FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

We have deliberately not produced a shopping cart type site with its attendant structures. We still like to speak with and have interaction with our customers and all the information in the world cannot replace a conversation and direct advice.

However, if you know what you want, and you wish to confirm price, availability, freight costs, and delivery times, the following is a suitable online order system. It takes a few more key strokes than the shopping trolley, but works just as well.

First

Go to the contact information at the bottom of each page. An example is in the box below. Click on the email address and your browser will automatically load a new email.

Contact Us
Phone: 03 9796 7044
Fax: 03 9796 7033
Email: poultry@bellsouth.com.au
Post: P.O. Box 1233, Narre Warren, VIC 3805
Showroom: Unit 8, 5-7 Vesper Drive, Narre Warren, VIC 3805

Second,

Minimise the email using the minus sign on the top toolbar of the browser.

Thirdly,

Browse the pages which interest you. If you wish to order an item, just highlight the item in the pricelist by holding down the left mouse button while moving the cursor over the item part number, description and price.

Fourthly,

Copy the line using the “Ctrl C” function.

Fiftly,

Reopen the email by clicking on the lower toolbar where the minimised email is waiting.

Sixthly,

Add the item to the email by “Ctrl V”
Mimimise and browse again.
Repeat as many times as you wish, then simply add any other comments and questions you may have, and send the email. We will reply in a timely manner.

SO YOU WANT TO BUY AN INCUBATOR?

 

Selecting the right machine will depend on asking the right questions, and analysing your particular requirements. The biggest, brightest, and the best may be more than you need. There is no “best” incubator for all situations and what is the “best” for you may not suit another.

THE QUESTIONS TO ASK
The first questions to ask relate to the capacity of the  machine and its suitability for the particular species you may wish to hatch. Generally, chicken eggs and  most species of bantams hatch more easily, as they have been selected for hatching in incubators. Most importantly, chicken and bantam nutrition is better understood and better formulated than feeds formulated for many rarer game and avian species. This means that chickens tolerate the conditions inside incubators better than do the rarer species. There is no incubator available which can duplicate exactly the conditions of the natural mother. Some incubators come a bit closer than others. The rarer the species, the better the incubator needs to be to achieve good results. So chickens will hatch well in basic incubators but parrots require more sophisticated incubators with more facilities such as sophisticated humidity controls and backups.

The next question is to do with the ambient environment where the machine is to be used. If the machine is to be used in an air conditioned building, then even the most basic machine can produce good results. If however the machine is to be used out in an uninsulated, breezy back shed, where the temperature is close to freezing at night and hot during the day; then even the best machine will not perform as well as its potential, and the basic machines will be an absolute flop. Most manufacturers specify a room temperature between 15 and 25-30 degrees Celcius, and humidity of 50%RH for best results.

Next is the question of simplicity of operation. In the simple machines, there is usually more to do with regards to adjustment, monitoring of humidity, and turning the eggs.  The use situation may dictate that automatic turning is important, eg. when the incubator is at a school or if it is unattended overnight or weekends. The turning rate effects hatchability and eggs need to be turned 2 to 3 times a day minimum to achieve good results, with rare, or difficult species requiring more frequent turning. This is one of the limits to hatching with the simple machines, as the conditions are upset by opening the machine, and so turning twice to three times a day is the maximum practical. Turning can also take quite a while in the larger still air machines. A point worth remembering here is that price can bear little resemblance to the ability to hatch eggs. Often a larger more complex machine will produce similar results but with less work, or in a fashion which allows a different management system.

The most significant factors effecting hatchability are often not part of the machine at all. Most commercialy produced today will work well. The handling and storage of the fertile eggs, and the breeder nutrition, are of major importance in achieving a high rate of success. These are often the factors which mean, that one person hatches well from a certain incubator and another person cannot. We firmly recommend the use of a vitamin supplement either in the breeder rations or in the water for a minimum of 2 weeks before the fertile eggs are to be collected for setting. Vitamin supplements should continue for the whole of the breeding period.

