Best mini incubator to buy for a newbie?

[walkerkm]

Buying a few cuckoo maran hens this weekend that are laying fertilized eggs- for now. How many weeks will the eggs be fertilized ? No roosters at my house- so i figured i will hatch them while i have them. What's the best small unit to buy holding approx 6 eggs?

 

[abanjaf]

Maybe someone else can help better answer you, but I am under the impression that a hen needs to have continued "exposure" to a roo to continue laying fertilized eggs. So, I would think that only the eggs that you collect the day you receive them and also the day after have any chance of being fertile. I use a Little Giant circulated air incubator and have had great success. It's a small unit but will hold many more eggs than 6

 

[Apprentice_egger]

Are you sure the eggs will be fertile? I don't know how many other people here know the old trick of taking the hen away from the rooster 2 weeks before a sale. It just keeps the stock with the rooster's owner. Maybe it's one of those things that's more popular among show people.

I'm not sure why you would want a very small incubator when an economically priced Little Giant holds 41 - 120 eggs and you can set only 6 if you like. Looking at the price of a Brinsea Mini I can't justify the cost for egg capacity if I might want to do a serious hatch in the future. It's up to you though as it's what you want that matters. Look at your options, listen to the opinions here and then make your choice.