Harris Farms Nurture Right 360 Incubator is AMAZING!

[MGG]

Hi all,

I currently have some eggs in this incubator. I will be out of town for three days next week. There is no risk of hatching as the eggs will have only been in for approximately 14 days at that point. Has anyone successfully modified the reservoir A so that it will stay filled. Humidity and temperature have been holding steady as long as there is water in the reservoir.

I used the shoestring method this year when we went out of town and it worked really well. Plus the butter container held plenty of water. I only had to replace it every couple weeks, and not because it was empty, just because it would start to get slimey.
I just used a cotton shoestring from Walmart. It only cost like $1. I ran it all through port A, and left a few inches in the butter container. I soaked the string before putting it in, but I don't know if that matters.
Here's a photo

 

[chicksK24]

I used the shoestring method this year when we went out of town and it worked really well. Plus the butter container held plenty of water. I only had to replace it every couple weeks, and not because it was empty, just because it would start to get slimey.
I just used a cotton shoestring from Walmart. It only cost like $1. I ran it all through port A, and left a few inches in the butter container. I soaked the string before putting it in, but I don't know if that matters.
Here's a photo View attachment 3931106

This is great! Thank you for your help!

 

[Sharonanderson2011]

View attachment 1688630
I know with Spring right around the corner, and chick fever setting in there are a lot of people out there looking to purchase their first incubator, or maybe you're still looking for that incubator with a better hatch rate that doesn't cost you an arm and a leg, so I wanted to share my experience!

I did a lot of research before purchasing an incubator and there are good and bad reviews for even the most expensive incubators out there so taking my budget into account and what I wanted from my incubator I am SO happy with the results I got from my new Harris Farms Nurture Right 360! If you do your own research on the incubator most of the bad reviews you will find are on a couple of design flaws in the older models where the holes covering the fan were too large and it needed a cover on the digital readout to prevent it from shorting out from the high humidity at hatch time. In the newer models, these issues have been resolved but if you get an older incubator you can email the company and they will send you the appropriate parts to fix it.

View attachment 1688764
So back to the PROS of this incubator, at least for me!
- It comes with an automatic turner! I found that the most reasonable incubators often require manual egg turning and if you purchase the accompanying auto turner you find yourself around the same price as this incubator or more.
- It also has an egg candler built-in to the top of the incubator. It worked well for the sake of testing it but I will admit that I didn't use it much because I prefer my little high lumen flashlight.
- The visibility all the way around the incubator was a HUGE selling point for me! I could say it was for my daughter to be able to learn from the experience but if I'm being really honest, I most definitely spent the most hours sitting in front of the incubator in awe as the chicks hatched. lol
- The temperature and humidity stayed stable throughout the entire incubation process as long as you add distilled water daily.
- You add water from outside of the incubator so you don't disturb the temp and humidity.
- The company calibrated the thermometer and hygrometer well and I didn't have to go through the headache of trying to adjust it myself.
- This is thanks to the visibility as well but I was able to clearly see that all of the chicks hatched with zero issues. The eggs zipped cleanly and chicks were healthy! Yes, some of this is from genetics but it makes a big difference when the temp and humidity stay stable for the chicks ease of hatching.
- Because I was incubating different breeds my smaller eggs hatched earlier and I didn't want to leave the chicks in too long. Since the larger eggs hadn't pipped yet I took the risk of quickly opening the incubator and removing the hatched chicks. While I don't recommend doing that, what I was pleasantly surprised to find is that the humidity returned to normal in seconds and the rest of the chicks hatched without issue.

View attachment 1688718
CONS
- The top is a bit cumbersome to open and close but once you get used to it it's not so bad. I have also seen where someone used the adhesive plastic hooks and attached them to the sides upside down so that it was easier to hook their fingers under and open.
- The incubator holds 22 eggs but I feel like it would be very cramped in there if all of the eggs are viable at the time of hatch. I had quite a few infertile eggs because they were the first eggs of the season (8 infertile eggs to be exact) and 2 were quitters early in embryo development (it's impossible for me to know if the 2 quitters were due to the incubator or something else but I feel with my experience that it's less likely to be related to the incubator). All but one of the developed chicks hatched successfully and I candled right before lockdown and didn't feel good about that egg prior to closing the lid. It was also a poopy egg that I was hatching for a friend, I typically only use clean eggs as the bacteria can enter the porous shell and may have been responsible for the late embryo death. So my first run with the incubator gave me approximately 80% hatch rate (not including the infertile eggs). I anticipate having an even better hatch when I'm pickier about the eggs I set to begin with. - I'll update this later.