For a comparison of the incubators, hatch sizes, energy

consumption and price, click here.

QUESTIONS ABOUT R-COM INCUBATORS

RCOM INCUBATORS

Tips and Tricks.

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Last altered 15-07-2008

This new range of incubators has been on the market for 3 years in the Mini 3 egg incubator and 2years in the Rcom 20 range. It has been a pleasure to offer these machines, and the new technology is a delight to use.
However some find the new technology different for a while. Remember, the easiest way to get answers to to call, preferable from a phone next to the incubator, and we will guide you along the way.

USER TIPS for the R-COM MINI 3 EGG

As with all new market releases there have been some bugs and hiccups along the way, and we have learnt much about the capabilities and shortcomings of the machines. If you have some tips you want to share with other users, please call us.

WHAT IT CAN’T DO

The Rcom Mini 3 egg has been a wonderful little machine packed with technology I think better than any machine on the market except its big brother the Rcom 20 series. But there are some things it can’t do.

It cannot automatically adjust the humidity. Some web sites are listing this machine as having “Automatic Humidity”. I think this is misleading. The unit adds moisture using an evaporator system and operates an alarm if it runs out of water. This is what we call “static humidity”. The size of the water bowl cannot be changed, and if the room humidity varies so will the incubator. Mostly this will not be a problem, as a good average has been selected.

HUMIDITY ADJUSTMENT IN THE MINI

To increase the humidity, place the incubator on a towel and dampen the towel. This will increase the humidity around the incubator and so make the humidity higher inside the machine. To decrease the humidity, perhaps because in candling you can see the air cell is too small, remove the bung under the machine and drain out the water.
Run the incubator with no water for a day or two, check progress of the air cell.

DO NOT TURN THE INCUBATOR UPSIDE DOWN WITH WATER IN IT AS THIS WILL CAUSE DAMAGE TO THE ELECTRONICS AND VOID THE WARRANTY.

EGG TURNING.

When using the machine as a rescue machine, for when the bird is off the nest, we had a few people say the machine did not turn. When selecting OTHER BIRDS, it is necessary to press OK once, then press the SEL key for the number of days you think the egg has to go. Then hold the OK button until the machine starts. This sets the number of days to count down. The machine will then stop turning 3 days before estimated hatch day. If you just press and hold OK, the machine will start with 1 day to run and consequently no turning.

The second point about turning is that once the incubator has reached the time to switch off the turning, and you have completed the hatch, yu must tell the incubator that the batch is completed. To do this press and hold both the SEL and OK bottons for 5 seconds. The machine will then stop running the fan will stop, the heaters will stop, and the species display will flash again. If you press srart again the machine will now start up for a new batch, and the turning and count down will function correctly. Most important, unpluging the power will not reset the machine to standby,it will simply forget the time it has been switched off.

CALIBRATION

The incubators come already set for 37.5 degrees, and are programmed for that temperature. However it has become apparent over time that with some machines the calibration is not correct. We find this is due to production spread of the components particularly the temperature sensor. We had been selling the machines with no testing, as our initial testing showed consistent results. When a percentage of the machines showed differences we started testing and re-calibrating each machine upon test using the temperature set function. This is ok but now the computer says its running at a wrong temperature, when it is actually right.
We now have a new Firmware program which allows us to have separate Calibration and Temperature set functions.
We now have upgraded all R-Com 3 sold after 6 December to have a new calibration program and a calibration thermometer included. Start the machine follow the calibrate instructions, just to make sure each one is correct.

