Beginner incubator tips or help?

[ilovemychickens2000]

Hi, so i might be getting a chicken incubator in may, im planning on getting this one since its got good reviews and good features -> https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CNTLK2LX/ref=twister_B0DSQ51CFF?_encoding=UTF8&th=1

If anyone wants to suggest a better, cheap incubator (about 50-60 bucks) i would appreciate it.

But, since i have a rooster im planning on just taking a couple eggs from my girls and hatching those. It would probably be a mutt chicken or chickens, because we have a wide variety of breeds. But, ive never seen anyone take eggs from their hens and incubate them, they always buy them online. Is there a issue that arrises when incubating your flocks eggs instead of eggs from a tractor supply? i assumed it would work the same.

Also, i plan on hatching maybe 2-4 because i just want a couple chicks. I would like to incubate and raise them myself so they veiw me as their mother.. and are more friendly as ive only ever raised a chick myself once and it was very very nice and cuddle. Maybe its selfish that i want them to love me and cuddle me.. but i have good experience with raising chicks as ive raised a chick back from practically death within 3 days.

So, im very nervous about it all but excited. What do you recommend? Ive just heard so many horror stories about eggs not hatching correctly, or my incubator wont work properly, or i wont raise them right!!!

edit: i live in washington so its already very humid here and im worried that my incubator will mess up and the humidity will be too high or something! anyone in rainy/very humid climates got tips?

 

[CabritaChicks]

Just my two cents:

1. Chickens are pretty straightforward. They’re not like parrots—you’re not hand-feeding with syringes, weighing out formula, or obsessing over developmental milestones. They absorb their yolk sac, and then you just dip their beak in water, tap around the food a bit, and they’re off. Simple.
2. An egg is an egg. If it’s fertilized and conditions are right, it should hatch—doesn’t matter if it came from a commercial supplier or your own backyard flock.
3. That incubator looks like an earlier version of the one I have. Mine has an absolutely obnoxious alarm that goes off anytime humidity drops below 40% (which is exactly the level I want it at). I shared my experience here if anyone’s curious:
   https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...or-question-about-alarm-and-humidity.1658533/
4. Hatch rate-wise, with a budget incubator and first try, expect maybe 30% of the eggs not to develop or hatch. Of those that do hatch, about half will likely be roosters (not a real statisisc but a probability). So plan to set more eggs than you need—then, once they’re out, you can decide what to keep, what to gift to friends, or which roo to generously “donate” to that one neighbor you’re not so fond of.

Edit: I should add about the brooder- correct temp, hot and cool spots. But this was it seemed just about incubating.

 

[Auntiejessi3]

Hi, so i might be getting a chicken incubator in may, im planning on getting this one since its got good reviews and good features -> https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CNTLK2LX/ref=twister_B0DSQ51CFF?_encoding=UTF8&th=1

If anyone wants to suggest a better, cheap incubator (about 50-60 bucks) i would appreciate it.

But, since i have a rooster im planning on just taking a couple eggs from my girls and hatching those. It would probably be a mutt chicken or chickens, because we have a wide variety of breeds. But, ive never seen anyone take eggs from their hens and incubate them, they always buy them online. Is there a issue that arrises when incubating your flocks eggs instead of eggs from a tractor supply? i assumed it would work the same.

Also, i plan on hatching maybe 2-4 because i just want a couple chicks. I would like to incubate and raise them myself so they veiw me as their mother.. and are more friendly as ive only ever raised a chick myself once and it was very very nice and cuddle. Maybe its selfish that i want them to love me and cuddle me.. but i have good experience with raising chicks as ive raised a chick back from practically death within 3 days.

So, im very nervous about it all but excited. What do you recommend? Ive just heard so many horror stories about eggs not hatching correctly, or my incubator wont work properly, or i wont raise them right!!!

edit: i live in washington so its already very humid here and im worried that my incubator will mess up and the humidity will be too high or something! anyone in rainy/very humid climates got tips?

Buy some govee bluetooth thermometer/hygrometers to put in your incubator to help monitor the temp and humidity. I'm in Texas, it's been very rainy and humid lately. I'm actually doing a dry hatch (haven't needed to add any water) because it's been so humid, but I have the govees in there, so I know if my incubator is reading true.

 

[Ridgerunner]

If anyone wants to suggest a better, cheap incubator (about 50-60 bucks) i would appreciate it.

You can get a lot of different opinions on different incubators. Some are more reliable, some are easier to use. Usually quality costs but even the expensive ones can occasionally have issues.

