Rare Leucistic Owls Hatched in a Brinsea Maxi II Incubator

We recently heard from Karen Mankowska, a passionate bird enthusiast and breeder from Little Dove Tails and Owls, who shared her incredible story of hatching rare leucistic owls using the Brinsea Maxi II EX incubator. Karen’s journey into breeding these beautiful birds has been filled with learning, challenges, and ultimately, success.

The Start of Karen’s Leucistic Owl Journey

Karen first became captivated by leucistic owls after seeing a photo of a stunning pure white barn owl on social media. Unlike albino owls, leucistic owls have only a partial loss of pigmentation, resulting in their unique white or patchily colored feathers. With a deep love for birds, Karen decided to track down one of these rare owls to add to her collection, which already included a common barn owl and several pure white doves that she uses for events, school visits, and charity work.

"I didn’t set out to become a breeder of owls," Karen shares, but after buying a pair of leucistic barn owls five years ago, she became committed to preserving this magnificent species. Despite being new to owl breeding, Karen was determined to succeed and sought advice from experienced breeders in her community.

The Challenges of Breeding Leucistic Owls

Breeding leucistic owls is no easy task, as Karen quickly discovered. Unlike other birds, owls can exhibit challenging behaviors during the breeding process. In Karen’s first hatch, one of the parents began eating the chicks, possibly due to instinctual behaviors or jealousy. This led her to remove the eggs and attempt to hatch them herself.

Karen's experience breeding doves helped, but breeding owls is a completely different challenge. Initially, she used a heat pad to incubate the eggs but encountered several setbacks along the way.

Success with Brinsea Incubators and Brooders

After four years of trial and error, Karen decided to invest in a Brinsea Maxi II EX incubator and a Brinsea TLC-40 Advance brooder, which transformed her breeding success. "The Brinsea incubator has a great design, allowing me to monitor the hatching process closely. As owlets hatch every two days, I can act on their needs individually," Karen explains.

The Brinsea TLC-40 brooder also played a vital role in Karen’s success due to its antibacterial plastic design, which helps keep hatchlings safe and hygienic. Karen uses Brinsea’s incubation disinfectant to clean the brooder and maintain a sterile environment during and after use.

The precise temperature controls on both the incubator and brooder ensure that the conditions remain consistent day and night, giving Karen peace of mind while rearing her owl clutches.

The Impact of Brinsea Equipment on Breeding Success

Karen attributes her breeding success to the reliability of her Brinsea equipment. "I would not be without these pieces of equipment as I know my success is down to using these Brinsea models," she says. Thanks to the Brinsea Maxi II EX incubator and TLC-40 brooder, Karen has achieved far more success in her leucistic owl breeding efforts than in previous years.

Karen Mankowska, Little Dove Tails and Owls