TURNING

It has been discovered that the turning also does not give a full rotation of large eggs, and though in most cases it does not seem to be effecting the performance, it has been also corrected in the new firmware upgrade listed above.
Applies to 3 egg mini machines sold before June 2007

TIPS ABOUT THE R-COM 20 RANGE

START UP CALIBRATION CHECK

First operation after receiving your new incubator, is to read the instructions, and Check the calibration of the temperature.
Place the R-Com Calibration thermometer on the turning tray, and press the start button until the incubator starts ( R-Com 20 just turn on the power). The incubator will heat to the standard default temperature of 37.5 degrees Celcius.
Wait for 30 minutes and check that the calibration thermometer, and the digital temperature display both read the same.
If they are not the same, follow the calibration instructions for your model until they agree. Then press stop to turn the machine off.

SMALL EGGS.

We have had a few comments about the trays design of the Rcom mini and Rcom 20 series. The trays have a sloped edge and sometimes this causes the eggs to turn end for end. We don’t see that as a problem, because studies in the nest show the eggs are turned very randomly. However one user reports adding strips of card held in place with bluetac, which caused the very small eggs to roll correctly.
A user with the Rcom 20 did the same thing and in effect made an adjustable tray.

ADJUSTABLE TRAYS.

Rcom now make an adjustable tray for the Rcom 20 series. The drawback encountered with many adjustable trays is egg migration, where the eggs tent to “walk”up and down the grids. I have a customer with another brand who places O rings on the dividers and this seems to cure the problem.

POWER SURGES

As with all electronics, the RCOM range are suseptible to power surges and lightning strikes. These are difficult to guard against and standard household surge supressors are not ideal for containing large and long power surges. We recommend the use of computer UPS power supplies for thos in areas where power supplies are unstable or have frequesnt short shutdowns. The problem with these situations is that the return of power is often accompanied by a period of high voltage, and this can be detrimental to the power supply in the incubator. UPS systems are available from all computer stores and large retailers. In recent times the widespread use with computers has caused a great reduction in the price of these units so the security is worthwhile, especially with rare eggs.

PROGRAMS FOR THE RCOM20PRO Usb.

Mr Yang from Rcom in Korea has visited us and added many refinements to the program, including slide button adjustments of alarms for temperature and humidity, many help messages and better compatibility with the many variability’s in computers. We still have a few problems with the older ( 4 years plus) HP computers but all others tested appear fine. If we have missed sending you a Beta Version 2 December 2006 version, give us a call. The new operating manuals are now available

PROGRAMS FOR THE RCOM20PRO Usb. No 2

We have had a few operators report that when unplugging the communication, error reports occur. This is because the data stream from incubator to computer is interupted. 2 causes have been found. 1/ If you unplug the computer mid data stream, the program sees the error and gives that wonderful contact microsoft message. It is to unplug after shutting down the program itself, then disconnect the cables. 2/ At odd times, this message occurs all on its own and the system is just shut down. While it did not sem to effect the data quality, repeated shutdowns did in one case corrupt the data, and it was difficult to shut down the incubator with the computer. It seems that the incubator uses a substantial amount of power from the computer USB port, and in some cases the computer USB ports are not able to supply enough power to continue the data stream. So if this occurs give us a call, the fix is to use a separately powered USB hub, which has its own more robust power supply than is in most laptop computers.

WATER QUALITY IN R-COM INCUBATORS

People often ask about water quality. Most town water supplies are of adequate standard for use with any of the R-Com incubators. Water from bores is likely to be of high salt so will clog up the evaporative pads in the machines.
If the water is clear and tastes ok, it is ok for the machines. In the Rcom 20 series, wash the evaporator pad each hatch, and in both machines a few drops of white king in the water will adequately disinfect the machine.
One customer in a research facility used, sterile de ionized water. The incubator insisted that there was no water when it was full. The water sensors rely on a small electric current through the water. De ionized water will not allow a current to flow so the machine will not detect the water. Add a few drops of bleach or Detol and all is well again.
In a couple of machines we had a faulty float, which allowed the evaporation reservoir to overfill. If you have that problem give us a call.

