Review on 🐣 Automatic Digital Chicken Incubator by Daniel Mandal

I hatched my third clutch of chicken eggs (Ameraucana big bird) in this incubator. An automatic turner can hold up to 9 eggs, but as an aspiring (and new) poultry farmer, I wanted more. 9 is great if you're a beginner, and auto-spin is great if you're short on time. But I don't mind turning by hand, which means I could comfortably fit 12 (and then 13 - more on that later) large chicken eggs inside. Note: I have a second set of eggs in the incubator, I was able to put 17 in with a large 3rd party thermometer which probably took up space for about 3 eggs. I think you could fit an 18 max and it would be a little tight but I find there is enough room for the chicks to hatch. But I don't know what I would recommend! Anyway, back to my original take: PLEASE NOTE that I cannot speak for the Egg Flipper as I have not used it and have no intention of using it. Keep that in mind as you read on. Okay, I like this incubator. On my third payout I had a payout of 75%! I believe the two remaining chicks did not hatch due to their own moisture control failures. Now let's go through the pros and cons. Pros: 1. It was very easy to use. Set up the tray, plug in the incubator, set the temperature, add water and lay the eggs! No proper build. Tip: If you sharpen by hand like I do, I recommend using a second "Output Tray". It is well below the bottom of the incubator compared to the first tray, whose sole purpose is to bring the height of the eggs closer to the top of the machine to allow the egg turner to work. I used the first, and then lazily did not switch to the second, because who manages to press 12 eggs and then enter? The chicks were too close to the ceiling of the radiator, but luckily the manufacturer included a grille to protect the chicks from the heating element and vice versa!2. Plastic which means easy cleaning!3. Small and light which means I can have it in my office without taking up too much space.4. Despite being small, it contains a decent amount of eggs for a beginner. 9 eggs is great, but maybe 12 eggs! The instructions are pretty simple in my opinion, all you have to do is install the grate correctly and adjust the egg turner to the metal bar on top of the bator. CONS: 1. Incubator trays are smooth plastic and appear to be tilted. When chicks hatch they need a textured surface to walk on as they need to get back on their feet and start exercising their baby feet! If they cannot stand up, they may develop a splay leg or splayed legs. This would mean that the chick is temporarily a 'special needs' chick and needs some focused attention and knowledge of healing splayed legs! For the second laying, I put a paper towel with holes in it so that the water at the bottom of the incubator evaporates and rises.2. Humidity setting is not very good. This was particularly inconvenient for my situation when the incubator broke down, killing all but one of my eggs. I laid the last egg in this bator and it was 5 days behind the eggs that were already in it. The reason this is such a disadvantage for deployment is because the first chicks leave an awkward residue in the water when they hatch , especially if you leave them there for a while, so as not to disturb the humidity for the chicks that have not yet hatched. If egg and chick waste is left lying around long enough, it can lead to an overgrowth of nasty bacteria, which can lead to infection and death of your still-developing embryos. Luckily that didn't happen to me, the chick hatched normally after 5 days. I also took my chicks out no later than 24 hours after hatching.3. The temperature is only displayed in Celsius. It's okay, but it would be nice to just know the temperature without any conversion!4. This thing smelled a bit when I first lit it. It took about 24 hours. Hope nothing is too bad! 5. Bator is quite sensitive to moisture. I noticed that it takes very little water to get the incubator up to the right temperature. Now I live in Georgia and it rains every now and then but even then it can fluctuate up to 30% and then with some water addition it jumps to 60%. (This is based on my third party thermometer, the Acurite Wireless Indoor/Outdoor Thermometer/Hygrometer) Final Thoughts: Overall I really like this incubator! It worked great for its intended purpose. Several disadvantages that can be addressed by correcting something in the bator rather than setting the embryos for infection, avoiding a checkerboard issue in that bator. I don't like it when the water gets so nasty, maybe a third separator bowl could be added to collect egg/chicken waste while keeping the water clean. I'm still very happy with this purchase, the price is fantastic for what it is. I'm always wary of buying an incubator from unknown manufacturers, but this brand impressed me!