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

[podgal]

7 turkey eggs going into lockdown. Aircells look good. Put 4 sponges and filled the throughs. Dropped the temp a degree. Humidity staying around 65 to 70%. Eggs are wiggling...

 

[Phoenix5ire]

Guess I'll leave them, and they'll be fine... (LOL) But seriously, thank you.

What are your thoughts about turning the first 3 days with shipped eggs?

Tonight, I'm putting in some shipped eggs, this is also my first time with shipped eggs. Initial candling of the shipped eggs didn't look good, it's unfortunate. The air cells (ones that can be seen), most of them were distorted; some ruptured and some damaged. Based on observations, almost every one of them had some damage from shipping, I don't know if better packaging would help. If they were air-shipped, most will likely be rupture due to high altitude air pressure (compression). Lucky me, I have both; ruptured and damaged. After pages of reading on BYC and other hatcheries, I've concluded the consensus is to set them idle for 24hrs with air-cell side up, then incubate the eggs standing up (air-cell side up) for the first 7-8 days and do not turn them. For the remaining days until day 18th, do turn them but no more than +/- 45 degrees. So this is what I'm going to do and hope for the best.

Good luck with yours and keep us updated with your result. I'll do the same, I know there are tons of information on shipped eggs and damage air-cell but hope my experience/ result helps another BYC.

Happy Hatching.

 

[Phoenix5ire]

Holy cow, straight from barnyard to Ayam Cemani? Now I know why you're worried about every single egg. I have no experience with shipped eggs, so I can't help you there, but it sounds like your incubator parameters are good

Yep, that's how I roll. *LOLOLO

I think I just stumbled onto that same slippery slope you're on. Well, I wasn't about to pay $2,000

for those Ayam pair from Green Fire Farm. Got my eggs the other day, I've got some challenges with them rupture and damage, I guess I'll pay for it either way but should be a great learning experience.


As for the last batch, 17 hatched out of 20, that's 85% hatch rate I can put under my belt. I did open the 3 eggs that didn't hatch to learn from it, again, these 3 were the ones brought to me from 1.5hrs away. I contribute the travel (rough riding) as having some affects on their development. The 3 eggs had a growing chick but was never fully developed, they all died prematurely. Not sure if you want to call them quitters or they never fully attached due to their air-cell being damaged. Was out of my control imo.

In my amateur, "set it and live it" incubating conclusion, while the glass thermostat in the Brinsea was hard to read, between it and my 2nd digital hygrometer, I would estimate that my temperature was solid between 99.5-100°F and RH between 42-45%. 90% of the eggs hatched by day 20 and all chicks came out strong and healthy. Today marks their 11th day and they are all healthy as can be.

Brinsea deliver as promised, I give it 10


Happy Hatching!

 

[FridayYet]

I did my day 7 candle yesterday, and I'm pretty happy with the way most if the air cells look. Even my worst ones seem mostly fixed into place now.

24 eggs rested end up for 24 hours, but the last 6 took an extra day to get to me and the box was damaged. One egg was cracked beyond repair so 5 sat for 4 hours or so and they all went in the bator together, fat end up. I didn't turn for 3 days, and used the Brinsea auto turn cradle which ricks very slowly.

15 eggs show good development, 9 were iffy and I left them in, and I pulled 5 with blood rings. I'm set at 40 % humidity and 99.5 degrees.

Can't wait to see your results, since I know I will set more shipped eggs in the future!

 

[podgal]

Well, I ordered 4 each of Chocolate and bronze eggs from Porter's. He sent me 5 of each. 7 made it to lockdown and 5 hatched!!! My first turkey poults! Collecting eggs to hatch some chicks from my own stock. Love my little Brinsea. I used canned air to spray all the debris out of the top. Clean up wasn't that bad.

