Brinsea Maxi II EX Incubator (Automatic)

The Maxi II Eco is the most basic machine, it uses a liquid in glass thermometer for the temperature reading (there is no humidity display) and egg-turning needs to be performed by hand. You need to turn the eggs 3-4 times a day. Whereas the Maxi II Advance and EX versions have a digital display for the temperature and humidity, as well as automatic egg turning.

In addition to the Maxi II Advance features, the Maxi II EX has automatic humidity control which draws water into the incubator automatically as its needed, accurately maintaining the humidity at the desired level.

The only difference between the two machines is the size and egg capacity. The Maxi II is the larger machine and holds up to 14 hen sized eggs or equivalent whereas the Mini II holds up to 7 hen sized eggs or equivalent.

The Eco, Advance and EX versions of the Maxi II match the specifications of the Eco, Advance and EX versions of the Mini II. The only difference is the egg capacity.

In a ‘manual’ incubator, eggs must be turned ‘manually’, meaning you must turn each egg by hand usually around 3-4 times a day.

Automatic incubators will automatically turn the eggs for you. On some automatic machines, you can set the timings of the turns, as well as the duration or angle of the turn. This can be important if you’re incubating specialist birds such as falcons or exotic birds.

Semi-automatic incubators don’t require you to turn each egg by hand, but equally there is no motor to turn them for you either. So, normally semi-automatic machines have a handle or lever that you push and pull to roll or rock all the eggs at the same time. Or, some incubators have specially shaped bases that allow you to tilt the entire machine back and forth.

Please note that ‘manual’ and ‘automatic’, when used in the item name, only refers to the egg turning type. It does not relate to the humidity control or to any other feature.

If you see the term ‘ automatic’ in the item name, for example, the “Rcom 20 Max Incubator (Automatic)” or in the description, such as, “the ovation 28 Advance is a fully automatic incubator”, it generally refers to the egg turning; meaning the egg turning is fully automatic. ‘Automatic’ or ‘fully automatic’ does not refer to the humidity control or temperature control.

All incubators include a built-in thermostat, even those that do not have a digital display. So, temperature is always controlled automatically.

Here's a video guide to setting-up or replacing the humidity pump tube on Brinsea Mini II, Maxi II or Ovation EX models.