The Moonshiner's Bootleg Incubator Reviews And Discussions

[The Moonshiner]

Oh shoot, nevermind...misread...20/27 hatched...got ya

Ya I set 30 but only tossed 3 at lockdown.
Those 3 were definitely clears. Some of the 27 may have been quitters but I couldn't candle that well since it wasn't dark enough.
Figured didn't matter because with numbers I'm only disregarding clears.

You may need a Pepsi bator. Mine will hold 246 eggs.

 

[Hedgeland Farms]

Ya I set 30 but only tossed 3 at lockdown.
Those 3 were definitely clears. Some of the 27 may have been quitters but I couldn't candle that well since it wasn't dark enough.
Figured didn't matter because with numbers I'm only disregarding clears.

You may need a Pepsi bator. Mine will hold 246 eggs.

I think you confused need with want

 

[EuroChook]

Incubators are great. Can I have some moonshine now, please? My cabinet has gone run dry and I need a fine drink. (If it won't make me blind). Love the title! Sorry, I have nothing useful to add here. (Meet you on the corner, ok? Say in an hour. I'll bring the cash, you bring... whatever you got to go, please!)

 

[007Sean]

I followed that. You explained it well and I know a bit so.....
I remembered decades ago I had a gqf sportsman. It was set up with two wafer thermostats so if one failed the other would keep it running.
I figured from your post you didn't disconnect the incubators so maybe it was running simular to that old sportsman.
I've always stuck with the gqf wafer thermostats even with homebuilt incubators. For me they've always been so reliable. You of course have to dial them in at first but after that I've ran the same ones year after year without touching them.
But hey it's 2023 and I'm stepping out of my normal with some of these new fangled incubators so never know maybe some new fangled thermostat will be in an upcoming project or something.
Thanks for the info.

Yeah, my old original and my 2 'knock off' GQF's have the wafers....once dialed in they run for years without tinkering with them. Wafer thermostats were all you had when I was a kid and hatching eggs.

Actually, as I stated, it over rides the digital thermostat on the first incubator and on the second incubator, it plugs into the second outlet on the plug but since it has no temperature probe for it, it will operate at the same parameters set up on the first incubator.
So I set the parameters the same for both incubators, just in case some weird quirk should happen while I'm incubating.
I really like the Inkbird series of temperature controllers. I use to have to make temperature adjustments all the time to my cheap foam incubators but after getting the Inkbirds, that problem went away, they hold the temperature where ever you dialed into it, doesn't lose it's setting just because of a power failure or shutting it down til next season, just plug & play. No need to make adjustments.

 

[The Moonshiner]

Yeah, my old original and my 2 'knock off' GQF's have the wafers....once dialed in they run for years without tinkering with them. Wafer thermostats were all you had when I was a kid and hatching eggs.

Actually, as I stated, it over rides the digital thermostat on the first incubator and on the second incubator, it plugs into the second outlet on the plug but since it has no temperature probe for it, it will operate at the same parameters set up on the first incubator.
So I set the parameters the same for both incubators, just in case some weird quirk should happen while I'm incubating.
I really like the Inkbird series of temperature controllers. I use to have to make temperature adjustments all the time to my cheap foam incubators but after getting the Inkbirds, that problem went away, they hold the temperature where ever you dialed into it, doesn't lose it's setting just because of a power failure or shutting it down til next season, just plug & play. No need to make adjustments.

I'm getting sold on this idea.
I made a few various incubators back in my youth and I always thought the most important piece was the thermostat.
These were smaller units so you could get away without a fan. The heat source really just needed to be able to heat to 100° and be reliable to do so for 3 weeks without fail.
I got away with some stuff that wasn't the most insulated or best at holding in the heat but hey ventilation is important right?
You have me thinking. I see a lot of these homemade cooler light bulb incubators. Some look pretty good but I always cringe when there's no thermostat or a dimmer switch or something being used.
I always think d@mn throw a wafer thermostat in there and you'd be good to go.
I like the ease of use with this Inkbird. I've seen others but the plug in ability and the probe makes this pretty simple. Everyone should be considering these for homemade builds if you're not handy with wiring something in like a wafer or hell if you just want quick and simple.
Na I won't be building an incubator this season but this does give me an idea.
Ah, it's always fun when Moony has ideas.