 

[JennyTenney]

I've enjoyed reading this thread and getting some good tips from you all. I got my first advanced 20 a month ago and just put my first batch of BCMs in lockdown yesterday. I'm a bundle of nerves. I finally got the humidity just right. I followed many recommendations (not necessarily specific to the brinsea) and put rubber shelf lining under the eggs for traction and easy clean up...problem was...after several hours the humidity hadn't jumped up despite adding many strips of sham wow to the bottom. I figured out that the rubber lining was providing a complete moisture barrier which was not good. So out came the lining and voila! Humidity jumped way up.

When I first bought the 20, I looked all over to find a digital thermometer that would work to double check the settings. Couldn't find one that worked in time for the first eggs to go in....so I went on faith. The eggs progressed right on schedule...and here's a side note on that...

This was also my first attempt at shipped eggs. The eggs arrived super fast and shipped so nicely. All the air sacs appeared intact. Everyone developed on perfectly up to lockdown when I did my last candle (I only candled at days 7, 14, 18). At lockdown I had 16/17 perfect little embryos. Not bad for shipped eggs!

But I digress...so I bought an avian digital thermometer on amazon that fits perfectly on top the eggs. I popped it in just to double check the humidity at lockdown. I was surprised to see that it was reading about 99.3, while the brinsea was reading around 99.7 ish. After seeing all those perfectly well developed embryos I certainly wasn't going to adjust the temp now. There's also a wider difference in humidity. It's enough to give me an ulcer I swear.

So I have 24 Paul smith ameraucanas eggs coming an about a week to fill the 20 up again. But the truly obsessive personality that I am...that wasn't going to be enough. I decided I really needed 2 incubators to give me more flexibility...and as long as I was going to buy another one...it really made more sense to just go ahead and get a 40. Yes my husband thinks I'm crazy. But then he heard that egg prices are expected to triple soon and I may be onto something! So to fill the new 40 that just arrived yesterday....which is gigantic BTW, I ordered 3 different batched of Isbars and another batch of BCMs.

Dealing with these other egg sellers made me really appreciate how well the first experience went. And I'm sure since my first shipped eggs were so pristinely delivered and developed so well, my next batches are bound to be scrambled. Here goes my ulcer....

Anyways...thanks for reading. I've had chickens for 5 years but this year I've decided to jump into the breeding aspect. It has been a journey. Long story short...I love my brinsea 20 and 40!

 

[scflock]

I've enjoyed reading this thread and getting some good tips from you all. I got my first advanced 20 a month ago and just put my first batch of BCMs in lockdown yesterday. I'm a bundle of nerves. I finally got the humidity just right. I followed many recommendations (not necessarily specific to the brinsea) and put rubber shelf lining under the eggs for traction and easy clean up...problem was...after several hours the humidity hadn't jumped up despite adding many strips of sham wow to the bottom. I figured out that the rubber lining was providing a complete moisture barrier which was not good. So out came the lining and voila! Humidity jumped way up.

When I first bought the 20, I looked all over to find a digital thermometer that would work to double check the settings. Couldn't find one that worked in time for the first eggs to go in....so I went on faith. The eggs progressed right on schedule...and here's a side note on that...

This was also my first attempt at shipped eggs. The eggs arrived super fast and shipped so nicely. All the air sacs appeared intact. Everyone developed on perfectly up to lockdown when I did my last candle (I only candled at days 7, 14, 18). At lockdown I had 16/17 perfect little embryos. Not bad for shipped eggs!

But I digress...so I bought an avian digital thermometer on amazon that fits perfectly on top the eggs. I popped it in just to double check the humidity at lockdown. I was surprised to see that it was reading about 99.3, while the brinsea was reading around 99.7 ish. After seeing all those perfectly well developed embryos I certainly wasn't going to adjust the temp now. There's also a wider difference in humidity. It's enough to give me an ulcer I swear.