View attachment 1688773

***I promise all of these pictures were taken through the plastic. I did not open the incubator to take pictures. lol

For anyone that reads this far through the thread I would assume you're actually interested in the incubator. So the best tip I have is that I used a condiment bottle to add the water and I left the vent open all the way through the entire incubation because I felt the ventilation was important and it didn't effect my ability to keep the humidity where I wanted it.
View attachment 1688789

So my experience was great! I'd love to hear about your experiences with the Nurture Right 360!
I'll be participating in the Easter Hatch-A-Long with the same incubator so I will update my opinion if it changes.

Thanks for the review. I just ordered mine and can’t wait to try it out as I didn’t have luck with a cheaper version.

Do I need to purchase the seperate hatching try? I can’t seem to find any info on it anywhere.

 

[Faraday40]

Thanks for the review. I just ordered mine and can’t wait to try it out as I didn’t have luck with a cheaper version.

Do I need to purchase the seperate hatching try? I can’t seem to find any info on it anywhere.

You may simply remove the auto turner - or even leave it in place.

If you're worried about chicks slipping on the plastic grate, you can cut a piece of foam kitchen cabinet liner. It's nice but not required.

This incubator is great for beginners because most things are automatic. I recommend it for my teachers who are new to hatching. Just add water every few days, open vent all the way and fill both channels on and after day 18.

The biggest challenge is making sure the lid is properly in place (especially if little, curious hands are around).

 

[Sharonanderson2011]

You may simply remove the auto turner - or even leave it in place.

If you're worried about chicks slipping on the plastic grate, you can cut a piece of foam kitchen cabinet liner. It's nice but not required.

This incubator is great for beginners because most things are automatic. I recommend it for my teachers who are new to hatching. Just add water every few days, open vent all the way and fill both channels on and after day 18.

The biggest challenge is making sure the lid is properly in place (especially if little, curious hands are around).

Thanks so much. I am very new so any advice is welcomed!

 

[dawn secord]

I am using a NR 360 for the first time. I have eggs that were started under a hen (from a friend) and we are not sure the exact incubation start date. Most are about the same date - she estimated 7 to 9 days. A few may be older or younger than that. I have 14 eggs. Estimating lay date is 10/1. It is currently 10/15. Do I start lockdown 3 days a head for all which would be 10/17ish (they are silkie chicks and my silkie chicks have almost always pipped at day 19). I am candling eggs tonight. If the eggs, once candled, do not appear to be hatching within a few days of each other, is it okay to open the incubator to hand turn, during lockdown? Any advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[Auntiejessi3]

I am using a NR 360 for the first time. I have eggs that were started under a hen (from a friend) and we are not sure the exact incubation start date. Most are about the same date - she estimated 7 to 9 days. A few may be older or younger than that. I have 14 eggs. Estimating lay date is 10/1. It is currently 10/15. Do I start lockdown 3 days a head for all which would be 10/17ish (they are silkie chicks and my silkie chicks have almost always pipped at day 19). I am candling eggs tonight. If the eggs, once candled, do not appear to be hatching within a few days of each other, is it okay to open the incubator to hand turn, during lockdown? Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Going into lockdown early isn't going to hurt anything

 

[dawn secord]

Going into lockdown early isn't going to hurt anything

When I candle tonight, I'll put in my rubber hatching mat (that I've cut from that foam shelving liner) Thank you for your reply!

 

[Auntiejessi3]

When I candle tonight, I'll put in my rubber hatching mat (that I've cut from that foam shelving liner) Thank you for your reply!

You're welcome! Happy hatching!

 

[smithcreek2017]

We love ours. It has worked great the past few seasons for chicks, turkey, and quail. The ring for the turner is wallowed out so to get it to turn I will have to replace or glue. Some of the ring dividers have broken from taking it apart to clean. That is the only down fall I have seen with the incubator.