I have the little giant, and usually get 90% hatch rate, about a week ago I had a 100% hatch rate with 31 quail eggs, each quail hatched and is healthy, I use a small computer fan to make sure it’s all the same temperature, and I took a rail out (the one closest to the motor or the turner) and I put the fan there and I also have a styrofoam cup with water, I don’t use the channels because the cup works better, it’s not a hassle but it could use improvements, I’ve had it for 5 years now going into 6

As always, thank you for the time and energy spent into making video's for us.

It's good to know you had some of the same issues I have had. Thanks for doing these videos!

Wow great lighting,great sound,great information,,good job

Great stuff and work. Thank you for the info.

Looking forward to your next reveiw

I always had over 90 percent hatch rate, i fill mine up plum full and turn by hand i do not turn each egg i use my hand and roll them lightly. Little giant is really good in my opinion

Thanks for the great information

Thank you. Enjoyed the video and very nice seeing someone also knowledgeable on hatching. I'm looking into a bigger incubator for chickens. Used a Vivo-home incubator for six months. Great starter incubator , main downside is it can't hold many eggs. Great video!

Thanks so very much for your help and your videos they help me a lot thanks and may god bless

I use 3 GQF sportsman's cabinet incubators. Best incubator on the market in my opinion. Easy humidity and auto temp control. Fan circulated air, consistent temp throughout plus auto egg turning. They are Serious Egg hatching machines. Easily hatched and sold over 2500 ducks, chickens, turkeys, pheasants, guineas, geese,and quail last yr., anything u want to hatch. Built to last a lifetime and easy to clean. Find a used one for a few hundred $ online. You'll never regret it. They pay for themselves. Small incubators I had before always burn out the heating element

You can put straw in the bottom of a jar & place egg inside ,& straw on top & close lid. Place in direct sunlight during day. And bring inside at night & wrap in blanket. After 21 days: bingo,a newy hatched chick. Oh yeah & make sure it's a fertile egg!!🐓🥚

Thanks. Getting close to time for me to order some eggs from your farm. A few more test to go.

Thanks!

I used to use the little giant. I bought it at my local farm store. It came with the turner and chicken rails. I think I paid $125 for it. I bought the quail rails separately for another $25. I used it for about 3 years before the heating element went out. To be fair, I was using it about every 6 wks. So pretty heavy usage. Toward the end Humidity was an issue. I struggled between to much (chicks drowning in the shell) and not enough (fully formed chicks not able to break out of shell)

I bought the little giant 9300 at Tractor Supple for $60 without egg rails. This is my first time to try. I’m praying for at least 2 out of 7 Ayam Cermani eggs.with my incubator I used a big syringe to add water through the small holes not the red plugged holes and I also added a couple of small containers of water to help with the humidity. Thank you for the video it helped me a lot.

Great video

Great video. I like the little giant than my farm innovator. I just don’t like opening the lid to fill the water chambers. But the water chamber hold water for a couple days compared to only one day with my innovator. Great review. I miss my little giant.

Thanks Zach for the info I've been using the farm innovators incubator and a gqf hovabator the hovabator is remarkable on heat but I don't like that to add water you have to remove the lid every time as well if that feature was fixed I feel it would best one for a budget

I’m using a little giant and I’m happy with it. I bought it off of Craigslist for $50. It came with quail rails and an automatic turner. I had 9 eggs to start. 8 eggs hatched. I’m going to try hatching celadons and buttons next. I like doing dry hatched. To me, it’s easier. I did have problems with high humidity but I think it’s cause the humidity where I live is high. I was worried but things worked out well.

I am a Little Giant incubator user. I HAVE EXCELLENT hatch rates including numerous 100% hatches.

Just a thought . . . in the natural incubation process by a hen, she will leave the nest to eat and drink a few times during the day. So the eggs she sits on will have a brief "cooler" period. I actually think this is how the eggs time each other to hatch together; they talk to each other in the shell!