So I have 24 Paul smith ameraucanas eggs coming an about a week to fill the 20 up again. But the truly obsessive personality that I am...that wasn't going to be enough. I decided I really needed 2 incubators to give me more flexibility...and as long as I was going to buy another one...it really made more sense to just go ahead and get a 40. Yes my husband thinks I'm crazy. But then he heard that egg prices are expected to triple soon and I may be onto something! So to fill the new 40 that just arrived yesterday....which is gigantic BTW, I ordered 3 different batched of Isbars and another batch of BCMs.

Dealing with these other egg sellers made me really appreciate how well the first experience went. And I'm sure since my first shipped eggs were so pristinely delivered and developed so well, my next batches are bound to be scrambled. Here goes my ulcer....

Anyways...thanks for reading. I've had chickens for 5 years but this year I've decided to jump into the breeding aspect. It has been a journey. Long story short...I love my brinsea 20 and 40!

I'm so jealous of the 40. One day...
There was a thread on here about a month ago by a guy who was doing his first incubation in a 40. He had great results, and it sounded every bit as dependable as the 20.
My first hatch in a 20 was drawn out from days 21-23. I bought a Spot Check to double check temps, and I was averaging about a half degree low. I still had a 90% hatch, but it was slow. I bumped the temperature on the display up to 100.0. I've done 4 hatches since then, and every one is like popcorn on day 21 now

 

[JennyTenney]

I'm so jealous of the 40. One day...
There was a thread on here about a month ago by a guy who was doing his first incubation in a 40. He had great results, and it sounded every bit as dependable as the 20.
My first hatch in a 20 was drawn out from days 21-23. I bought a Spot Check to double check temps, and I was averaging about a half degree low. I still had a 90% hatch, but it was slow. I bumped the temperature on the display up to 100.0. I've done 4 hatches since then, and every one is like popcorn on day 21 now

Thanks for the information! From what I've read 100 degrees is still a comfortable range so I'd be good with trying that. Wish I wasn't starting out with such pricey eggs but that's how I roll I guess.

 

[scflock]

Thanks for the information! From what I've read 100 degrees is still a comfortable range so I'd be good with trying that. Wish I wasn't starting out with such pricey eggs but that's how I roll I guess.

I would be comfortable with anything under 100.5. Temps a tad high seem to be better than temps a tad low. When they are a tad low. the hatch gets drug out, and you start getting more chances of drowning chicks, or leg and feet problems. I would rather have chicks hatch on day 20 than day 23. I take an average of temps all over my Octagon 20. I will get readings as low as 99.0 and as high as 100.5. I take the average of all those temps, and that's how I came up with 100 on the display. It also seemed that one side of the incubator was consistently a little cooler than the other, so every time I add water, I rotate the egg tray 180 degrees. I'm not one to say that my recommendations will work for everyone, but from what you have described, I would be totally comfortable at 100.0. If you have any question, gauge it by how your hatch goes this weekend. If the majority of yours hatch by day 21, I wouldn't change anything. If you get 50% or less on day 21, and your hatch stretches into days 22 and 23, then I would absolutely bump the display to 100.0

 

[JennyTenney]

I would be comfortable with anything under 100.5. Temps a tad high seem to be better than temps a tad low. When they are a tad low. the hatch gets drug out, and you start getting more chances of drowning chicks, or leg and feet problems. I would rather have chicks hatch on day 20 than day 23. I take an average of temps all over my Octagon 20. I will get readings as low as 99.0 and as high as 100.5. I take the average of all those temps, and that's how I came up with 100 on the display. It also seemed that one side of the incubator was consistently a little cooler than the other, so every time I add water, I rotate the egg tray 180 degrees. I'm not one to say that my recommendations will work for everyone, but from what you have described, I would be totally comfortable at 100.0. If you have any question, gauge it by how your hatch goes this weekend. If the majority of yours hatch by day 21, I wouldn't change anything. If you get 50% or less on day 21, and your hatch stretches into days 22 and 23, then I would absolutely bump the display to 100.0

Exciting...but not good for my ulcer! Thank goodness for this site and all of you wonderful people willing to share your experience. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a good hatch!