# Little giant incubator trouble



## chickenlittle9274

I lost all 35 of my eggs. Puts a new meaning to " don't count your chickens before they hatch" I did some research on this brand and found out it's best to rotate eggs around bator because of hot and cold spots. Looking for a new bator now. Until then I think I will stick to using my broody hens.


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## WeeLittleChicken

Broody hens do the best. I lost around 150 eggs this time around.... bad egg exploded and then the few that did hatch dropped like flies. Have some left but most didn't hatch to begin with despite developing normally on day 10. SIGH. Staggered hatching is always a bad idea. I'm not doing it again!! That being said my DIY cabinet incubator is sooo much better than any of the foam and plastic incubators I ever tried... Maybe because of the two degree temp difference between one corner to the next in the foam ones?? 

Better luck next time!


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## seminole wind

That really bites. Those foam incubators are great once you learn about their faults. I got one with a fan and it helps. But I always move inner eggs to the outer ring. The big window makes temps very unstable and I keep a piece of bubble wrap over it.


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## robin416

I will repeat myself once again, you need a dependable accurate thermo to successfully hatch. I used a foam bator for years and hatched hundreds of chicks out of it. The big difference is, I invested extra money on accurate thermometers. You can not go buy a five dollar thermometer from Wally World and count on it to get you successful hatches.

WLC, I did a bunch of staggered hatches. I had a bator I used for the first 18 days and the other for the last three.


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## chickenlittle9274

I replaced the old alcohol thermometer and replaced it with a digital before I even started. That's not the issue. The problem is in uneven distribution of heat. I will add a fan and see if it helps with the next run


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## robin416

I'm going to argue this with you, like I said, I hatched hundreds from my foam bator. Cool spots or not. Even if you feel it was the uneven temps, something should have hatched.

Did you candle? What did you see?

What digital did you buy? There are good digitals and there are crap digitals.


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## Nm156

I moved the eggs to the opposite sides when i turned them.


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## chickenlittle9274

Don't want to argue. I have plenty of broody hens. Those Cochin bantams are sweet girls. they make excellent mothers and I worry less about predators with them. Was using bator for extra and just to try


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## seminole wind

Yes, broodies are the best. My first few tries at incubator hatching were failures. Then I hatched a bunch of hardy eggs. But I micromanaged. I only used about 1/4 cup of water in a bowl the first 18 days. turn 2x a day. I used 3 three thermometers.


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## casportpony

Important to remember that still air incubation requires a higher temp than bators w/fans. Seen so many people lose all eggs from doing this.


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## happy_girl71

robin416 said:


> I will repeat myself once again, you need a dependable accurate thermo to successfully hatch. I used a foam bator for years and hatched hundreds of chicks out of it. The big difference is, I invested extra money on accurate thermometers. You can not go buy a five dollar thermometer from Wally World and count on it to get you successful hatches.
> 
> WLC, I did a bunch of staggered hatches. I had a bator I used for the first 18 days and the other for the last three.


Welp that is exactly what i did i went to Walmart boight a 7 dollar one.


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## seminole wind

I have a brine a spot checker with a probe , a brine a glass thermometer, and either a digital or one built in. I think fans are a must. Still air just has too many temp gradients for me. Water balloons can help stabilize temps.


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## hildar

I lost a ton of eggs last year. They were doing great right up until the last week my hoverbator stopped working. It was 100% cold when I went and checked it. Man was I ticked off. The one week when I was not suppose to open it and boom it up and stopped working. Lost 36 chicks they were developed in the eggs when we checked the eggs and threw them all out. Not sure when it stopped working but I went to check and make sure the temp was good 3 days into the last week and boom it was cold as could be. It was warm the day I stopped turning eggs. Last year was my bad year. I gave up after losing 3 chickens to broken legs, and having issues with my son got rid of everything bator included. Then this spring decided I need my chickens around so got my cackle surprise.


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## seminole wind

I always have a cheapy backup. never had to use it, but it's there. i would be devastated too if I lost live eggs.


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## WeeLittleChicken

Losing live eggs is the worst. We were doing really well and then the last two batches... UGH. I think between them we lost something like 400 eggs that were developing on day ten... First round was to a bad egg that popped and spread a bacterial infection, the second was due to a heat wave the AC couldn't keep up with. Our incubator works really well in winter... not so much in summer. 

About ready to load it back up but man.... not feeling it.


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## seminole wind

with live eggs, you have 2 choices. Buy a backup, or know that tractor supply usually has them.


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## hildar

Over the next couple of years I may end up getting another incubator, or even 2 for that matter. However for now. I wont be hatching any eggs. I sort of figure I am better off for now buying me surprise boxes and seeing what happens there. Once I get certain flocks established of certain breeds then I can hatch some. But having a back up incubator is really the best way to go.


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## Fire-Man

happy_girl71 said:


> Welp that is exactly what i did i went to Walmart boight a 7 dollar one.


I went to Wal-marts and have bought several $8 ones and have hatched over 5600 in a little over a year in homemade incubator/hatcher. 98 to 100% hatch rate for most. $8 thermometers work fine when you find if they are reading high/low or correctly


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## IncubatorWarehouse

I always keep a back up just in case, you never know when an incubator will take a dive...that is life. I also like to run a couple different thermometers, one with a probe and one without...just to get readings from all over the bator.


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