Zack, The Borotto Real 49 does not lie!! 🤣🤣Factory calibrated and one year later I can still say all is good. Time will tell

Tractor supply in my area has the ones with the egg turner’s for around 150.00

During my last hatch, I learned a couple things about it. Most importantly I talk about at the bottom of my comment. I would use a small tube to fill water reservoir without opening. I also used same holes to check temps around the inside. I would suggest adding shelf liner material to the screen on bottom due to it being so slippery, or take a very coarse sandpaper to it so there is more traction. It's very slippery for the newborns. Mine was a borrowed model so the temp sensor was loose inside the unit as well, and opening the incubator, would cause the sensor to move position and this would cause the temps to be throw off, and depending on how far the sensor was moved it could cause fluctuations of up to 4 degrees Celsius. This was in the still air model though. I plan on buying a new one but will definitely have the forced air model next.

I always added hot water when needed

I used a 3/8 inch joes to put water through vent holes

I have had good luck with mine last hatch was 115 out of 120

The inexpensive incubater I am using reads in C. I have 5 digital thermometers, one remote, all the others I place inside the unit. When sitting in the kitchen ALL 5 read close to the same over time. Inside the ubit they read all over the map. I have 3 govee, and acurite and a no name. Some read low to mid 99 degree range. The others are around 100 to 102 (F). I tried averaging them and had about a 33% hatch rate last time. I hope this time is better.

Hey Zack have u ever tried a Farm innovator incubator. I have 4 and love there incubators. It hold 42 And comes with the Turner that will hold chicken or quail . I just looked it up on tractor supply and it 169. 99 . It has the temp mode and date and humidity and it has the two hole on top And on front and back it has a hole to fill the water level. I use a turkey Bastet to fill my water when needed. And they use to put them on sale . It’s styrofoam but it has a hard plastic coating top and bottom so the heat stays better lot better than little giant. Check them out I believe you love them.

I was concerned with the eggs at the motor as it gets so extremely hot, I avoid the four slots nearest the turner motor, which removes about 12 slots. You can fill some of the water areas using the air holes in the top, there are a total of 6, you can do it with a small tube (think aquarium air line). Also, the price per egg drops as you do additional hatches. As for opening to move the govee, that's with any incubator, you can always do multiple govees. The cleaning disinfecting is easier as there are no components in the bottom so you can immerse the entire unit if necessary for thorough cleaning. For better footing for the chicks, still recommend the rubberized cheap shelf liner on the amazon store cut to fit.

We swear by this incubator. As long as we've had the egg turner in it, it has work jus as good as $200 incubators.

Hovabator for the win!

I bought my little giant for 50 bucks brand new. I added quail rails and have had good luck. I do use a hydrometer and I don't go by the digital thermometer

Myshire is the best in quail, and I've tried alot

I just bought two of these, but they are still air ($60). I added my own air circulation method. I've used 8-10 at a time in the last 2 years, on a shelf system. But I was hatching out chicken eggs, not quail.

I just bought the little giant for 61.99 on amazon. The quail rails were an additional 21.99.

Try running your test again without the turner (or turning) and without opening the incubator prior to "lockdown". I bet you will be surprised at the improved results ;)

That was my problem with them. Different temps across the incubator. And some as much as a couple of degrees. Now i use two 360’s and have had much better hatch rates and healthier chicks

Can add humidity by adding water through holes with top on.

I would always use Brinsea, never ever had a problem with the Octogon 20. and I incubate expensive parrot eggs..

I watched a video from Little Giant. they recommend that you leave the egg holders close to the motor empty, due to excessive heat there

In 5 years using little giant incubators I’ve hated in excess of 3000 quail using fresh eggs from my own birds and I’ll always use little giant

I bought the little giant Incubator at Tractor Supply And the egg Turner They were both separate But I spent around $113.00 for both but mine doesn't have forced air

Tsc has them for 49.99 and the turner and quail rails for 49.99 I have 2 of them and love them

I got one but the controller failed on the second run. I pulled the fan and wired it to a usb cable and put it in my old incubator with a bellows thermostat. The egg tilter got jammed so I took it apart and lubed it with cooking spray. At least I could salvage those two pieces. But the controller is a joke, the back of the circuit board is open and exposed to the moisture inside the unit.

