out from around them. After I did that the temp stayed better.

 

[Sher]

oh, I just got two of them. I actually am new to this, so did not know there was a difference. So far, mine have held pretty steady. I did order a couple digital thermometer/hygrometers to make sure my temps were good. Now that I know they have problems, I'll keep a really good eye on it. Not that I dont' I must check it 10 times a day! so anxious for my first hatch.

1 Bearded Collie, 4 calves, 3 goats, eggs in the hatcher and sheep coming soon.
Grandma to Cole, Mom to Tim, and Mom-in-law to Alex, the saint!

 

[mayberrygirl]

Honestly, my first hatch with it went off without a hitch, it was in the kitchen & we got 100% hatch. I had to move it to the laundry room and the vent is covered and the temps are wilder then my son after a candy bar. Funny though how the dryer running doesn't affect it though.

 

[FenDruadin]

Now I have two ducklings out and more zipping. I think the LG is working fine as a hatcher after all. Putting a towel over one of the windows is working like a charm! I just move it when I want to see in that window, and then replace it, being careful not to cover the large vent holes.

I really appreciate all the feedback!