The Brinsea Ovation Showdown For Breeders Who Mean Business

When you’re chasing great hatch rates, “good enough” doesn’t even enter the conversation. You want precision, reliability, and a bit of tech-smarts to make the job easier. That’s where Brinsea’s Ovation 56 EX and the 56 EX Connect come in — two premium machines built for serious hatchers who don’t leave outcomes to chance.

Both are designed and built in Great Britain — sturdy, dependable, and about as close to “set and forget” as an incubator gets. Each one will handle up to 56 hen eggs (or a stack more smaller ones), and both share the same high-end hardware. But one of them takes it a step further — and yes, it’s the one that can talk to your phone.
 

The Shared DNA: What Both Brinsea 56 EX Models Deliver

Before we start swooning over the smart features, it’s worth saying: even the 'standard' Ovation 56 EX is far from basic. This is the sort of gear that earns its keep — solid, well-designed, and annoyingly consistent.

Precision Climate Control

Humidity is one of those things that can make or break a hatch. Both models sort it for you with integral automatic humidity control — basically, a built-in water pump that does the hard work while you sip your cuppa. It draws water from an external container (you supply that bit) and keeps humidity locked exactly where you set it.

Then there’s Brinsea’s Induced Dual Airflow System — their clever way of saying “no cold spots allowed.” It mixes the air perfectly throughout the cabinet, so you don’t end up with overcooked fronts and chilly backs. Every egg, every time, gets the same TLC. 

Digital Display and Settings

No faffing about here. The digital controls are crystal clear and easy to use — set your temperature and humidity in seconds, check your readouts at a glance, and let the machine handle the rest. It’s smooth, accurate, and doesn’t nag you for attention.

Fully Automated Turning

Egg turning happens like clockwork — gently, evenly, and automatically. You get eight carriers as standard for hens or ducks, but you can upgrade if you’re running bigger or smaller eggs. Goose, quail, whatever you fancy — it’s covered. There’s even an optional cooling period to mimic a hen’s natural routine, which can bump up hatch rates for some breeds.

Built for Safety and Hygiene

Hatching’s a messy business, so Brinsea’s built these with both safety and sanity in mind. You get:

• Temperature and room alarms that actually work when you need them

• A power fail indicator — because blackouts happen at the worst possible time

• Biomaster antimicrobial protection built right into the plastic, cutting down bacterial growth by up to 99.99%

• A tough, clear-top lid that gives you a front-row seat to the action without disturbing a thing.
   

The Evolution: Meet the 56 EX Connect

If the Ovation 56 EX is the workhorse, the Ovation 56 EX Connect is the workhorse with Wi-Fi and an attitude. Same premium build, same reliability — but now it’s got brains, too.

Smart Technology Built In

The Connect version hooks up to the Brinsea Connect app, turning your incubator into a smart device you can run from your phone. You can tweak temperature, humidity, turning, or cooling from anywhere. Feed store, school pickup, weekend away — your hatch doesn’t need babysitting.

It’s the ultimate peace of mind for breeders who like to stay in control without being chained to the shed.

Real-Time Alerts and Notifications

Where the regular EX gives you a beep, the Connect gives you a heads-up. It’ll ping your phone if temperature or humidity shifts, or if the power drops out. Think of it as your incubator whispering, “Oi, something’s up — check your app.”

Extra App Perks

The Brinsea Connect app brings a few neat extras that make life easier:

• A hatch countdown timer so you always know where your batch is up to

• Task reminders for candling, lockdown, and clean-outs

• Automatic updates, meaning new features can roll out down the track without you lifting a finger

And if the Wi-Fi cuts out? Don’t stress — the incubator keeps ticking along as usual. No lost hatches here.
        

Which One Should You Choose?

Both are top-tier incubators, no question. The Ovation 56 EX gives you bulletproof automation and rock-solid consistency — ideal if you like to be hands-on.

But if you’d rather keep an eye on things from your phone, get instant alerts when something changes, and tweak settings on the fly — the Ovation 56 EX Connect is your new best mate.

In short, both deliver pro-level incubation. The Connect just takes it to the next level — and once you’ve had remote control at your fingertips, going back feels a bit like using a flip phone after owning a smartphone.