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

[grammachicken]

I have been using the Brinsea Octagon 40 for several years now. I have always used the wire bars and have had no trouble with them. I have the automatic turner so that isn't a worry. As far as rocking the eggs I think just moving them from one bottom to the next several times a day will suffice. I don't think a hen has a watch to time how often she adjusts the eggs. I love the incubator but use a hovabator as a hatcher for the last few days. The humidity is a guess in my Octagon but filling the water troughs and using the evaporation paper has always worked just fine. I have hatched countless eggs, chicken, duck, and goose in mine and always been happy that I made the purchase.

I also have 2 Suro incubators that control the temp and humidity but still like and trust my Octagon more.

 

[OldChurchEggery1]

I do not put muffin cups, egg cartons, or any other kind of egg-holders in either of my Brinsea 20 Eco units. I use the bars during the first 18-19 days of incubation and then remove them at hatch time. Seems to work fine for me. I don't put my eggs vertically in between the wire bars, I'd say it's about a 45 degree angle or so. When I go to top up the water trough, I tilt them the opposite way. I use the automatic turning cradle.

I really, really like my two units. Growing up, my mom used one of those styrofoam incubators that had the plastic and metal turners inside. Incubators have come a long way, and I really appreciate how much easier the Brinseas are to clean!

 

[cielo]

Quote:
YES! I crushed my lone surviving leghorn egg a few weeks back. I was REALLY upset about it. I killed it! Well, me and those wire brackets!

Grrrr.... That alone makes the Eco 20 lose points in my mind. Now I try to fit them lose but it's hard when there aren't a ton of eggs in there. it needs spacers or something. I do not think the wire brackets are a good design feature. The rest of it is so great. I understand why those eggs need to be held in there because when that thing tips, it TIPS. If I crack another egg in there though... It seems to be doing well otherwise and it is easy to clean.

I have a Hovabator 2362n also with auto turner and I LOVE it. I'm trying to love my Eco 20 w/cradle, right now I just like it.

I have 6 California Grey eggs I just put in lockdown today in my Eco 20. I had a weird time where my temp and humidity fluctuated like crazy but now it seems okay. I had to rig a paper towel/zip tie near the vent hole contraption so I could syringe in some water. I put the eggs in the flat top of an egg carton, just for fun. Hoping to see some chicks this weekend!

Anyone have the Brinsea Spot Check? I'm thinking of getting one... Comments about it? I'm still trying to find the perfect temp/hum measuring device.

Good luck with your bators! How many others are incubating right now?

 

[bikerchic]

I am incubating in mine. One is on day 9. Another has eggs arriving tomorrow for it.

 

[judyc]

Well, I bought one off Ebay last year, and am just using it now. I purchased a turner from Brinsea, but it does not seem to work at all, right out of the box! I'm turning these by hand.

I think I like my Lyon Roll-X better.

 

[Impress]

^^^^ These as in the eggs? Because the design is meant for you to just turn the whole incubator back and forth. Unless maybe you purchased it without the bars? As for anyone having trouble with the wire brackets/bars, cardboard and felt are your friends, my friends.

 

[jmc]

Maybe at some point i will understand how one can crack an egg by means of the brackets in this bator. Right now, from my little experience and success, i can't.............


the following is wordy, but i think it has valuable data and is worth reading with care..................maybe

I bought a Spot Check and gave up on it. in every place i put it/anchored it in the bator it always read something different: when i hung it at 'mid egg height' through the vent hole, it read one thing; when i twist tied the probe down to one of the brackets at 'mid egg height', i got something else (the whole unit was in the bator for this); when i twist tied the probe to that the tip was right next to the glass therm. tip, it read something else, NOT what the glass therm read.

According the therm i have, every spot in the bator has a different temp, horizontal and vertical!

So what did i do? i put the thing back in its package and did what impress and others did, I just set the bator according to the glass therm and hoped for the best. I had the therms in each unit showing, +/- 99.8.

Got a perfect hatch right on time.

NOW GET THIS: according to Spot check, egg level is much cooler than the glass therm level. I ignored spot check and plowed ahead. ALSO, AFTER the hatch I tested again w/spot check. At egg level, bator 2 was at 98.3 degrees; at egg level, bator 3 was at 99.2 degrees. WAIT A MINUTE, if this is true, should all the eggs i had in these bators hatched, not late and all soaked, but right on time like they did?

If spot was true, my temps were too low and should have had a late hatch with slimy babies. NOTHING of the sort happened.

I don't think I will use spot again, but will just go by the built in.

 

[cielo]

Quote:
The glass thermo included in my ECO 20 is mounted up by the fan, it reads hotter than thermos lower. The glass reads around 103, however my eggs seem to be doing fine so I haven't fiddled with the temp control. This is my first hatch full hatch in this bator. Should have chicks Sunday!

As far as my lack of skills with the wire dividers... I'm just special.

Eggs are different sizes, sometimes they fit too tight or loose... I don't know.

 

[cielo]

Quote:
I'd like some new friends!

Can you send or post a picture?

 

[bikerchic]

I try to group the egg shapes together in the same rows. Fat eggs together, skinny eggs together, etc. That seems to help situate them better in the dividers.