Setting 80 on 9/8, 10/1, 10/24, and probably 11/16

[WVduckchick]

Cute! And that dust is something else, huh? 67 still inside? Wow!

 

[NTBugtraq]

What a reason to cull. Seems the Brinsea did well, we're the eggs similar across both incubators?

Yup, I get my eggs sorted according to age and then put 1 in this bator, 1 in that, and so on... So the only egg variable is fertility. I'll know more when I do eggtopsies later today.

 

[NTBugtraq]

 

[WalnutHill]

Overall just over half the eggs you set hatched. Not awesome results, but 42 more chicks than you had before, so not all bad.

As to the incubators, what did you think about each of them over the course of incubation?

 

[NTBugtraq]

Overall just over half the eggs you set hatched. Not awesome results, but 42 more chicks than you had before, so not all bad.

As to the incubators, what did you think about each of them over the course of incubation?

Well, I don't know if there is a cost difference between the Janoel and the Brinsea...so that aside, I'd go with the Brinsea. I still don't like the metal rails, but the electronics are a lot less finicky than the Janoel's. The Janoel alarm is constantly being triggered (e.g. just to open it and add water) and its not easy to see the eggs inside it. Adding water is also trickier when the egg turner is present, there's very little of the water channel open to be poured into.

OTOH, the Brinsea with the automatic humidity pump managed to overflow a couple of the water channels in the last few days of the hatch. I don't understand why that would happen, with 2 full channels it should have stopped calling for additional water. Putting the cover back on the Brinsea when there are chicks inside is a little tricky too. It would be better if it had a hinged long side so if any chicks jump out, they'd be jumping onto the lid. Also, the Brinsea is more and less difficult to clean. The lid fills with dust and there's no clear way to get it out of there. I'm planning on using an air compressor. The base has nicely rounded corners everywhere, allowing for it to be wiped easier.

Both let excess water come out of the bottom, which in turn spills onto whatever surface they're on. I don't get why they'd be built that way.

Finally, the Brinsea takes up less space, which I like.

 

[WVduckchick]

On my Janoel knockoff, I outlined the tops of the channels with permanent marker, just so I could see where they were. Made getting water in the right places easier. And I use bendy straws linked together, through a vent hole to add water exactly where I want it to go.

Do you use the pads with the Brinsea humidity pump? Mine came with little V-clips that snap into the lid, and a thick paper-ish pad that folds and hangs in the V-clips, and the pump drips the water onto them. No water gets added to the channels by the pump. I'm surprised yours allowed it to overfill also.

And I was thinking before I use the Brinsea again, I'm considering wrapping the metal rails with some of that craft foam paper that you can get that has adhesive on the back. I cracked one egg taking the rails out, although I know it was because I had the rails in too tightly. I still don't like how hard they are.

ETA I also wonder why they didn't hinge the lid. I'm always getting it crooked and taking longer than I'd like to set it back on there!

 

[FridayYet]

On my Janoel knockoff, I outlined the tops of the channels with permanent marker, just so I could see where they were. Made getting water in the right places easier. And I use bendy straws linked together, through a vent hole to add water exactly where I want it to go.

Do you use the pads with the Brinsea humidity pump? Mine came with little V-clips that snap into the lid, and a thick paper-ish pad that folds and hangs in the V-clips, and the pump drips the water onto them. No water gets added to the channels by the pump. I'm surprised yours allowed it to overfill also.

And I was thinking before I use the Brinsea again, I'm considering wrapping the metal rails with some of that craft foam paper that you can get that has adhesive on the back. I cracked one egg taking the rails out, although I know it was because I had the rails in too tightly. I still don't like how hard they are.

ETA I also wonder why they didn't hinge the lid. I'm always getting it crooked and taking longer than I'd like to set it back on there!

X 2. The pads catch the drip and the fan blows on it causing evaporation. Never had any leak or drop below the pad into the incubator

Do you guys use the foam strips inside the rails? I did, and the eggs were held by the foam and never touched the metal rails. Seems to be tons of ways to load a Brinsea.

 

[WalnutHill]

Did you load eggs fat end up in both, or horizontal in the Brinsea?

 

[NTBugtraq]

Did you load eggs fat end up in both, or horizontal in the Brinsea?

All eggs were loaded laying on their sides in both bators this time. I run into a snag trying to keep them on end after I cull the clear eggs (I need to cut up pieces of Styrofoam to make filling for rows with eggs removed). I will make a note to myself to make my first setting next year on ends as a comparison.

I'm still struggling to figure out how to use the metal rails in the Brinsea. I often find that by the time I have all the eggs in, I cannot easily remove the eggs to candle on Day 10. This is where I have broken eggs before. Note, in all but this last hatch I have only used X-Large and smaller eggs, no jumbos...but egg shape has probably had something to do with this problem I have.

FWIW, I had 8 eggs in this setting that were 70g or larger (Jumbos). 4 hatched, 2 were late deaths, 1 an early death, and 1 clear. IOWs, nothing special, just average.

 

[NTBugtraq]

X 2. The pads catch the drip and the fan blows on it causing evaporation. Never had any leak or drop below the pad into the incubator

Do you guys use the foam strips inside the rails? I did, and the eggs were held by the foam and never touched the metal rails. Seems to be tons of ways to load a Brinsea.

There was a pad in place, although its the same pad I used for my last 3 hatches...maybe it gave out, I never paid attention because I'd never had a problem before...so probably my fault for being too frugal. I could not see the water being built up because the tray is in the way, so I didn't know until it had already spilt over.

I tried the foam inside the rails, but clearly my eggs are bigger somehow as I can never get them all into the trays without some squeezing...and I can only fit 40, not 48. If I put 48 in on their ends, they fall out of the rails during the ridiculous turn the turner gives them (seriously, it looks > 45 deg but its probably just 45 deg, either way, it doesn't need to be that dramatic.) If I put the foam in some eggs also end up being above the rails (unless I give them a really significant push, during which I have broken 1 egg in the past).

On my Janoel knockoff, I outlined the tops of the channels with permanent marker, just so I could see where they were. Made getting water in the right places easier. And I use bendy straws linked together, through a vent hole to add water exactly where I want it to go.

I like that idea, but when I go into lockdown I put paper towels on the bottom to get a more even humidity, so I can't make that. I have to keep adding water each day to keep a 65-70% humidity in there. This Janoel belongs to a friend, and I plan on returning it and buying another Brinsea. If I were to keep it, I would use multiple shot glasses of water to maintain humidity during lockdown...avoiding the channels.

And I was thinking before I use the Brinsea again, I'm considering wrapping the metal rails with some of that craft foam paper that you can get that has adhesive on the back. I cracked one egg taking the rails out, although I know it was because I had the rails in too tightly. I still don't like how hard they are.

I really like this idea, but it still doesn't solve my problem of tight eggs. But, if my issue was strange shaped eggs, using more traditionally shaped eggs should make the problem less. The foam would make me happier too...but I am thinking about making some rails out of strips of plastic. This would completely put my mind to rest about rails, and solve all my other problems. I'll make them tall enough to contain any egg at any angle, yet flexible enough to let one egg bulge if needed.

Anyone interested in buying my Brinsea Octo ADV EX 40 with Humidity Pump, used 4 times? If I can sell it for a decent price, I'm buying an Ova-Easy 100.