I know absolutely nothing about that specific incubator, whether it is reliable or hard to use or not. A lot of chicks have been hatched in those cheap incubators but some people have problems. So read the instructions and see what happens.

ive never seen anyone take eggs from their hens and incubate them

Then you haven't been reading many posts or pay attention. Many of us breed our own chickens and hatch our own eggs. If you hatch your eggs they don't go through the risks of shipping. If they are fertile they should do as well and probably better than shipped eggs.

i plan on hatching maybe 2-4 because i just want a couple chicks.

If you set 4 eggs you do not know how many will hatch. It could be anywhere from 0 to 4. If all four hatch you do not know what sex you will get. It could be 4 pullets, 4 cockerels, or any combination in between. That is just the nature of hatching, you do not know.

The odds are fair you will get some boys. If you do, what will you do with them? You need a plan for the boys.

We all have different goals. Some people only accept purebred chicks. Many of us (including me) are really happy with mutts. If all you want is pets that lay eggs mutts should suit you fine.

Good luck on your adventure!!!

 

[ilovemychickens2000]

The odds are fair you will get some boys. If you do, what will you do with them? You need a plan for the boys

I have been raising chickens for a while- but always letting my hens hatch them or buying from a tractor supply. So i will just sell the roosters online or give them away

 

[ilovemychickens2000]

I should add about the brooder- correct temp, hot and cool spots. But this was it seemed just about incubating.

Yes, i know about the brooder stuff. My mom can help if needed, ive just never incubated before so im very nervous. Hope it goes okay if i do incubate!! thx for the tips

 

[Airyaman]

Hi, so i might be getting a chicken incubator in may, im planning on getting this one since its got good reviews and good features -> https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CNTLK2LX/ref=twister_B0DSQ51CFF?_encoding=UTF8&th=1

If anyone wants to suggest a better, cheap incubator (about 50-60 bucks) i would appreciate it.

But, since i have a rooster im planning on just taking a couple eggs from my girls and hatching those. It would probably be a mutt chicken or chickens, because we have a wide variety of breeds. But, ive never seen anyone take eggs from their hens and incubate them, they always buy them online. Is there a issue that arrises when incubating your flocks eggs instead of eggs from a tractor supply? i assumed it would work the same.

Also, i plan on hatching maybe 2-4 because i just want a couple chicks. I would like to incubate and raise them myself so they veiw me as their mother.. and are more friendly as ive only ever raised a chick myself once and it was very very nice and cuddle. Maybe its selfish that i want them to love me and cuddle me.. but i have good experience with raising chicks as ive raised a chick back from practically death within 3 days.

So, im very nervous about it all but excited. What do you recommend? Ive just heard so many horror stories about eggs not hatching correctly, or my incubator wont work properly, or i wont raise them right!!!

edit: i live in washington so its already very humid here and im worried that my incubator will mess up and the humidity will be too high or something! anyone in rainy/very humid climates got tips?

I would avoid that one. I have it and it is the worst of the lot I bought when I went Ebay egg crazy. Sure, it can set more eggs but it had the worst temperature swings of the 4 I now own and if you don't maintain at least 40% humidity the alarm (which you can only temporarily disable) will drive you nuts.

If you only want to do a few eggs at a time I'd suggest this one:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0838VM7C9

I've found that it does well at maintaining temperature and it doesn't have a humidity alarm. There is also a lengthy thread about this model on the board.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/kebonnix-12-egg-incubator-thread.1568172/post-26620035

In your environment, if you say it is humid (I live in AL which is also humid and the alarm went off until I purposely raised the room humidity to 64% or higher), I would suggest "dry hatching" (don't add water for first 18 days, then bump it up to 65% or more after that). That is what I do, and while I had horrible hatch rates for several batches, I don't believe humidity was a factor. They were all Ebay eggs shipped from other states and abused by USPS. My last hatch, using in-state eggs (also Ebay) was 75% using the dry hatch method.

 

[PrettyBirdRocky]

I second the kebonnixs incubator. It has a deal right now. Have hatched twice with it and have a third set in. I know it's a bit higher than your price range but that saying of ya get what ya pay for seems to hold true for incubators.

You probably don't see a lot of posts about people using their own eggs bc there aren't as many issues or waiting periods that there are with shipped eggs.

I've got our third set baking right now from our own flock with a thread and pictures.

One set is under a broody -- and I added more eggs than normal bc I was impatient with our unruly teenager cockerel so I'm guessing what eggs are fertile.

Have you done a search in these forum for that incubator?

Good luck