General Information
The Hova Bator 2362N is a basic Styrofoam incubator that comes with a fan and two small viewing windows. It is a good entry-level incubator for the hobbyist that wants to hatch eggs for fun. It easily fits 60 large size chicken eggs, possibly more if you want to get creative.
The incubator has good ventilation and two vent plugs on the top that can be removed. There are also vent holes along the sides of the incubator that allow air in and moisture to escape. It comes with water tray, wire mesh bottom, a thermometer and a primitive thermostat that must be assembled at home. Easy to follow instructions are included and is not difficult to assemble. An accurate hygrometer/thermometer should be purchased separately and used with the incubator.
The temperature stays consistent once it is set where you need it to be. Very little adjustment is needed once initially stabilized. However, when adding or removing eggs, the temp will change and you need to adjust the thermostat and keep an eye on it for a few hours afterwards.
The fan is fairly strong, although there do seem to be significant temperature differences from one side of the incubator to the other. I had one side reading 102 and the other side at 98. I turned the temp down a bit and rotated the eggs around. I did not purchase a turner; the eggs were all turned by hand. They all hatched on day 21 within 18 hours of each other.
This was my first incubator and the first time using an incubator to hatch eggs. I used it in an unheated room that has a temperature that stays between 55 and 62 degrees. I started with 35 eggs, lost seven to infertility and another eight that quit after day 8 due to unknown reasons. They were all from the same hen so I suspect some genetic problems rather than an incubator issue. Twenty eggs made it to lockdown and they all hatched on day 21. I had expected a lower hatch rate since I am a newbie, so I was pleasantly surprised to have all of my Marans and EE eggs hatch.
I would recommend this incubator; it works exactly as described. However, it is a rather cheaply constructed Styrofoam unit. It seems like you could build a better one for half the price if you had a little bit of mechanical ability. The incubator runs constantly; you can not turn off the fan separately. It also does not hold heat well. Once unplugged, the temp drops to 70 degrees within one hour. It seems fairly energy efficient; it cost us approximately $.30 per day to use it. For under $100 it is a good buy for the bird owner on a budget and has a good hatch rate as well.
The incubator has good ventilation and two vent plugs on the top that can be removed. There are also vent holes along the sides of the incubator that allow air in and moisture to escape. It comes with water tray, wire mesh bottom, a thermometer and a primitive thermostat that must be assembled at home. Easy to follow instructions are included and is not difficult to assemble. An accurate hygrometer/thermometer should be purchased separately and used with the incubator.
The temperature stays consistent once it is set where you need it to be. Very little adjustment is needed once initially stabilized. However, when adding or removing eggs, the temp will change and you need to adjust the thermostat and keep an eye on it for a few hours afterwards.
The fan is fairly strong, although there do seem to be significant temperature differences from one side of the incubator to the other. I had one side reading 102 and the other side at 98. I turned the temp down a bit and rotated the eggs around. I did not purchase a turner; the eggs were all turned by hand. They all hatched on day 21 within 18 hours of each other.
This was my first incubator and the first time using an incubator to hatch eggs. I used it in an unheated room that has a temperature that stays between 55 and 62 degrees. I started with 35 eggs, lost seven to infertility and another eight that quit after day 8 due to unknown reasons. They were all from the same hen so I suspect some genetic problems rather than an incubator issue. Twenty eggs made it to lockdown and they all hatched on day 21. I had expected a lower hatch rate since I am a newbie, so I was pleasantly surprised to have all of my Marans and EE eggs hatch.
I would recommend this incubator; it works exactly as described. However, it is a rather cheaply constructed Styrofoam unit. It seems like you could build a better one for half the price if you had a little bit of mechanical ability. The incubator runs constantly; you can not turn off the fan separately. It also does not hold heat well. Once unplugged, the temp drops to 70 degrees within one hour. It seems fairly energy efficient; it cost us approximately $.30 per day to use it. For under $100 it is a good buy for the bird owner on a budget and has a good hatch rate as well.
