Reviews by horsekeeper

The plastic piece that holds the top wires together is not likely to survive your efforts to put it together. Once it has crumbled apart you can tape it together with the wires to make it functional after it has collapsed on your chicks a couple of times. Then there are the thumbscrews that work loose when the chicks get big enough to start jumping up on top of the plate. Another collapse like one of those balcony disasters and of course there was a chick underneath. Luckily when the others came sliding off it removed the weight and other than being terrified no harm was done. The worst danger is the way the wire frame comes down through the plate with just enough space to catch a baby by the foot or hock and once it starts screaming they all come piling off the plate and running around over the victim pulling on the leg even more. Not sure that one will survive even though I was right there to rescue it. Possible broken or dislocated hip with a splayed leg. Rubber tips for the legs were missing from the unopened box. This is going in the garbage where it belongs as I wouldn't trust it with chicks again. If I could give negative stars I would.

I started out raising chicks with heat lamps and then got a couple of warming plates from another company. I was not happy with them and discovered this model from Premier 1 and recommend it highly. The unit is made of quality materials and so easy to clean. The addition of the plastic "dome" cover on top prevents chicks from roosting on top and makes cleanup simple. The adjustable legs are well designed and change height in seconds to accommodate growing chicks. When I take chicks out of the incubator and tuck them under the heat plate they act very content and relaxed. One of the best features is setting the legs at different heights so the plate is on a slant and different size chicks can choose a comfortable space to snuggle in.

The price is reasonable and the unit is very sturdy. I expect to get my money's worth out of this, unlike the other brand that is difficult to clean and fell apart after a few batches of chicks.

The first few hatches everything worked great. I cleaned it and stored it and the next year is when things started going bad, after the warranty was up, of course.

The temperature was stable until the eggs went in, then it was all over the place. Got it adjusted, but when lockdown came and the humidity went up the temperature started to fluctuate again and when chicks started hatching the temperature swings got really bad. I moved the remaining eggs to a styrofoam incubator for hatching and it went okay, but the whole point of a Brinsea was the easy cleanup.

Cleaning the top is a nightmare. You have to take it apart and try to wipe it down without disturbing all the works inside, no easy task. To get to the water slots the egg tray needs to be removed. Since the whole thing is in the turning cradle, this means removing it and putting it back on sometimes when it is tilted sideways and then maneuvering it back on without damaging the cradle.

I was super careful with the cradle as many have posted that they break easily. No overloading or forcing and it still stopped working. I took it apart to try and find what was broken, but everything looks okay. Working now with the incubator empty, but making a clicking sound, so not sure if it will function with a load of eggs.

I paid full price from the Brinsea site and feel that it was not worth it. Will not buy any more Brinsea products.

My son got this for me as a Christmas present so I thought I would try and make it work even after reading a lot of bad reviews about it. It has one of those designs where you lock the bottom on the top part that holds the water with sliding tabs and one opening lets the water out when you turn it upright. The tabs fit so loosely that it comes apart when you flip it, then a couple of gallons of water drench you and the immediate area. Not good when it is freezing out!

Very flimsy construction and poor design. It can be filled by taking a plug out of the bottom but is placed in the middle, so unless you have a hose you have to pour it in somehow as it is too bulky to fit under a faucet (even in the bathtub). It is supposed to hang from a flimsy little handle and the water comes right up to the edge of the rim so any little wiggle and it pours over the edge. Who needs a wet chicken coop in the winter?

The power cord is very short and I don't know how you would keep it out of reach of the chickens. Couldn't tell you how to work that out because I got tired of being soaked and put it in the trash pile.

I wish my son had read all the bad reviews on this piece of junk before he wasted his money.