THE Brinsea Octagon 20 Eco Thread; Hatches, etc. (PICS)

[immyjay54]

Apparent
Apparently, new research shows that turning the temp off for an hour a day improves hatch rates?!? But the fan should stay on! The new brinsea octogon 20 advance ex comes with a cooling system! I have just ordered one and am going to use my old brinsea octogon 20 as a hatchery! Slightly nervous about the cooling system! May give it a miss for the first few goes! Lol

They are probably putting this to the times that the old hen gets off the nest to eat and relieve herself. ha, ha

 

[hannahs-hens]

Yes

They are probably putting this to the times that the old hen gets off the nest to eat and relieve herself. ha, ha

I believe that's the exact reason! makes sense really!

 

[missnu01]

I hatched 18 but man oh man it was a close fit...especially with all the eggshells...I
Actually snuck in and removed as many of the shells as I could around the 9th chick...
And I found a great way to up the humidity so you can fiddle without drying out the unhatched babies...you wet a small piece of toilet paper and then make it into a small ring and put it all around the vent hole...so around the vent hole you have a small wall of wet toilet paper...since the fan pulls the air through the vent I figured that would work, and sure enough it did. I had a chick that hatched but didn't want to leave the egg yet...it had like the whole top chipped off the egg, to the point where one side of the chick had dried into fluff while the rest of the baby was still in the egg...anyway I put the wet paper around the vent hole and that last hatcher made it out on its own...halfway dry already before even leaving the egg

 

[immyjay54]

I hatched 18 but man oh man it was a close fit...especially with all the eggshells...I
Actually snuck in and removed as many of the shells as I could around the 9th chick...
And I found a great way to up the humidity so you can fiddle without drying out the unhatched babies...you wet a small piece of toilet paper and then make it into a small ring and put it all around the vent hole...so around the vent hole you have a small wall of wet toilet paper...since the fan pulls the air through the vent I figured that would work, and sure enough it did. I had a chick that hatched but didn't want to leave the egg yet...it had like the whole top chipped off the egg, to the point where one side of the chick had dried into fluff while the rest of the baby was still in the egg...anyway I put the wet paper around the vent hole and that last hatcher made it out on its own...halfway dry already before even leaving the egg

It's nice to have good endings. Tickled for you.

 

[jlgoinggreen]

Awesome!

Thanks for the toilet paper trick. I'm having trouble keeping my humidity up and was just about to ask how you guys manage with humidity. I didn't have a problem before, so I'm guessing it's the weather. Grrrrr.....

 

[jlgoinggreen]

OK, I am really having trouble keeping my humidity up. The highest I get it is to 74 and that's by opening it and putting hot water in it, but then in a few minutes it goes back down. Besides the toilet paper, are there any other tricks?

 

[jlgoinggreen]

Should I put tape over the whole so that it is completely closed or will that give them no air. I'm so worried. My humidity is down to 70 and still going down.

 

[Pancholoco]

I've used sanitary pads in the bator last batches, they really work. Good luck

 

[jlgoinggreen]

Thank you. I will try that.

 

[immyjay54]

Awesome!

Thanks for the toilet paper trick. I'm having trouble keeping my humidity up and was just about to ask how you guys manage with humidity. I didn't have a problem before, so I'm guessing it's the weather. Grrrrr.....

click my user name, go to my web site, click on incubation page and there is pictures and information of what I did. I only used my brinsea to hatch in one time because it is so small but when I did, it worked out fine. I use it for incubation all the time but then move them to styrofoam ones for hatching.
Jim
Hope this helps.