Using Brinsea for 1st time on Saturday

[MomMommyMamma]

I'm SO excited...I'm going to set eggs in my new Brinsea Octagon 20 w/ turner next Saturday. Any tips for my first hatch? It's been about all I could do to control myself and put affordable eggs in there (as opposed to buying some of the fancier breeds of hatching eggs for bigger bucks here on BYC - you tempters!!). I have some of my own mutt eggs from our mixed flock, a breeder who is a neighbor is giving me free wellsummer eggs, and I did spend a few dollars on some light sussex eggs (oopsie).
Here is the info a friend gave me...

1. Fill one of the channels with water and keep it filled throughout the hatch.
2. On "lockdown", which is the day stop turning - lockdown refers to the fact that you should mentally lock the lid and not open it during again until the hatch it done.
a. Fill the second channel with water
b. Close the vent in the lid
d. Remove the wires
(saw a neat tip here lately that if you want to keep the hatchling seperated after hatch to determine which chick came from which egg, put them in one of the little cages people use to put baby bottle nipples in the dishwasher)

I stop turning at the very end of the day 18, or the morning of day 19

Any other tips? How were your hatch rates with your first hatches in this incubator? I'm so excited!! I sure hope we have a decent hatch.

 

[MomMommyMamma]

I've just set the eggs in the incubator. I accidentally cracked one while setting them in. It's a little tricky with different sizes of eggs. I tried to get the wires against the eggs but obviousl got one too close. I'm nervous now that when the turner tips them waaaay over, they're going to fall out and I'll have a big yolky mess.

 

[gryeyes]

You'll be fine. If you have a candle, light it and drip wax over that crack to seal it. Honest! Or, try clear "Scotch" type tape.... somebody has had luck with that.... But most folks use the candle wax.

You will learn it is easier to place eggs in the wire egg rails if you do it with the tray IN the incubator. Otherwise the rails slip out.

 

[MomMommyMamma]

Quote:
This was a crack where a little chip of shell came off and there was an indentation around that. The membrane was still intact and the entire area was about the size of a dime. Too big to put wax on? Will have to save the tip for next time - already tossed the egg. And it was a really dark FWM egg too.

Oh well. I managed 25 eggs in the tray and will candle in 10 days. A friend was telling me that sometimes she adds eggs after the initial candle & toss. She marks the new eggs and then once lock down starts she manually turns those eggs a few times a day. Anyone else do this with success? I think she called it a staggered hatch. I bought a few eggs, and the seller ended up, very kindly, sending me 12 instead of 8. My neighbor saved me 13, and we had collected about 6 of our own....so I have more eggs. Oh, but it will be too late for those in 10 days won't it. You can save eggs for 12 days?

 

[chicmom]

I have the same incy, and I know what you mean! When you tilt it, you wonder if those eggs will just tip over! It really tips! How was your temp? Did the factory have the setting right, or did you have to set it? Was your liquid in glass thermometer accurate?

I'm just soooo nervous. I just set eggs a few hours ago.......

 

[enggass]

I'm still having trouble with the humidity. I only want it in the low 40s, but my basement where the 'bator is is only 20% air humidity.
I tried some material as a wick - paper towel one time, piece of wash cloth the other. I had one end in the trough and the other feeding out. Worked great as far as getting the humidity up, but both times the water would feed through the material so when it would get to it's greatest tipping angle, water would literally bleed though the wick and out through the air vents in the bottom. Know what I mean? Right now I have some material between troughs(trough to trough) but that does not provide the same amount of new surface area - not quite as efficient. Come lockdown time, I'm not sure what I'm going to do.

ETA: Also, when I do get the humidity to rise, it seems as though my temps have a harder time getting back to where they should be. Is this normal?

 

[MomMommyMamma]

Quote:
Whaaaaa? I did not check the internal thermometer against another one. I just blindly accepted it's accuracy lol! It says it's fine, so I hope it's fine! I did not have to adjust it at all.

 

[chicmom]

Mine is in the basement too. My humidity is also low, at 37 to 39. But that's really OK for hatching. Wow, 20 is pretty low, but you know, some people don't use any water at all until lockdown. (It's called dry incubation.) When lockdown time comes, put some sponges in there soaked with water....that'll do it!

Keep in touch and good luck!

 

[enggass]

Quote:
My basement air is 20%. With just the 2 troughs filled my 'bator gets to about 33%... Is that acceptable for days 1-18?

 

[gryeyes]

Quote:
Do not freak out about temperatures for the first twenty four hours unless it spikes upward above 101 degrees. The first 24 hours is the time everything brings the eggs up to temp. The temp inside the eggs is still rising.

You can make yourself NUTS with more than one thermometer.