Hi there
We haven’t had a very good hatch rate thus far. I have ordered a number of batches of eggs from you: cream leg bar, buff orpingtons bantam orpingtons etc. We did get 4 of the buff orpingtons to hatch. My class loves them. However, it seems that quite a lot of the other eggs were not fertilised. We currently have a batch of bantam orpingtons in the incubator and after candling them at 10 days it looks like only one of the six is fertilised and has a growing chick inside. You can imagine how disappointing this is for students. I have been writing students names on the eggs and some of them have had multiple disappointments. We have one more batch of 5 bantam orpingtons on the way and are hoping for success. We have a top of the market incubator and can’t understand why we are not having more success.
Hi Celia,
Thanks for sharing your experience, we can understand how frustrating that would be, especially in a classroom setting.
From what you’ve described, the pattern of results does point towards egg fertility and quality rather than an issue with the incubator. Seeing a mix of clear eggs and some that start but don’t develop is typically an egg-related outcome, not something caused by the machine.
Factors like being out of peak season (its march now), eggs being shipped, and naturally lower fertility rates in the off season all play a part here. Unfortunately, these are things outside of the incubator’s control.
The Brinsea units are very reliable and consistent, and they will hatch anything that is viable inside the egg.
When conditions inside the incubator are stable, outcomes like this generally come back to the eggs themselves.
It’s great to hear you’ve had a few chicks hatch already, and we really hope this next batch gives you and the students a better result.
If you’d ever like us to go over anything with you, we’re always happy to help.
Give us a call or send an email anytime.
Kind regards,
The Team at Uneek Poultry
Oxymav B - Water Soluable Broadspectrum Antibiotic
Great incubator, arrived just before the eggs did and was put straight to work
I have bought 2 of these and extremely happy with both of them and how quickly they arrived. Thanks guys. My first to go poultry shop.
Really great incubator. Fully automatic. Kept temp and humidity very stable even through the heatwave. Turns the eggs with no problems. The candler works well in a dark room. The incubator is a little bit noisy so next time it will be in the laundry. Uneek Poultry were very helpful. Quick delivery. I would happily recommend both Uneek Poultry and the Origin 12.
Really great incubator. Fully automatic. Kept temp and humidity very stable even through the heatwave. Turns the eggs with no problems. The candler works well in a dark room. The incubator is a little bit noisy so next time it will be in the laundry. Uneek Poultry were very helpful. Quick delivery. I would happily recommend both Uneek Poultry and the Origin 12.
We are new to incubating eggs and the help we were given to choose an incubator was great.
Delivery to New Zealand was fast and I appreciated the Fahrenheit to Celsius conversion chart.
Quail egg insert was the perfect size and we are eagerly awaiting the arrival of baby chicks.
Interesting to find you on the internet am pleased with my purchases. Nice to know I can ask for advice, if in trouble. thankyou
The Origin 18 has been a very good little incubator. Only area for improvement is the instructions. I had to google quite a bit to find answers to my questions. Chickens hatched and are now happy under the Heat Plate.
I especially love the clear view of what is happening in the incubator. And the canceling light is very handy.
I would recommend them both.
I used the origin 48 to hatch 35 eggs and I was most surprised at the hatch rate I got at 70.5 percent hatch rate. This is way over the average of the rare breeds of birds I was hatching (including Marans). In all, I was very pleased. Being able to set the precise temp and humidity was very helpful. I do think you can work on some things: 1) when the incubator stops turning there's often a gap in the side where the tray stops and the chicks can get stuck in that area and we had to open the incubator to help a stuck chick, causing 2 of our other chicks to get shrink wrapped 2: the water spills extremely easily and I was a bit worried that the hose would kink up. Overall, I was very pleased with this incubator. I hope my information is helpful.
cheers Lachie
Hi Lachie,
Thanks again for taking the time to leave such a detailed and helpful review, and great work on that hatch rate — especially with rare breeds like Marans.
Just to clarify for anyone reading along: when the eggs go into lockdown, the turning tray should be removed and turning stops completely. At that point, the eggs sit directly on the hatching tray, which removes any gaps and prevents chicks from getting into trouble during hatch.
On the water system side, the current Origin 48 includes a sealed bottle lid and a right-angle connector designed to prevent the hose from kinking and to reduce the chance of spills. If your incubator was purchased before these upgrades were released, we’ll be in touch to arrange sending the updated parts out to you.
We really appreciate the honest feedback and you sharing your experience — it’s great for other customers and helps us continue improving the range. If you ever need a hand or have questions during a hatch, just reach out.
Kind regards,
The Team at Uneek Poultry
I ordered a product just before Christmas assuming that I wouldn't get it until after the Christmas break but uneek shipped it promptly the morning I ordered it and it turned up before Christmas. Couldn't be happier with service
Divider is ok to seperate chicks but once theyre hatched and drying out you can't open incubator and then close it without danger of killing the chicks. The divider is too high and if a chick puts its head over the top of dividers as you're closing it they get strangled and die as you can't see this happening. (This happened to me). Needs to be redesigned to be at least 1cm lower in height. Wont be using it again, I'll stick with mesh bags to seperate chicks. Less chance of murdering them accidentally. Very disappointing purchase.
Thanks for taking the time to leave your feedback.
We’re genuinely sorry to hear about your experience and understand how upsetting it would have been to lose a chick — that’s never something anyone wants to go through.
As discussed previously, the divider is designed to separate chicks after hatch while still preventing smaller chicks from crossing over. For safety reasons, there is already a clearance gap at the top, and lowering the divider further would increase the risk of chicks escaping or becoming mixed.
During the hatching and drying stage, chicks can move unpredictably. At this point, any opening and closing of the incubator should be done with extra care, and in many setups chicks are typically removed once they are dry rather than the lid being opened repeatedly.
After your initial feedback regarding gaps around the sides, we redesigned the divider and supplied a replacement free of charge. The updated design was tested to ensure it fit correctly and allowed chicks to be separated while remaining safe and secure.
We appreciate you sharing your experience, as it helps other customers understand correct use and limitations, and it also helps us continue to review and improve our products where possible.
Kind regards,
The Team at Uneek Poultry
great tool. discovered my new incubator is not performing so I will need to go back to the manufacturer. I appreciate your additional info on hatching thank you
Arrived very promptly and in excellent condition. Very happy with it (recommended by a friend) and looking forward to using it.
Just had my first hatch with the Origin 48. Only 4 eggs didn't hatch! I set it up and didn't have to do a thing with temp and humidity until the last few days....humidity was over 85% but that was down to the weather in Qld. The only complaint I have is that I ordered it a few days before the Black Friday discount so paid full price.
Great service and very fast service…thank you will definitely buy from you again.
I haven't actually used my gift yet as it is for Christmas but Uneek are wonderful giving advice for new enthusiasts.