Review on Magicfly Digital Automatic Incubator Chickens by Billy Berry

UPDATE: 4/7/2017 This update is late. Unfortunately, the first batch of eggs didn't hit through trial and error. When I opened them, it was obvious that MOST had died about a week ago. Some weren't even viable. The one that hatched just didn't survive. BUT. That day I started a new batch of FRESH eggs that I knew were perfectly fertilized, still warm and straight from the bird feeders. These eggs hatched about three days ago and out of 8 eggs 5 hatched. The trick is to make sure there is NOT that much water for about a day before hatching. When they started hatching, the heat from the eggs increased the humidity, and the chicks just didn't dry out. I ended up having to put them in the incubator before they were completely dry and they feel really good! I plan to start a new batch in a few weeks. So far the rearing box has worked perfectly, although it was in operation for almost 2 months at a time! REGARDING TEMPERATURE VARIATIONS: I put a BRAND NEW thermometer in the incubator and discovered that the thermometer I had was wrong (and subsequently discarded). So the incubator is indeed maintaining the right temperature, but check if you're not sure. Still a great buy! Before I gave it 4/5 stars I'm updating it to 5/5! ________________________________________________________________________________ As of today 4/3/17 this product works VERY well for the price. It is good for 9 jumbo sized chicken eggs, but cannot hold more. I just put my fertilized eggs in there yesterday and will update when it's hatch day including the condition of the eggs. It seems pretty easy, the instructions seem to have been translated so English is a little hard to decipher. The instructions could certainly have been clearer and the wall of text was a little difficult to read, the pictures were definitely more helpful. As soon as you open it you can see several shelves, white and black, a small security bag. inside, power cord and compartment divider. Place the smaller tray on the ground, this is the brood tray, and also let the larger white tray reach the egg turner. I poured about 1/4 cup of hot water into the soil, including a damp paper towel to help with moisture. The egg tray is simple enough, position the eggs so they have room to turn and place the dividers. The picture they have in the instructions is probably for medium/large sized chicken eggs. My giant balls were definitely cuddly and only 9 of them fit. It's adjustable, so if you want to make larger eggs like turkey or smaller eggs like quail, it's SUITABLE for them. The eggs were there for about 24 hours. I've kept them in a home made incubator for a little over a week so I know they're viable and I've definitely seen movement. This incubator is completely self contained, HOWEVER I placed an instant read thermometer inside (through the small hole in the top) and it reads 95-100F when I set the temp to 38.4C. You can study that. Some chilling is acceptable as the mother bird is not in the wild on her eggs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. As long as they don't get too cold I don't see a problem. I really like that it turns them on automatically and I've had no problems with that. Resist the urge to open and check them out. Overall I think this is a great purchase. It's perfect for a small backyard chicken farmer like me, doesn't take up space, is fairly quiet apart from a little computer-like fan noise, and maintains near-perfect temperature control. ADVANTAGES: Doesn't take up any space. adjustable (FALLS 9 JUMBO CHICKEN EGGS FOR ME) The temperature is close to the reader's ideal purchase As I said, ideal for the small farmer. This is perfect for me to hatch a few chicks to refresh my flock without having to buy hatching eggs or hatched chicks. Some things I've just thought of to help with temperature swings would be putting it around it with towels, maybe in a box. Or keep it somewhere in the house where it's naturally warm. I have mine in my bedroom which tends to be cooler. I WILL UPDATE WHEN the chicks hatch! They must be submitted by March 14th.