How to successfully use a cheap chinese plastic incubator

[birdmandan]

Alright folks. I had the fun of not doing my research before buying an incubator and getting myself the fast easy option from ebay for $72 including auto turner and delivery. Many of my friends frowned upon the decision but I was not keen on spending $500 for a machine that I might only use once or twice a year. However, all is not lost. Instead of talking trash about the incubator, I decides to find a way to make it work. The main problem is heat fluctuation as the heating element of the incubator is inferior. I figured that if I can stablise the temperature, it would work really well. Here are some easy steps to getting the most out of your cheap ebay incubators.

1. Put the incubator inside your house in a place where the temperature is stable and free from drafts. Inside a closet, wardrobe or cabinet is perfect.

2. Cover the incubator with the polystyrene box that it was shipped in. The box fits the incubator exactly so maintains the temperature by retaining the heat as temperature fluctuation is the biggest problem with these incubator

3. Cover the incubator with the cardboard box that it was sent in.

4. Put a blanket around the top of the incubator.

I fill the water about 3 times per incubation and as the model is fully digital with auto turner, I just set it and forget. The alarm tells me when more water is needed. I put in a container of water to bring humidity to 75%-80% at lockdown and have hatch rates of around 95% of fertile eggs. Good luck with your hatches, peeps.

 

[birdmandan]

Pics of the incubator in action.

 

[Parront]

Pics of the incubator in action.

That looks like a very affordable way to go!

 

[JaeG]

I've got a cheap chinese one and have successfully hatched many coturnix and button quail in it, and even a bourkes parakeets egg. I just fill a small container with water and add that for humidity during the first stage of incubation as filling one of the wells means the humidity is too high (around 60%) - filling them both gives a nice high humidity for the last stage though. I can't see into it very well but it didn't cost a lot and it works for what I need it for.

 

[Stuckinlove]

Great to know!! Thank you!