Success Rate ~Little Giant Incubators

[SunAngel]

I was attributing most of the problems to it being a still air. I was under the impression the Hovabators come with a fan and different heat source...so they were more reliable and left less room for an amateur to mess up.

My eggs have all come from different places, the local auction, shipped and from a local BYCer, some of each have hatched and some of each have failed.

This LG has been so inconsistent with its hatching, despite the temp and humidity being stable, I would just like to find something that is more reliable. Although, if I am the one at fault, then I guess I should save my money and stick with buying chicks.

 

[twigg]

Quote:
Still air brings it's own set of problems, principally the problem of people opening them too often (unfortunately necessary with hand-turning)

This is especially a worry in the last few days. When high RH is needed, still air incubators have a very tough time reaching it.

A fan upgrade for your LG would be money well spent.

 

[runamuck]

My Experince they are JUNK!!!!!! If and when I use mine its used as a hatcher brooder just until chicks dry.... I have also had a hovabator ( Nice reliable incubator) Not alot more then little giants in price and work 1000% better...... I Now have upgraded to the brisea Otiagon ( spelling ) NOW that is a GREAT incubatior it hatches everything. Even hatched call ducks with loose air cells from shipping out of 12 eggs ( 1 rotten, 1 cracked) I got 50% hatch rate. And if its fertile layed here we are running at 100% hatch rate.
Allie

 

[twigg]

Quote:
*junk* was unhelpful. They are no more, and no less than the equivalent Still air Hova, you simply have to learn how to use them.

The comparasion to the Brinsea Octagon is unfair. That is probably the finest 20 egg incubator in the world, with a $300 price tag to match.

You are comparing a $45 styrofoam, still air icubator, that has simple On/Off wafer control, to an advance polycarbonate, proportional controlled, fan assisted product nearly 10 times the price.

I loved my Octagon, but I can also get very good hatches in a cooler, so we need to be mindful of that.

 

[runamuck]

I'm sorry if it came across that MY personal feeling that They are Junk offend you . I have been hatching eggs for lots of yrs now and Do know how to use the still air incubatiors but with them it gets downright tiresome to have eggs fried in the last couple days due to a spike in temp that there is no reason for other then the little giant has a "hiccup" so to speak. I guess what I was trying to say is " Your better off saving your money and getting a forced air hoverbator then trying to mess around with anything still air"
I honestly was trying to save someone the heartache of waiting 21 days and having nothing hatch due to the incubatior either "cooked the eggs or let them get to cool. I've never had that happen in my forced air bators and for around 60 more you could of saved yourself the pain.
Allie

 

[twigg]

Quote:
Nah ... you didn't offend me Allie

The problem here is that the majority of users on BYC use styrofoam incubators. What I think they need from us is help to use them properly. From the posts I read, it is clear that many don't, or don't know how.

So often I am tempted to spit out *RTFM*, but that wouldn't help either (if ya wanna know what RTFM means, you'll have to PM me)

I would LOVE to be able to tell everyone to go buy a Brinsea, but they won't or can't, so we do the best with what we have.

You are, of course right. Cheap incubators are cheap, built down to a price and better used by experts (who actually prefer not to use them at all). The only half decent one costs nearly $200, and so is not cheap. People who buy the tricked out Hova would indeed be better spending their money on the Brinsea Octagon 20 or 40. You can even put them in the dishwasher (who needs cartons now?)

On the other hand, many hobbiests wouldn't be able to incubate at all without cheap incubators, so they buy them, and we try to help

 

[MoodyChicken]

Those things suck. I put 40 eggs in last year and only one hatched. But then my friend filled it (with refrigerated eggs!) and had a 100% hatch rate. Go figure. Generally though, they're not that reliable.

 

[SunAngel]

I didn't buy this LG, just the turner...its a loan from a friend. Hoped the turner would at least up my hatchability some. Someone told me I would be able to use the same turner in a Hovabator, so with its better rating, I figured maybe I would spend the money on a Hova.

 

[silverfilly]

I have 2 LG still air incubators with out egg turners, When I hatch chicken eggs I normally get a 85-100% hatch rate but when I hatched ducks it was about 40-50%. I hatched lots last year and just fired them up again. They do take a lot of observation but I have perety good luck with them. however I would like to buy fans and turners for them but if I did that I could just buy a more expencive incubator. But since I personaly have pretty good rates I think Ill just upgrade the 2 I have and later but a more expensive one thats got better humidity controle for hatching duck and goose eggs. It is hard to get and keep the humidity up high enough for water fowl.

 

[cubalaya]

my hatch rate has varied between 60% to 85% although it could be the fertility of the eggs