One thing I would observe is that you're doing the tests in what I assume is a very warm room. In my experience cheap incubators are very sensitive to ambient temperature. The one I have (a farm innovators) has a similar design but is even worse because it has an offset heating element. When the room/ambient temperature is under 80 or so you get extreme temperature differentials.

I have always been sort of leery about the styrofoam constructed incubators. I have concerns about being able disinfect the incubator between hatchings.

I bought the one that comes with the egg turner, trying to figure out how to keep the temp right for chicken eggs

I really like the Genesis Hovabator a lot better than the Little Giant. I have both, and the Hovabator works so much better! The temperature and humidity fluctuations are a lot less. I use two Hovabators, one to incubate, and one for lockdown.

The Nurture right 360 looks like its a lot easier to use. I know its smaller.

Well Zack, this test just proved that it is the incubator and not me. As your tests gave the same exact results that I got with the Little Giant. It is better than the Farm Innovations incubator, which I had before this one.

Great video. We are newbies and we purchased both the Nurture Right 360 (first) and just brought home the Little Giant 11300. We have turkey eggs and we placed them in the Nurture Right on different dates and plan to use the Little Giant for hatching only at this point. I guess we have to have at least two incubators if we are hatching eggs on different dates. Any input here would be helpful! I have a question, what is the 'paper'(?) you placed on the bottom of the brooder for the new chicks?

I picked up this model with the rotator from a guy in my local paper for 60$. It is like new. Giving it a trial run as we speak 😊

I have a little giant, the heater went out 2 weeks into incubating!! Lost quiet a few eggs, but I put eggs in at different dates as they are laid. Since I have a turner that still works, I quickly got the heat lamp out and it has been a nightmare! I'm constantly babysitting as well as worrying watching that temp and adjusting the lamp... at all hours. Lost too many very great, healthy developing chicks & ducklings dt temp issues, only 4 babies hatched and I actually had to remove them from the shell myself. All are healthy, still awaiting 2 baby ducks that are thriving (fingers crossed) so, I'm researching some new Incubators because there are far too may cons with the little giant for me. For one, the lid removal, and 2nd, all the moisture with an open motor is just asking for issues IMO, then drilling holes for leveling humidity, I'm just done with this unit. Either way, I'm obsessed with your channel! So glad I found you. You're probably my favorite dt how you handle your babies and the eggs. I love the confidence and not overly worried about handling them so delicately.

Great video sir. I noticed in my forced air little giant I had a 70% humidity reading for the first 3 days and as the little bit of water I added started to evaporate. Is the humidity that high for the first few days a bad thing?

I have one and there are holes near the bottom for adding water so the lid stays on.

In addition to your "con" list, several things I'm not impressed with: 1) Flimsy housing. For the price, it should be heavy plastic, not styrofoam. 2) the extension cord is on top and drapes over the unit. It should be in the back closer to the outlet.

Could you do a build on a simple incubator build?

Almost anything you buy nowadays is a customizable kit, in essence. My Little Giant is perfect & for the money, the best out there I think. I added small tubing to the front face of the bottom half of the incubator, each leading to one of the 6 reservoirs, sealed around the tube with a simple hot glue gun. Each tube is corked, & I can add water using a syringe without opening the incubator at all. Works fine & it's easy. It's YOUR incubator now, do what you want to do to it. Also, & this is CRITICAL: humidity inside the incubator is a matter of the SURFACE AREA of the water only! Not the depth of the water. Only the water in contact with the air inside the incubator influences the inside humity. So, if you choose to increase humidity in the incubator, some water in each of the reservoirs is more effective than deep water in one or two, yeh? Have fun. Play nice.

can you also comment on the best hatching for Ostrich?

So safe to assume the non-hatching eggs were the one close to the turning motor?

What is the different between the still air incubator and the circulated one? Is there a big difference and do you know which one is better?

