Little Giant NIGHTMARE!

[PeepsInc]

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If your buying chicks at TSP expect about 10% to be pullets. I hope you know how to wing feather sex!

 

[Rammy]

I know so far, Ive been pretty satisfied with my LG. It holds around 99-100 on temps and about 45-55 on humidity. However, after reading so many glowing reviews on the Hovabators, Ive decided to get a the incubator with the fan kit with it. I think its the 2362n? Anywho, just my two cents.

Rammy

 

[quiltnchik]

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I'm so glad you said this! I honestly believe at least 95% of hatching problems with LGs are operator error, due to most people using them being new to hatching. I have 2 LGs and haven't had the greatest results, but it's been my fault because I'm new to chickens and really had no idea what I was doing (there IS a learning curve)! I added a CPU fan to both 'bators this go-round and am really happy with what I'm seeing thus far. I have 16 eggs due Thursday/Friday and feel very confident that I'm going to have a wonderful hatch.

Personally, I don't have a lot of $$ to spend, plus it really wouldn't be worth my while to spend a ton of $$ on an expensive incubator. I love chickens as much as the next guy, but not all of us have or WANT to spend a fortune to hatch a few chicks each year. I think some of you need to keep that in mind before posting about what people "should" be buying...

 

[Kung Foo Chicken]

I hatched hundreds out of my LG's last year. Very high hatch rate.
I did have problems in the beginning because I didn't know how to
use it properly.

I'm guessing bad connection points on the wire clip ons for the fan.


I'll buy a few more LG's if someone wants to sell to me at high
discount because they are so bad. I have 10 now.

 

[Penturner]

Okay, that price just keeps getting lower and lower. Maybe it is jsut looking like a better and better deal every day. Not sure which. But I gotta say I am starting to push the $50 mark for a home made incubator and I plan on hatching some very expensive eggs. I like what I have heard about the Brinsea and the Suro so far. I plan to only need about a 12 small egg capacity for the next couple of years anyway.

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[Larry33843]

My first time with a LG, used an old "Brower" ? round galvanized metal incubator years ago.
Allow me to add my $.02 worth.
Plug your incubator power strip into your computer (or spare) battery backup. It will stabilize any current fluctuations you might have and steady that temperature. At least it sure helped mine, it's held on 95.5-100.0 for five days since I changed mine over.
Hope this helps at least one hatcher. Larry

 

[Madcap621]

Quote:
So, guess what I am asking is -- how to 'use it properly'? So far, no solid feedback.

 

[they'reHISchickens]

We are on Day 4 with our first hatch in a still air LG with a turner. I filled it with 42 eggs.
Had it plugged in for a week prior to adding eggs and it held a very steady temp once we found the sweet spot.
Now.... both the bator and the turner came with thermometers stapled to a card. while our nice indoor/outdoor digital with humidity that we placed along the side reads a steady 101, the cheapy red glass stapled to a card reads 104 and 110. They aren't even stapled to the card measurement guide at teh same place! I'm trusting the digital. Humidity is reading high 30s low 40s. I will add a bit of moisture again when it lowers into low 30s.

We do have the bator in the back laundry room with no drafts and the most stable temp if that helps. I have opened it once in the first 4 days-- to remove those thermometers!

I may be crazy, but this is my theory: Chickens brood in all sorts of weather and all sorts of places and usually end up with SOME hatches. I figure there has to be a range of hatchable temps and humidities for the chicks to hatch. I hope to hit the range... somewhere.

 

[Red&Yellow]

they'reHISchickens, those are some PRETTY eggies you've got there--quite a rainbow!!

 

[they'reHISchickens]

I scattered the colors thru the bator on the theory that SOMETHING would get the right combination ( maybe?)
And yes, the mix is pretty The white ones really set off the colors. It's a great reason to have a leghorn in the flock! She stopped laying for 2 weeks and all the other eggs dulled down
These are all our own eggs and range from leghorn white to relatively decent EE olive. Browns are simply 3 different Orps. The ones I didn't add: The pink EE... she's a lousy layer and her shell quality is awful. She will be a cull this spring.
And let's hope that huge olive is NOT a double yolk
We are waiting for DD's arrival next week to candle. It will be day 10 and she has experience in candling.

Does anyone have a clue how to separate the variety of chicks if they hatch? That part has me stumped. I choose not to count them before they hatch... and will cross that bridge when it comes. But I'd realllly like to know!