The
Cooler Brooder
Owners Manual
Avey Incubator, LLC
Email: service@aveyincubator.com
Cooler Brooder Owners Manual
NOTE: The Cooler Brooder may be
supplied in red or blue - depends on the color of cooler available at the time
of manufacture.
I. Unpacking
A. Inspect for damage
1. Check for
damage when unpacking for the first time.
B. The following items should be included
1. Cooler Brooder
2. Clear
Inner Lid
3. Owner's Manual
4. Optional Power Supply
C. Plug it in
1. The Cooler
Brooder plugs into the cigarette lighter of your car. The power requirements
are 12 -15 volts, 3 amps.
II.
Clear inner lid
1. Place the clear inner lid on the ledge running around the
top inside of the Cooler Brooder. The Cooler Brooder
will operate properly with the outer lid completely open or just open a bit.
The inner lid keeps the heat in.
III.
Air Supply
A.
A. Outside air is brought in through the vent openings in the rear hinge.
Cooler Brooders manufactured before
B.
C.
D. IV.
Adjusting the Cooler Brooder
A. Selection knob
1. The selection
knob has 2 operations. Push in to start and push in to finish a selection and
turn left or right to change the selection. (Push in and then release - some
people try to hold the knob in and then turn the knob while it is held in -
this won't work! Push in means push and release)
2. Password
a)
Your password is 5 (default)
b)
Push in the selection knob.
c)
When prompted dial in your password.
d)
Push in selection knob
(i) If you wait too long the
operation times out and the Cooler Brooder resumes normal operation.
(ii) If you dial in the wrong password the Cooler Brooder
resumes normal operation
(iii) If you dial in the correct password the Cooler Brooder
moves to the temperature selection screen .
3. Temperature
Selection
A. Dial in the desired temperature.
B. Push in the selection knob to set.
C. Always assess the baby when determining
what is too hot or cold. A baby that is too cold will huddle up against the
side of the tub, a baby that is too hot will stretch
out or even hang their head over the side when sleeping.
V.
VFD (Vacuum Fluorescent Display
A. Displays the
temperature in both Celsius and Fahrenheit.
B. Automatically uses the last settings
even if the power has been off.
VI.
Cleaning
A. Windex and a soft cloth will be all
that is needed to keep your Cooler Brooder clean. Spraying with Nolvosan or a 10% diluted bleach solution will disinfect
the Cooler Brooder.
B. The clear inner lid is made of a
scratch resistant acrylic but for best performance should be wiped with a clean
cotton washcloth (not a paper towel. Paper towels are more abrasive than cotton)
VII.
High Temperature Alarm
B. The high temperature alarm is pre-programmed
for about 2 degrees higher than the setpoint temperature.
C. The over high temperature scenario
includes:
1. The car being too warm.
2. The Cooler
Brooder being in direct sunlight.
3. The Cooler
Brooder in path of a car heater outlet.
4. At lower
temperatures i.e. 80°f the birds themselves may be big enough and old enough to
generate their own heat to the point where they over-temp
the Cooler Brooder.
a) If the high temp alarm sounds - push in the selection knob
to silence it and open the Cooler Brooder lid to vent some heat.
Low Temperature Alarm now standard on all digital brooders. If the low temp alarm sounds - push in the
selection knob to silence it.
VIII.
From Day 1
A. Run the Cooler Brooder at 98°f to
start. Once the baby has hatched and even during the hatching process . (I have used the Cooler Brooder as a hatcher for
years.)
1. Place the baby
in a butter tub or container of your choice.
2. Place the
container inside a sandwich bag (or gallon ziploc
type bag) along with a soaked paper towel. Keep the paper towel separated from
the tub.
a)
The idea is to add extra humidity to just the area in the ziploc. DON'T SEAL (ZIP) the ZIPLOC!! The bag acts as a
shield so the air circulating in the cooler brooder won't blow on and dry out
the baby.
b)
Change the paper towel and bedding material in the tub at
every feeding. This warm moist environment will grow germs so extra vigilance
is required here. (True with any brooder)
B. Reduce the operating temperature of the
brooder on day 3 to about 97°f and look at the baby.
1. Always assess
the baby when determining what is too hot or cold.
a) A baby that is too cold will huddle up against the side of
the tub,
b) A baby that is too hot will stretch out or even hang their
head over the side when sleeping.
2. Every day or
two after that I reduce the temperature another degree. Assessing
the baby in the brooder. (Is the baby acting too cold or warm?) So by
the time their real down feathers are coming in (2-3 weeks )
the temperature is down in the mid 80's
a)
When fully down feathered they can be at "room
temperature". I'll leave them in the brooder (even turned off) and their
own body heat will keep them comfortable.
C. At this point I also lessen the amount
of dampness on the paper towel. Gradually over a period of
3-4 days allowing the baby to further dry out.
VIII.
Humidity
A. Add humidity by placing a small dish or
tub of water in the Cooler Brooder.
1. Place paper
towels in the dish if moving it around so the water doesn't spill.
2. The surface
area of the exposed water determines how fast the water will evaporate and how
much "humidity" will be added.
3. I place the tub
under the "fan out duct". The warm air evaporates the tub of water.
For less humidity reduce the size of the surface area of water exposed to air.
(1 1/2 to 2" diameter juice glass is what I use.)
4. After about 3
weeks or so your baby parrot may be big enough to generate enough additional
moisture on their own and a extra dish of water isn’t
necessary anymore.
IX.
Optional Power Supply
A. With the Dual Voltage System (runs on
12VDC or 120VAC) the Cooler Brooder works great as brooder in the nursery too.
The power supply plugs into the wall and the Cooler Brooder plugs into the
power supply. Many people transport the Cooler Brooder back and forth to work.
X. Warranty
A. The Cooler Brooder carries a 2
year parts and labor warranty. Shipping charges to and from our facility are
the buyer's responsibility. Contact our service dept. at 1-877-283-9462
(AVEYINC) or email at service@aveyinc.com
for return information.
X1. Return
Policy.
Returns will be accepted for 30 days after shipping
date on unused equipment returned in the original packaging. You must
call for return authorization or shipment will be refused. Shipping charges and
arrangements are your responsibility. A restocking charge of 20% will be
assessed. Packages must be insured. You need to call and notify us on the day
you ship your return, be prepared to supply your tracking number.