Did you get the heating/fan unit that is sold separately?

I'd like to upgrade my old little giant thermastat with a digital. Any recommendations on what one to use?

I feel like the hatchrate , once you take shipping and the postal service into the equation would not give great hatches. With my brinsea I get 87% and up even on shopped eggs. ( not counting the ones stuck during feb 2021 storm front.) it’s about the same on my own eggs, but I have fewer males to females in general so lower fertility rate to start with.

I have a question for you. Since you do a bigger size incubating. How do you prep your eggs before you incubate? I hear conflicting information. Do you clean your eggs or put them as is. I keep a very clean box but they get poop and some mud on them. Thanks

4:45 just those 2 little holes are enough for the chickens to breathe and get fresh air?!

Does the incubator regulate the humidity electronically? Or you just fill once and forget? Does it tell you the humidity?

My little giant sometime jump to 42.c with no reason. I failed many times. For me little giant is terrible. Now I am using GQF 1520 sportsman. Satisfied with 100% hatch rate. Never go back again to try little giant.

Would it work to use a syringe to shoot some water through the red plugs for humidity?

You were supposed to take out the red plug nearest to the heater day 1

Styrofoam is hard to clean and can be damaged to easily.

I have a little giant The motor for the turner gets hot I’ve checked with a industrial temp gun and a FLIR camera 120*F Also using the FLIR camera I checked the plastic windows and they leak heat a lot so you may want to cover the windows

I'm watching these videos i used to hatch 10 years ago the little giants back then was ok. One thing that is different between the 2 tests is the first was full the little giant is not. These work much better with a full egg count. The eggs hold heat as well. This isn't a completely fair test.

Hey Bro, trying to find your video for farm innovators incubator..Which one is better when it comes Farm innovator vs Manna Pro they are both about same price.

Is that styrofoam? It sounded like it when your were moving it around. With that said my concern if something goes wrong with the wiring and a fire is started won’t the incubator melt?

Hi, so you pulled out those Red Tabs? That controls oxygen and carbon dioxide during Lockdown. I do not have this big giant, but would I be allowing some air flow for my incubator? Cheers

Make sure to not get the still air. If they still have those

When you did the other evaluation, you filled it up all the way with the full amount of eggs. I wonder if by not feeling it completely you affected the real results. It's hard to know what the actual success rate would be if you don't fill it. Nonetheless, thank you for the work that you do I really depend on you.

Why will the humidity not go any higher than 55 percent?

In theory, could you selectively breed for stronger chicks by using a lower humidity at lockdown?

How many days do eggs have to be in incubator to start lock down?

What is "forced air"? Does it just circulate the air inside only? Or does it get air from outside?

In your little giant, do you not put water until lockdown?

I have the same incubator and the last time I didn't get any chicks and I don't what ia wrong with it and I have fill it again and looks like none of them will hatch. sad

When do u add the water

83% hatch rate 15:08

Ok I guess I should have waited in the video, I would have gotten my answer.🤪🤪🤪 sorry

Cant get my temperature set right

I recently bought a used one and it vibrates🙄 The fan vibrates AND the auto turner vibrates. Will eggs be successful to hatch in it???

Brinsea Maxi II Eco

I have a little giant ordered. What humidity is recommended?

You may have gotten your numbers mixed up, it was a 76.9 or 77% hatch rate not 67% which is way better or at least it sounds a lot better.

Can we order some live quails ?and how?

Got it for 75 but didn’t get the turner

Q:. If CO2 is a problem at lockdown/hatching, and CO2 is heavier than air, why are the vent holes at the top?

I wouldn't use something made of styrofoam...to easy to break and clean.

I had a meltdown , temp jumped up to 138 and the styrofoam melted

I'm not sure your per egg cost is accurate. To accurately compare everything we need to have everything as equal as possible so that would mean comparing this model with the egg turner to the other model. From what I saw the previous model is a better buy even if you spend extra money on a quail specific rack. Since the hatch rates were ultimately better.