 

[The Moonshiner]

I think you confused need with want

So you set the bar at 90%.
I got to 20 hatched 7 eggs left and no visible pips. That was concerning and it stayed like that for a few hours. Before bed I checked and had the 21st hatched and 3 pips.
Exciting stuff. If all 3 hatched I'd be at 88%.. That's an acceptable 2nd place. I didn't want to count my chickens before they hatched so I eagerly waited for morning to come with dreams of maticoopx chicks dancing in my head.
This morning I awoke to a wonderful sight. 25 of 27 hatched and of the 2 remaining eggs 1 is pipped. Now I have to make it through my work day to see if I end up at 92%, 96% or shall I dare say 100%.
Oh it's gonna be a long day.

 

[Patiocoturnix]

So you set the bar at 90%.
I got to 20 hatched 7 eggs left and no visible pips. That was concerning and it stayed like that for a few hours. Before bed I checked and had the 21st hatched and 3 pips.
Exciting stuff. If all 3 hatched I'd be at 88%.. That's an acceptable 2nd place. I didn't want to count my chickens before they hatched so I eagerly waited for morning to come with dreams of maticoopx chicks dancing in my head.
This morning I awoke to a wonderful sight. 25 of 27 hatched and of the 2 remaining eggs 1 is pipped. Now I have to make it through my work day to see if I end up at 92%, 96% or shall I dare say 100%.
Oh it's gonna be a long day.

How do you measure your hatch rate?
Do you measure it my the amount you put in including the clears?
Do you not count the clears?
Do you do it by how many go into lockdown?
Just curious I’ve always done it by the amount I put in at first.

 

[The Moonshiner]

How do you measure your hatch rate?
Do you measure it my the amount you put in including the clears?
Do you not count the clears?
Do you do it by how many go into lockdown?
Just curious I’ve always done it by the amount I put in at first.

I never much cared before and when I did I did from total sat.
Different people do it different ways and lots say don't count clears because they were never viable so that's what I'm gonna do here.
I'll disregard the obvious clears but will count any blood rings, early quitters etc.
A faulty or junk incubator can cause early deaths so I think they should be included.

 

[Hedgeland Farms]

So you set the bar at 90%.
I got to 20 hatched 7 eggs left and no visible pips. That was concerning and it stayed like that for a few hours. Before bed I checked and had the 21st hatched and 3 pips.
Exciting stuff. If all 3 hatched I'd be at 88%.. That's an acceptable 2nd place. I didn't want to count my chickens before they hatched so I eagerly waited for morning to come with dreams of maticoopx chicks dancing in my head.
This morning I awoke to a wonderful sight. 25 of 27 hatched and of the 2 remaining eggs 1 is pipped. Now I have to make it through my work day to see if I end up at 92%, 96% or shall I dare say 100%.
Oh it's gonna be a long day.

You're definitely having a solid hatch!!! I think that's pretty awesome!


I'll accept my defeat








For now....

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I'm getting sold on this idea.
I made a few various incubators back in my youth and I always thought the most important piece was the thermostat.
These were smaller units so you could get away without a fan. The heat source really just needed to be able to heat to 100° and be reliable to do so for 3 weeks without fail.
I got away with some stuff that wasn't the most insulated or best at holding in the heat but hey ventilation is important right?
You have me thinking. I see a lot of these homemade cooler light bulb incubators. Some look pretty good but I always cringe when there's no thermostat or a dimmer switch or something being used.
I always think d@mn throw a wafer thermostat in there and you'd be good to go.
I like the ease of use with this Inkbird. I've seen others but the plug in ability and the probe makes this pretty simple. Everyone should be considering these for homemade builds if you're not handy with wiring something in like a wafer or hell if you just want quick and simple.
Na I won't be building an incubator this season but this does give me an idea.
Ah, it's always fun when Moony has ideas.

We made one of those for our first few hatches like 10 years ago for 4H. The light would flick on and off to control the temperature and we had to mist the inside to work with the humidity. Worked decently the first 2 or 3 hatches, I still have 2 or 3 of the birds I hatched from the first batch