The Dickey has arrived!

[Cowgirl71]

Quote:
x2, I've been wondering this as well.

Also, what kind of hatch rates do you all get? Like maybe 90% of all fertile eggs???

Between all the praise for the Dickey from BYC, and this quote from his website (below), I'm thinking I'll get a Dickey instead of a Sportsman 1502. The Dickey is also a little cheaper, and I like supporting the little guy, rather than a big business.

Here's the quote I mentioned (which is stuck in my mind!

):

When you own a Dickey Incubator, if an egg doesn't hatch, it wasn't going to!​

 

[A.T. Hagan]

I typically get 90%+ on chicken eggs and 85%+ on my Midget White turkey eggs in my Dickey 2x2.

I plan my hatches at least a week apart. This gives the newer eggs a chance to lose the moisture they need to before they go into their final three days.

 

[muddyhorse]

I have a question I have had mine a month now and LOVE it. when you hatch do you just lay the eggs in the tray and put the lid on ? I was used to hatching upright in egg cartons. right now I have light sussex hatching like pop corn down there

 

[Cowgirl71]

A.T. Hagan :

I typically get 90%+ on chicken eggs and 85%+ on my Midget White turkey eggs in my Dickey 2x2.

I plan my hatches at least a week apart. This gives the newer eggs a chance to lose the moisture they need to before they go into their final three days.

Thanks!

I was wondering about turkey eggs as well. Does Mr. Dickey sell turkey egg trays? How many eggs do they hold?

The Dickey has a wood interior (vs. the Sportsman 1502, which is laminated wood), so I'm wondering how easy it is to clean/sterilize?

How easy/maintenance free is the Dickey to run? I'm really interested in one of those "boring" incubators, the kind where you don't have to do or worry about anything. Because like many people, I'm rather busy and don't have the time to babysit an incubator all year with my face plastered to the acrylic, LOL.​

 

[Cowgirl71]

Also, for all you Dickey owners... I've heard several people mention that their Dickey is VERY stable in temperature. I wanted to double check that it stays rock-solid for you all even when the eggs are "young" and "old" (i.e. creating different amounts of body heat), when the eggs are hatching, high humidity vs. low humidity, and when the incubator is almost empty vs. totally full? And when the temperature in the room varies by a few degrees (day/night and January/July)?

 

[muddyhorse]

the temps have been rock solid. I would say 95 % + hatches on easy to hatch breeds orps, sussex ect. 90% on harder breeds polish, silkies. way better than anything else I have used. I just hatched 12 of 12 SHIPPED light sussex eggs from Pearly Sue.

the turkey rack holds 20 you can put two in a tray. he sent me a free one as a joke because I told him I wasn't going to let my brother hatch any of his turkey eggs in MY incubator.

I put in eggs and then chicks come out it is magic. no fiddling with dials spiking temps ect.

No mater what you choose I would order sooner rather than later because as gas prices go up so will shipping costs

 

[A.T. Hagan]

Quote:
Yes, he sells turkey egg trays. Each one holds twenty eggs. Two trays to the rack.

The Dickey has a wood interior (vs. the Sportsman 1502, which is laminated wood), so I'm wondering how easy it is to clean/sterilize?

The box is painted inside and out so it's fairly easy to clean. I line the pan in the bottom with foil to make for easier clean up. I line the hatching trays with that rubbery non-slip shelf liner which makes it much easier to clean them when the hatch is over.

How easy/maintenance free is the Dickey to run? I'm really interested in one of those "boring" incubators, the kind where you don't have to do or worry about anything. Because like many people, I'm rather busy and don't have the time to babysit an incubator all year with my face plastered to the acrylic, LOL.

Keep the water tank full and you're good to go once the eggs have been set until you need to refill the tank about four or five days later. This presumes you've gotten the box stabilized and adjusted before you set the eggs.
Quote:
My box can vary by about 4/10s of a degree through out the course of a day, empty or full, whether the a/c or heat comes on or not. Temperature stability is very good.

Humidity can vary somewhat because much depends on how much it swings in the room you're keeping the box in and the weather outside. Normally mine won't vary more than a few points in the course of a day this time of year once I get the vents adjusted properly.

I keep a chart on my refrigerator that I record incubator data on. Three times a day - when I first get up, when I'm cooking supper, and just before I go to bed I write down the date, time, temperature, and humidity plus any notes such as candling, adding or removing eggs, and so on. Once I had the box running and adjusted it does not vary a whole lot unless I've opened the door. Even then within ten minutes it's usually back to the proper temperature and humidity. If I have to open it up during the final three days I keep a mister bottle on top. Just before I close the door I mist the inside lightly three or four times. The humidity comes back to where it should be within minutes.​

 

[Cowgirl71]

Thank you so much for all the info everyone!

You guys are really pushing me in the Dickey direction...

IF I were to order a Sportsman 1502, I'd get it from Sure Hatch (best pricing). They will replace any broken parts within one year of purchase. I haven't heard of anyone's Dickey needing replacement parts of any kind (other than from rough handling during shipping). Is it safe to say I shouldn't need any replacement parts for a Dickey for at least a few years?

While on that subject, I was also wondering about getting replacement parts in 10 years or so. Mr. Dickey may not be in the business anymore. How easily would I be able to replace different parts of the incubator, if I can't get them through him? Maybe I should ask him this question, I dunno...

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

I think he will be around but if he wasn't the sportsman turner, fan, heater, thermostats an what not all should work in a dickeys. I have one that I think he made an it has to be over 10 years old.

 

[Duramaxgirl]

Oh I'm ordering mine very soon! I've got $300 saved and DH is gonna match me when I get half saved! Only $62.50 to go! I can't wait! I'm so tired of loosing chicks to in my LGs.