The Moonshiner's Bootleg Incubator Reviews And Discussions

[Hedgeland Farms]

Ya probably not the best to hatch but they are the best to eat.
And of course I very really get any of those here.

I just got my lil ufo incubator delivered about 30 minutes ago. Haven't got a chance to open it yet.
Now I need to get one of those inkbird thermostats asap. I didn't realize there were a few options. I'll have to do some reading which I hate but looks like there's two basic ones. A regular one and a "water proof" one for aquariums. Then each has a regular model and a wifi model. And then..... ya too many options

Sigh...research!!!
I don't know that we can ever get away from it...not if we wanna continue to learn and grow..

But I am a person that hyperfixates on things and researching can actually be exhausting

Though I enjoy most of it now that I am not researching what someone else has told me to...and I can draw my own educated decisions instead of the "right" one...

 

[The Moonshiner]

Sigh...research!!!
I don't know that we can ever get away from it...not if we wanna continue to learn and grow..

But I am a person that hyperfixates on things and researching can actually be exhausting

Though I enjoy most of it now that I am not researching what someone else has told me to...and I can draw my own educated decisions instead of the "right" one...

I'm smarter then the average bear though so what I've quickly concluded is that their most basic model would work fine so..... in theory any of them should work. Instead of researching further I'll just buy the cheapest one I can find no matter which model and make it work.
Forget the average bear this is Wile E Coyote level genius stuff.

So the UFO-Bator looks a little rough for "used twice and put in storage" little disappointed that the dome has a small crack. But it shouldn't effect anything other then I'll have to be careful not to cause it to crack further. Other then that a good cleaning is needed.
I'm eager to get this one going.

 

[Hedgeland Farms]

I'm smarter then the average bear though so what I've quickly concluded is that their most basic model would work fine so..... in theory any of them should work. Instead of researching further I'll just buy the cheapest one I can find no matter which model and make it work.
Forget the average bear this is Wile E Coyote level genius stuff.

So the UFO-Bator looks a little rough for "used twice and put in storage" little disappointed that the dome has a small crack. But it shouldn't effect anything other then I'll have to be careful not to cause it to crack further. Other then that a good cleaning is needed.
I'm eager to get this one going.

I am anxious for you to get it going as well!!

Sorry abt the crack... can you tape it?? Do you think it'll affect the temp/humidity??

 

[Sstuder]

@The Moonshiner @Hedgeland Farms

I am very happy with my turnout with the Maticoopx 30:

So far out of 30 shipped eggs 15 Hatched.

Of the 30:
2 broken by USPS
5 developed but then became spoiled (I suspect the eggs broken by USPS may have contaminated them)
1 was a quitter
6 did not develop
16 made it to lockdown (1 did not hatch)

For shipped eggs I think this is not bad, especially since this is only my second hatch.

 

[The Moonshiner]

@The Moonshiner @Hedgeland Farms

I am very happy with my turnout with the Maticoopx 30:

So far out of 30 shipped eggs 15 Hatched.

Of the 30:
2 broken by USPS
5 developed but then became spoiled (I suspect the eggs broken by USPS may have contaminated them)
1 was a quitter
6 did not develop
16 made it to lockdown (1 did not hatch)

For shipped eggs I think this is not bad, especially since this is only my second hatch.

I think for shipped eggs it's really good.
Can't count the broken ones at all.
6 that didn't develop at all are clears.
I'd agree with why the 5 went bad. I wouldn't blame the incubator for those.
So realistically I'd put the count at 15 of 17 hatched.

Now don't you have a second one running with your own eggs?

 

[Tonyroo]

@The Moonshiner , are all color variations of leghorns lay only white eggs?

Just curious.

 

[The Moonshiner]

I mentioned the Brinsea having eggs get wonky when turning.
Brinsea's turning disk is a disk with oval shaped cut outs that the eggs set in. It's low to the floor so the eggs don't set down in them much.
The top is really dome shaped and the eggs are really close to the dome so when it turns the eggs can wobble a bit and catch up against the dome then some climb up the dome.
I've been putting the ones that do back in place once a day. Right now from today there's 3 of the 16 that are the outer ones standing on end.
Not a huge deal but it's something I have to mess with once a day.

 

[The Moonshiner]

@The Moonshiner , are all color variations of leghorns lay only white eggs?

Just curious.

They should if they're leghorns.
I've only heard of a few others with buffs but I've heard from more then not that their buffs were laying a cream or really light brown.
I had that issue when I first got mine. You just have to breed it out.
When I got into the MF variety I don't think I had even one that laid a good white egg. That variety haunted me for years and I never got completely rid of it.
Isabels were the same. My first ones had an off white at best and some were clearly brown. Kind of comes with the territory when bringing in another breed for a color or pattern gene. One reason it's something I don't prefer to do.
I'm gonna be crossing in the chocolate gene starting in the spring. Of course it'll be end of next year before the F1s are laying but I can share what they lay and continue year to year if you're interested.
There's lots of genes that make eggs brown so it's a trainwreck to get them all back out.

 

[Sstuder]

I think for shipped eggs it's really good.
Can't count the broken ones at all.
6 that didn't develop at all are clears.
I'd agree with why the 5 went bad. I wouldn't blame the incubator for those.
So realistically I'd put the count at 15 of 17 hatched.

Now don't you have a second one running with your own eggs?

Yes I do. I set these 2 and a half days later. Out of 29 eggs only 14 developed (1it is summer and I have only 1 rooster for 21 hens). The eggs that developed all looked very good, no quitters or spoiled eggs. But the air cells are smaller compared to the shipped eggs. Also my eggs are bigger. A few days ago I decided to keep 8 in the incubator and I gave 3 eggs each to my two irreducible broodies to let them hatch them. We are at the end of day 19 and still no pips.

 

[The Moonshiner]

I am anxious for you to get it going as well!!

Sorry abt the crack... can you tape it?? Do you think it'll affect the temp/humidity??

Ya I can and will tape it. I don't think it cause any temp or humidity issues just something I have to be aware of so I don't worsen it.
Plastic parts that old probably are a bit more brittle then if it was new.

In other news I ordered one of the inkbird thermostats. Not sure when it will arrive or when I'll set eggs in the UFO. I'm thinking about starting new batches every 10 days now instead of every 7. Idk