[cazzoo]

Hi I am new to this website & new to incubating eggs as well.
I bought a Brinsea Octagon 20 serial number 018005 this is all the info I have on it as I bought it from a friend who lost instructions.
I was upset as I incubated 12 eggs of which 9 were fertile & had fully formed chicks & I killed them due to inexperience. My problem is this incubator is fully automatic ie temperature, autoturn  & humidity, it has 2 water channels under the mesh grid but it is a pain as there seems no way to add water to it without opening the lid which obviously it then looses heat etc, not sure if there is anything missing from incubator but I thought a good incubator like this would have a better way of adding water.
I am sure this is why my chicks died as I had to add water near the end, it hatched one chick which I thought was lonely & I then placed this under my broody but after accepting it she killed it after 2 days.
Can anyone help as I am not giving up.

[meterman]

you must must stop turning eggs on day 18, on an auto you must turn this off somehow this is when you fill up the water for the last time then leave till all hatched

[Laverne88]

Hiya...... I've just lent my allotment partner a couple of incubator books. Tucked in the pages of one of them was the instructions for an octagon 10 and, if you think they might have some relevance to your machine, I am quite happy to let you have them. If you ring Brinsea they may send you some more instructions for your own machine.

Don't worry about opening up the incubator to fill up with water....... a hen gets off her eggs to feed  every day (unless she's a martyr!) and I believe one should emulate this even with auto - turn incubators. I always have - just for 5/10 minutes or so. If you had a non-turning incubator , you would HAVE to take the lid off at least 3 times a day to turn the eggs : as previously mentioned, the important time to stop meddling ( I'm a bit of a daily candler/ panicker/meddler!) is on day 18 onwards.

Try and buy a couple of good incubator books. I've been hatching chicks of different kinds since 1985 and I STILL re-read mine time and time again as the subject fascinates me as much as it did when I first started- I believe you never stop learning but as time goes on your confidence will grow and it all just 'clicks' into place!

I rate Brinsea very highly but I can see your point about the water issue. Perhaps it's their way of making us take the lid off and freshen the air or cool the eggs slightly like a hen does when she goes off to feed??!!

Good luck 

[Foxy]

Hi cazzo,

I have an Octagon 20, auto and dont have any problems

you can download the info from this site, click on the model and the instructions will be downloaded for your model

http://www.brinsea.co.uk/information/free-downloads/39/

[cazzoo]

Thanks for help but I cannot find the model number anywhere, Brinsea sent me the page you just sent me but I could not find my machine.
I have looked on machine but can only see a serial number so I don't know.

[Foxy]

Dont worry, is it a new one?
Did you look at the product list? The octagon 20s are all the same essentially, some have an additional water pump (the EX)
If you like, I can talk you through the basics.

[Briony]

I have an Auto turn 20 and take the inccy off the cradle the last 3 days defore hatching and also fill the water channels up (both ) of them also then leave to hatch
While in the early days I take the lid off every 3 days just to fill the channel up then rplace the lid as I do not have (yet) an auto pump, but this should not harm the eggs asa only for a short space of time.

Never mind have another go and should you require any instructions then I can e mail them over to you if you want.

[Briony]

I can also copy my instructions for you and send them if you want.

[Foxy]

Think you'd better order those hatching eggs in, your gonna get loads of help here!

[chickenlady]

I am no expert!!! you only have to look at my 1st incubation thread to see that but I just wanted to say that from all the advice ive been given it seems the last 3 days are most critical! ie no turning and raise humidity once external pip has happened! Did your machine keep turning the eggs right up to day 21??? that could of been the problem! or having the humidity too high throughout can drown the chick when it internally pips!
Loads of others things it could be but suppose ruling 1 thing out at a time is best!

Debbie x

[cazzoo]

So from what I can see, does this mean that even though my Octagon 20 is fully aoutomatic to save me having to lift the lid & remove eggs to fill the water channels each time, I would need an addition to this machine by way of a water pump, but not sure where you would fit tube?

[Briony]

The older models do not allow this but the newer ones do I have p.m. you and will send instructions over.

[cazzoo]

Thanks for replies so far, but all I am trying to find out is do I have to lift the lid each time to fill it, I stopped turner at right time etc & removed cradle from rocker, it is just mad that I have to lift the lid to fill as this may cause problems.

Oh can anyone just tell me as I have had differing advice, with this sort of fully automated model, should I dry incubate up until the last few days & then add water or add water continually every few days throughout incubation.

I appreciate all the help

[Briony]

I have the auto advance and still have to lift the lid it does not cause problems so long as the lid is not off for long and yo dont do it every day as every time you lift the lid you loose the heat and in the end it may cause the chicks to be deformed at hatching so only lift the lid wehn needed DO NOT CANDLE EVERY DAY as this looses to much heat!

[chickenlady]

My incubator was supposed to be a semi automatic  but i still have to take the lid off 3 times a day to turn the eggs! All 24 of them!  humidity and temp recover quite quick though! the last 3 days you should avoid opening! I have (on good advice) my humidity running at 30-40% then I am gonna raise this once external pip starts!!

Debbie