Brinsea Incubators Guide: Eco, Advance & EX Models Explained

Author: Aussie Chook Supplies  

Choosing the Perfect Incubator For Your Needs

The most common question that people have when researching Brinsea incubators is “What is the difference between the different models?"

This article has been written to explain the functions and features of the different models and break it all down for you in plain English, to help make your decision a lot easier. 

Why Choose Brinsea over other brands?

Brinsea has been a leader in incubator technology for over 40 years, setting the standard in the market with their innovative and reliable hatching solutions. Known for their user-friendly features and impressive hatch rates, Brinsea offers a diverse range of products, including quality incubators, hatchers, TLC/intensive care units, and chick brooders.

Each Brinsea model offers superior temperature control and optimal humidity, crucial for highly successful hatches, making these incubators a top choice for both hobbyists and commercial poultry breeders. In contrast to many budget Asian models, which often feature inconsistent temperature settings and lower hatch success rates, Brinsea provides a stable and effective hatching environment.

Brinsea's commitment to quality is further underscored by a comprehensive 3-year Australia-based warranty—the longest in the Australian incubator market—highlighting their dedication to customer satisfaction and vastly exceeding the often non-existant found with many cheaper units.

All units purchased from Aussie Chook Supplies come with the assurance that support is readily available through:

  • The Brinsea Products Australia Facebook page, managed by myself and the exclusive importer of Australian Brinsea products, consisting of a great community of Brinsea lovers who can always supply a fast answer to any questions you might have, and/or
  • The Instant Chat/Text Us feature, located in the bottom right-hand corner of your screen, providing fast assistance.

Cars vs. Incubators??? Eh?

When discussing Brinsea incubators, I compare them to cars to help demonstrate the differences. Much like cars, where the base and top models may share the same build quality, design and safety features but differ in luxuries like leather seats or advanced music systems, Brinsea incubators share fundamental design qualities across models.

From an Eco to an EX model, the motor and wiring, the fan, the design of the incubator base and lid, and the materials used across all components are all exactly the same. 

The differences lie in these four key features:

  • Manual or automatic turning of the eggs

  • Temperature readout 

  • Humidity readout

  • How the water gets inside the machine
     

So talk to me about the Mini & Maxi Designs…

The 'Mini' incubator holds 7 – 10 standard chicken eggs. There is an small egg disk tray for quail or pheasant eggs (optional extra).

The 'Maxi' incubator holds 14 – 30 standard chicken eggs. There are quadrant egg trays that can hold 8 goose eggs, 12 duck eggs, 24 hen eggs and 40 quail eggs (optional extras).

Mini / Maxi Eco Incubators feature -

  • Manual turn only, allowing for more eggs to fit inside the incubator

  • Glass thermometer

  • No humidity readout

  • Manual adding of water every 2-3 days or as needed (from outside the incubator)
     

Mini / Maxi Advance Incubators feature -

  • Automatic turning of eggs

  • Digital temperature readout

  • No Humidity readout

  • Manual adding of water every 2-3 days or as needed (from outside the incubator)

  • Days countdown where the unit stops turning 3 days prior to end date that you set on the unit
     

Mini / Maxi EX Incubators feature -

  • Automatic turning of eggs

  • Digital temperature readout

  • Digital humidity readout

  • Pumps water into the incubator from an external water container for accurate humidity control.

   

Now talk to me about the 28 & 56 egg capacity incubators…

The Ovation 28 egg incubator holds approx. 28 standard chicken eggs. It has an optional three tray large egg carrier for large duck/goose eggs or a greater number of quail or pheasant eggs.

The Ovation 56 incubator holds approx 56 standard chicken eggs. It has an optional five tray large egg carrier for large duck/goose eggs or a greater number of quail or pheasant eggs.

28 / 56 Eco Incubators feature -

  • Automatic turning of eggs

  • Glass thermometer for temperature

  • No humidity readout

  • Manual adding of water into trough
     

28 / 56 Advance Incubators feature -

  • Automatic turning of eggs

  • Digital tempterature readout

  • Digital humidity readout

  • Manual adding of water ever 2-3 days or as needed
     

28 / 56 EX Incubators feature -

  •  Automatic turning of eggs

  • Digital temperature readout

  • Digital humidity readout

  • Pumps water into the unit for accurate humidity control
     

   Ovation 28 & 56 Feature Comparison Table

 

Would an Eco model suit my needs?

Eco models are an excellent choice for both newcomers who trust the quality of their equipment and experienced breeders who prefer simplicity over extra features. These units offer a straightforward, quality incubation experience, allowing users to set the temperature initially and add water as needed without the hassle of monitoring humidity levels inside the machine.

For those handling smaller egg capacities, Eco models require manual egg turning several times a day by simply removing the lid and rolling the eggs. This hands-on approach suits breeders who are comfortable with a more involved process.

Additionally, many breeders opt to use Eco models as dedicated 'hatcher' units. During the critical final days of incubation, eggs are transferred to these models. This strategy not only keeps the primary incubators clean and available for more eggs but also leverages the Eco model's reliability to manage the hatching process effectively, allowing it to handle the mess and magic of hatching with ease.

Would an Advance model suit my needs?

These mid-level incubators provide significant ease, with auto-turn features and digital controls to minimize the manual effort in egg incubation. They are so reliable and easy to use, they were our preferred model for primary and secondary schools who hired them for students to experience egg hatching and chick raising as part of their curriculum.

The only 'downsides' (if you can refer to it that way) of the Brinsea Eco and Advance models is that you have to open the lid to add water every few days and there is no digital display for humidity. This is where the design components discussed above come into play where the design of the motor/fan, incubator shape and water well designs determine the humidity control.

Would an EX model suit my needs?

The EX models suit everyone's needs… lol

The EX models cater to those seeking top-tier functionality offering a ‘set and forget’ hatching experience, with a water tube that automatically maintains set humidity levels. Initially designed for incubating and hatching parrots and other exotic species these are an excellent choice for any serious poultry breeder.

All EX egg incubators have an attached external tube that you pop into a container of water (an empty soft drink or milk bottle are popular choices) and it will draw exactly the amount of water needed to maintain the humidity inside that you have set. Lots of duck breeders love this machine as some breeds need a higher level of humidity for incubation and hatching, which can be difficult to maintain in a cheaper incubator or in the drier areas of Australia.

In Summary...

So that’s it. Hopefully all the information that you need to determine which Brinsea incubator model from the wide range of incubators available suits your needs. If you have any other questions, please shoot me through an email on christine@aussiechooksupplies.com.au and I will do my best to help you out.

Happy Hatching.