I know, this isn't exactly bee related, but it is farm related and this is a farm. So here goes!
I purchased this incubator a couple of years ago despite a tone of bad reviews. One thing I've learned to recognize is that 2/3 of bad reviews come from two kinds of people. People who don't have a lot of ability to figure things out beyond the instructions in the box, and people who are just negative about everything. The other 33% of negative comments come from legitimate complaints. I am sick of wading through negative comments from people only to find out that they belong to the first 66% i mentioned. So when i do have a great experience with a product that has a bunch of negative reviews I'm gonna shout its praises. Thats why this post is happening today!
The biggest complaint I see about this incubator is the low hatch rate. To this I want to ask, "did you read the entire set of instructions? And did you actually follow them??"
When I purchased this incubator I also purchased an external probe style thermometer. This way i can verify the accuracy of the inside temp. Granted, the temp is off by 1 degree on my incubator, and this could vary from individual incubators. So yes, this may be some of the reasons for the bad reviews. Simple fix: buy a second thermometer.
You also need to keep it in a room with a steady temp. I keep mine in my shop where I leave the ac running at about 74 degrees. This seems to help.
Humidity is not a problem here in Louisiana where I live. Ive even let my incubator dry out the first week and not replaced the water until I hear peeping inside. It worked out fine.
I guess the most important thing to mention is that with my Farm Innovators incubator I get about a 75-80% hatch rate on average. I have gotten a 100% hatch rate once with 18 eggs.
Which brings me to today's post. In the picture above you see 8 eggs. Some of the green eggs are a little over a week old. Today is Wednesday August 6, 2020, and I am starting my first hatch in over a year. Thats right, its been sitting in my shed for over a year. Last night I plugged it in and let it run all night to make sure it was heating properly. In roughly 23 days I'll give you an update. Thanks for reading!!
UPATE #1 Aug 24, 2020
UPDATE #2
August 25
Officially up to a 50% hatchrate....and its only day 20!
FINAL UPDATE:
I'm sorry to be so long in doing the final update. Hurricane Laura did a direct hit on us. We lost power for 11 days and I simply had other priorities. I ended up with a 50% hatch rate overall. 4 out of 8 eggs hatched and they survived 120 mph winds without a heat lamp. Yes, they were outside for the entire storm. I was shocked that they survived. I'll post a picture later today.
I'll do another run of eggs soon and post it right here, so stay tuned.
1 comment:
Wow, that was one heck of a final update!! I found your blog and youtube because I have just purchased this incubator ;) 2.5 years later! Are you still incubating eggs? It's marvelous that you are a bee keeper, blessins to you and yours.
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