Incubators

[Ohioann]

Anyone else out there incubate eggs? I have used the foam forced air incubators for several years but never had excellent results. Last fall I was able to get a used Dickey cabiner incubator at a reasonable price from a friend who had several and was cutting back. I got it up an running this week and have Buckeye and Welsummer eggs in it. It has an automatic turner and water supply tank for the humidity. So far the heat is doing well but the humidity could be a little higher. Anyone with a Dickey incubator that could give me advice?

 

[BeccaOH]

I incubate. But I have foam incubators. I had great hatches with an LG still air last summer. I got a new Hovabator with fan, and it almost seems my hatch rate (at least on shipped eggs) went down.

I have some chicken and duck eggs currently in the incubator. Chicks due to hatch this weekend.

I have no experience with cabinet incubators.

 

[Wifezilla]

I have one made out of a cooler. It needs a new thermostat, but I have hatched some ducks out of it.

 

[miss_thenorth]

I'm not familiar with your incubator, i have a brinsea eco 20. I just read on a post on BYC, that someone wets a maxipad and puts it in the incubator to get humidity up. Just thought I'd share...

 

[patandchickens]

The 'incubating and hatching eggs' section of BYC is probably the best place for your question, I guarantee you will get good and timely answers there. (e.t.a - or ask your friend you got the incubator from for advice?)

I only have a homemade incubator so dont know about yours specifically. I would think the first thing to do, though, would be to doublecheck that your hygrometer is reasonably accurate (if it is not removeable from the cabinet, you can crosscheck with a second one whose accuracy you CAN check using the salt method). If it is, then what works best in my homemade dealie to get the humidity up is to add a piece of rag or such, sticking up out of the water reservoir, to serve as extra surface for evaporation. I can adjust humidity by adjusting how much of the rag sticks up.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[DrakeMaiden]

I was just going to post the same advice. Double check your hygrometer.