Breeder Spotlight • Philippines

Our Experience with the Maxi 24 Zoologica in the Philippines

By D&R Birds, Philippines — Exotic Parrot Breeders

3 Units

Maxi 24 Zoologicas

37.2°C

Operating Temp

30–38% RH

Humidity Range

22 Eggs

Mixed Exotic Sizes Set

“Here at D&R Birds in the Philippines, we’re currently running three Maxi 24 Zoologica incubators. One thing we always check is temperature accuracy, and all three of our Zoologica units are dead accurate against our trusted thermometer, which gives us plenty of confidence when setting valuable eggs.”

Being in such a humid country, our incubators usually sit between 30–38% relative humidity, and we run all three at 37.2°C. We have a mixture of large, medium, and small eggs in them, and so far we’ve set 22 eggs with no issues (touch wood!).

The biggest thing we’ve noticed is how even the heat is throughout the whole incubator. The egg turning is also very smooth, and overall they’re just very user-friendly machines. Another thing we really like is how easy they are to clean. It’s a simple design, so routine cleaning doesn’t take long. We don’t use the automatic cooling programme, but that’s just our preference—we candle our eggs twice a day anyway, so we cool them manually while we’re doing that.

Species Currently in the Incubators: African Greys Solomon Eclectus Vosmaeri Eclectus Black-Headed Caiques White-Bellied Caiques

Darrin at D&R Birds with the Brinsea Maxi 24 Zoologica incubator

D&R Birds running the Maxi 24 Zoologica in the Philippines

Uniform Chamber Heat

Even temperature distribution across large, medium, and small parrot eggs simultaneously.

Smooth Turning

Gentle, reliable automatic turning tailored for delicate exotic parrot embryos.

Fast Sanitation

Simple, uncluttered interior makes routine cleaning between hatches quick and effortless.

Where It All Started: From an Octagon 20 to the Zoologica

I’ve been around incubators for a long time. Back in around 1998–2000 I bought my first Brinsea Octagon 20. I wouldn’t call myself an expert—I was completely self-taught—but that little incubator is where it all started. My first hatch was six Indian Ringneck eggs and two Galah eggs. Only three chicks survived, but that was enough for me to realise I’d found something I really enjoyed. I’ve been incubating eggs ever since.

Over the years I’ve used a range of incubators, and a good friend of mine in Australia suggested I take a look at the new Zoologica range. For the price, we thought we’d give them a try and bought three units.

AUD $800 vs. AUD $4,000 Performance

“So far they’ve been excellent. In fact, these incubators are performing every bit as well as another much more expensive model we own that cost around AUD $4,000, despite the Zoologica units costing around AUD $800 each. That’s been a pleasant surprise.”

We’ve always tried to get the best value for money rather than simply buying the most expensive equipment, and at the moment I think we’ve found it. In fact, we’re already planning to add a few more Maxi Zoologica 24s in the future.

We’re still early in the season, but first impressions have been excellent. For anyone looking for an incubator that’s accurate, easy to use, simple to maintain and represents great value, our experience so far has been a very positive one.

— D&R Birds, Philippines