HUMIDITY PADS DRYING OUT

We have had a number of reports of the pads drying out during incubation, especially in areas where the room humidity is low, or where the humidity settings of the machine are high. It may be that sometimes the evaporative pad will need to be rewashed in the middle of the incubation period.
With large eggs its easy, just unclip the top of the machine and pick it up eggs and all, remove the pad, wash under the tap and replace.
HOWEVER with SMALL eggs it will be necessary to remove the eggs from the incubator, before unclipping the top of the machine.

INCUBATOR CLEANING and SERVICING

We have had a few machines with corrosion problems. These machines have arrived to us with operational problems, including the water empty bell sounding.
Examination of the returned machines found substantial amounts of water in the machines, with most surfaces of the machine still with beads of water, even after a trip through the post.
Corrosion was evident on parts of the machines, and the machines had not been cleaned after the last hatch(es). IT IS ESSENTIAL that the machines be cleaned and dried ESPECIALLY if the machine will not be used again straight away.
Clean all the bottom of the incubator with warm soapy(kitchen detergent) water, wipe over the top half with a damp cloth.
The best way to dry the machine is to simply run it with no water in the machine for at least 48 hours after cleaning.
Reassemble the incubator, then, just press the OK START button, and allow the machine to run. After a suitable time press STOP for 5 seconds, and the machine will shut down. Then store securely in a dry place.

REMEMBER, TURNING OVER THE INCUBATOR WITH WATER IN IT WILL VOID THE WARRANTY AND IREPAIRABLY DAMAGE THE INCUBATOR

WHAT’S IN A NAME

A large incubator manufacturer and distributor in another country has the agency for Rcom in that country. They have branded the machines as their own brand so many think the machines are a specific product made by that company. This is not true. R-Com is a brand conceived, developed and manufactured in Korea by AUTO-ELEX.

R In Korean this sound is the sound for egg, Com is short for computer. So in Korean R-Com means egg computer. In the town of GimHea in southern Korea, there is an old folk tale. The very first king of that area was reputed to have hatched out of an egg. Auto-Elex is famous in its own area, the incubator maker if the town where the king hatched from an egg. Talk about Kingmakers!!

Auto-Elex have appointed agents in various parts of the world. Bellsouth has been appointed the Australian and New Zealand Distributor for AUTO-ELEX R-COM incubators.

Some other Australian companies are disappointed that they have not been able to secure the distribution of this revolutionary product range. They have chosen instead to simply bag the products, which they have never seen or used. Whatever it is, they sure are spitting chips, or maybe its just sour grapes.

Bellsouth was established in 1980 and is now the oldest specialist poultry equipment supplier in the same ownership in Australia.

 

Christmas Newsletter 2007/8
UNDERSTANDING HUMIDITY IN INCUBATORS WITH AUTOMATIC HUMIDITY CONTROL.

Some confusion worldwide about these new digital control systems has come about because they are new and there is not a lot of people who have them and can give advice about them. I find 2 common responses to auto humidity control. One is to say I will set it on auto and just forget about it, the machine will do the rest. The other is to suddenly become fanatical about precision, now we can read the humidity, if it varies a couple of points something must be wrong. Both extremes may work fore a while, but both will let us down in the long run. It is better we understand what the humidity does and then see to understand how to make it work for us.

The most common method of reading humidity has been using a wet bulb thermometer. This is essentially a standard thermometer, which has a “wick” or cotton sock over the bulb at its bottom. The thermometer without the wick would read the same as the standard dry bulb thermometer. However, then the wick is placed over the bulb and wetted, the thermometer now reads differently. The water evaporating from the wick cools down the thermometer bulb so it now reads lower than the standard thermometer. The amount of cooling is dependent on the amount of water in the air of the incubator. If the air is very dry, a lot of water evaporates, so the thermometer reads a lot lower than the standard thermometer. If there is a lot of water in the air, not much evaporates off the wick, so there is not much cooling, so thee thermometer reads almost the same as the standard thermometer. This is called the WET BULB DEPRESSION. The difference between the standard thermometer and the wet thermometer directly relates to the humidity in a special chart called a psychometric chart. So we can use this to calculate the relative humidity which is what the digital controls read. In fact this is a common way of calibrating the digital control for humidity.

