What is the best incubator for hatching jumbo quail?

[SweetieChicken234]

Anyone have a favorite incubator?

 

[GodLovesU]

I have a Little Giant and I love it.It is very old though and I have to hand turn the eggs.

 

[Nabiki]

I like my Borotto. Any brand can be good as long as it keeps a steady temperature. One of the things to keep in mind is never to trust the readings on the incubator. Always have a calibrated thermometer or three in there.

 

[007Sean]

The best incubator is the one you understand perfectly how to set up and operate. Understanding the individual incubators "quirks' will alow you to adjust the instrument for optimum performance.

@Nabiki has given you very sound advice about the fluctuation of temperatures of incubators. Also, a salt test calibrated hygrometer along with an accurate, reliable thermometer, (preferably a calibrated one) are two of your 'best friends' in having a successful hatching experience.

 

[Susan Skylark]

I third and fourth the ‘best incubator is anything that keeps a steady temp’ and ‘have external thermometerS’ vote! Everything else is pretty flexible (within reason!). I will also add do not wash/scrub your eggs (sanitizing with a commercial egg sanitizer is totally different). I will have to veto the little giant vote, I was given one that has a steady temp of 105F, just for ‘fun’ I set some eggs, yeah they died, so brand/build doesn’t matter, one works and another doesn’t of the same brand. Find something you can afford, that isn’t too big or small, that you can live with, and personally I Like good visibility but that’s just me! I’ve been pushing limits with my little cheap Amazon bubble incubator: humidity, old eggs, fridge eggs, shipped eggs, whatever I can think of, the chicks still hatch and thrive despite the abuse. Humidity and refrigeration/no turning during preincubation didn’t affect hatch or development rates or chick health. 2-3 week old eggs and shipping increases embryonic death (develop okay) and decreases hatch rates by about 50 percent (varies significantly!). Too hot will fry embryos, too cold and they won’t develop (or will develop slowly). I want to try a no turn hatch come spring (getting too cold to move young birds outside and my hubbie doesn’t think they are house pets!). Scrubbing/soaking the eggs before incubation also seems to be a disaster (still working on this one, currently day 3). By removing the egg’s protective coating bacteria can invade the egg, but they don’t immediately rot either, the albumin has some great defense mechanisms that really slows bacterial growth but that also means energy and nutrients the embryo needs are used for defense, slowing growth or killing the embryo. If you have a shoebox that can maintain 99.5F, 3 thermometers, and don’t wash your eggs, you’re good to go! Ps, shoebox is a joke! Enjoy, it is addicting!

 

[raywri]

I bought my wife one of these and she absolutely loves it. I ordered 69 Pharoah eggs off ebay and received 77 eggs. 67 of them hatched

 

[Nabiki]

I bought my wife one of these and she absolutely loves it. I ordered 69 Pharoah eggs off ebay and received 77 eggs. 67 of them hatched
View attachment 4001992

I would love one of those. They're way out of my price range, though.

 

[raywri]

I would love one of those. They're way out of my price range, though.

I saved for a few years while she used one of those styrofoam incubators. She did ok with it but this one definitely hatches a higher percent imo. She breeds ducks and chickens so she really uses it. Her friend will bring over pheasant and quail eggs to hatch in it.

 

[Nabiki]

I saved for a few years while she used one of those styrofoam incubators. She did ok with it but this one definitely hatches a higher percent imo. She breeds ducks and chickens so she really uses it. Her friend will bring over pheasant and quail eggs to hatch in it.

If I were to get one of those, I think I'd advertise hatching services as well as hatching my quail and the svart honas that I've ordered but won't get until spring.