Using a bootleg incubator

[hildaberg]

Hi all,

a while back i incubated eggs for the first time, out of twenty eggs, only one hatched and survived, this was because of many reasons such as humidity being too high and it also being a staggered hatch. While buying chicks from a lady I met, I talked about my incubator and showed he what type it was, she said it was a bootleg and the reason my hatch rate may have been so low is because my temperatures may have not been right and the in built thermometer may have been incorrect. Is it still possible to use this incubator?

 

[sdm111]

If it is infact a cloned no name Chinese junk knockoff i would throw it away. Good ones are hard enough to deal with. All they're worried about is selling it they couldn't care less about quality

 

[sdm111]

another thing too is alot of cloned knockoff junk electronics are not UL rated and approved so you also potentially have a fire risk whatever the electric devise is

 

[hildaberg]

If it is infact a cloned no name Chinese junk knockoff i would throw it away. Good ones are hard enough to deal with. All they're worried about is selling it they couldn't care less about quality

Unfortunately, I'm tight on money right now and I can't afford another one. Would it just be a good idea to get a second thermometer to put in the incubator and up the temperature?

 

[Brooks_]

Unfortunately, I'm tight on money right now and I can't afford another one. Would it just be a good idea to get a second thermometer to put in the incubator and up the temperature?

another thing too is alot of cloned knockoff junk electronics are not UL rated and approved so you also potentially have a fire risk whatever the electric devise is

^^^^

 

[Ascholten]

How important is not burning the house down?
Sure you could check it with another thermometer and adjust it to where it's at the temp you needed, BUT how well does it HOLD that temperature, when it shuts off turns back on again to regulate the heat, does it turn off at 100 degrees one time, then 110 the next then 85 the following time.

A piece of crap can be doing more wrong than just not heating up once to the right temp.

Worse case you have hard boiled eggs for breakfast with a chicken nugget to boot!

Aaron

 

[sdm111]

Unfortunately, I'm tight on money right now and I can't afford another one. Would it just be a good idea to get a second thermometer to put in the incubator and up the temperature?

Look at getting a hen or two to use as broodies. Thats all I use and will never go back to an incubator. Just let them do their thing and if they're decent you'll get 100% hatch each time

 

[The Moonshiner]

Before jumping to the conclusion that it's surely gonna burn your house down can you post a pic so we know what you're dealing with?

 

[Ascholten]

if she's tight on money, hens mean more money /mouths to feed, so that may not be viable either. Granted eggs come from it but it's a fine line, that chicken math yanno !!
Aaron

 

[The Moonshiner]

Hens aren't plug and play either.
Very unreliable when it comes to hatching on your schedule.