However this reading can be a problem. It’s the method used in most of the books on incubation, and tends to be regarded as an absolute.

” I read it in a book,” or “I saw it on the internet “, or “So and So told me this is what is correct”. The trouble is , unless the source is using the same incubator, with the same eggs, and the same calibration, the “recommended” humidity figure may be at best irrelevant, or just plain wrong..

So let me explain why.

There is only one thing that matters with humidity and only the egg can tell you. So learning how to read the egg is the single most important thing you can learn about humidity.

The egg needs to loose enough water by evaporation and respiration so that by 3 days before the egg is due to hatch the egg will be about 14% lighter in weight, or so it will be between 25% and 35% empty at the big end. So you can tell this by candling the egg with a torch, called a candler, or by using scales.

So what effects how much water evaporates out of the egg? ( we cannot effectively control the respiration, the chick is doing that)

Two things; The structure of the shell, and the humidity of the incubator. Because each species has a different shell structure, generally the humidity needed is related to the specific species being incubated. This is also a compromise when we want to do several species at the same time in the same incubator.

So now we are back to the actual humidity. But the actual humidity will depend on what sources of information I have.

But are the existing books and information sources correct? I usually say no, and this is why.

1/ It is a bit difficult to read the fancy charts so sometimes you can read it wrongly.

So the advice may be arrived at by wrong use of the charts.

2/ The advice is given by someone incubating eggs which may be very different to the shell structure of your eggs, due to genetics, diet, or age.

3/ The advice may well be from a different era. Lots of the methods from 30 years ago are now recognised as being based on a wrong understanding of the eggs.

4/ The advice may be based on incubators with different humidity systems. Most existing incubators use what I call STATIC humidity systems. That is you put water into a container, and then cover or uncover the container until you get a humidity reading which gives the correct weight loss or air cell size. This is ok, but we need to be reminded that the average humidity is all that matters. With a static system, the humidity in the incubator is the combination of the ambient humidity in the room, which may go up and down, plus the water evaporated from the eggs, plus the humidity added to the incubator from the evaporation of the water container. Now if I read the humidity in the afternoon, I will read a higher humidity than if I do it at 4am. So which reading is right? Calculating the average is somewhat difficult. If the operator is consistent, then he will adjust the humidity to achieve the right weight loss.

Also, if the machine is manual turn or semi automatic turn, then every time the incubator is opened, the humidity will escape. It will take an average machine 2-4 hours to get the humidity back to balance. If I do this 3 times a day then for a lot of the day the humidity will effectively be low, even though the temperature in the machine recovers quickly.

In the Automatic humidity machines, the control instrument is set for a particular humidity level. The control then actively adds water by evaporation to the incubator, or allows the humidity to fall as the fresh air comes into the incubator. If the outside humidity goes up, then the control doesn’t add any more moisture, but allows it to fall to the “Set Humidity”. If the outside humidity goes down the machine adds moisture, to bring it up to the set humidity. If I open the lid the machine actively adds extra moisture to quickly recover to the set figure. The result is the average humidity is the same as the reading. We can then change the setting if our eggs do not respond with the correct weight loss.

We have seen a lot of humidity figures quoted which are way above the real average figure, and these have caused a lot of confusion. A rule of thumb we have found is that the fully automatic incubators like the R-Com run 5-10% lower than the book recommendations based on the old technology incubators. So if your book says 60% start at 50%.

REMEMBER, it is easier to slow down the humidity loss by simply running high humidity, however it is very difficult if you get 2/3 of the way through and need to loose more weight, its much harder to correct.

I also noticed at the Grafton AVES conference several of the overseas speakers on incubation did not understand this relationship, yet the pictures they showed clearly told of significant humidity control problems, amongst others.