Have you downloaded those instructions? It walks you through the set up, including the back up wafer thermostat. The automatic humidity system means you would not have to open during lockdown to add water to the tray (because you will). With the acrylic door though (mine is solid), you may be able to use a funnel & tube to pour water in through the access hole beside the water tray. BUT, my tubing that came with the system has been crimping occasionally, leaving me with drastic humidity crashes, so you still have to monitor it.
Staggered hatches are fine with this unit. You lockdown and up humidity with the eggs on the very bottom (I'd use a plastic box with a shelf liner bottom). You have a HUGE advantage with the acrylic door in that you can leave the auto turner on or just turn them with the manual turner switch a few times a day, since you can see if the chicks below are hatching, to make sure no one gets squished by the tuner above. Once the chicks are hatched and can come out, pull the humidity pads and allow the levels to go back to normal incubation levels.
With my solid door, I leave the turner on until I hear peeping, then I have to leave it off for the duration of the hatch, missing a turning or two. Once I'm done hatching this year, I think we're going to try to put acyrlic panels in my solid door. I'm also in the middle of my first up/down, hatch per week program, so I'll keep you updated on it
Whn I bought my hatcher (which I stupidly sold thinking I didn't need it), it came with tray covers. I was told to ONLY use them for quail, as large breed chicks can bump against the top and be unable to hatch. My Sportsman has a bottom hatching tray. Yes, they occasionally jump out, but I check with a flashlight behind the tray carefully and have not had one hurt yet from hanging out behind it for a while
Staggered hatches are fine with this unit. You lockdown and up humidity with the eggs on the very bottom (I'd use a plastic box with a shelf liner bottom). You have a HUGE advantage with the acrylic door in that you can leave the auto turner on or just turn them with the manual turner switch a few times a day, since you can see if the chicks below are hatching, to make sure no one gets squished by the tuner above. Once the chicks are hatched and can come out, pull the humidity pads and allow the levels to go back to normal incubation levels.
With my solid door, I leave the turner on until I hear peeping, then I have to leave it off for the duration of the hatch, missing a turning or two. Once I'm done hatching this year, I think we're going to try to put acyrlic panels in my solid door. I'm also in the middle of my first up/down, hatch per week program, so I'll keep you updated on it
Whn I bought my hatcher (which I stupidly sold thinking I didn't need it), it came with tray covers. I was told to ONLY use them for quail, as large breed chicks can bump against the top and be unable to hatch. My Sportsman has a bottom hatching tray. Yes, they occasionally jump out, but I check with a flashlight behind the tray carefully and have not had one hurt yet from hanging out behind it for a while
