Which incubator?

[Awtdaniel05]

Hello, I have raised chickens for w years and have never incubated eggs before. I was wondering what incubator to use and which ones don’t cost to much but still have good hatch rates.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Some people can get great hatch rates with a certain incubator, others get horrible hatch rates with the same make/model. Some are easier to use than others but a lot of chicks are hatched with any of them. I'm seeing a lot of new make and models showing up lately, some pretty crappy and some plenty good. That's part of the unknown but just the way life is now. Every time I shop for a new desktop computer the best selling top rated ones are from companies I've never heard of.

On question for you is size, how many eggs do you want to hatch at one time? That's pretty basic when it comes to picking an incubator.

There are two different kinds of basic materials, hard plastic and styrofoam. Some people really hate styrofoam but I've used one for years and gotten good hatches. Both materials insulate quite well but the hard rubber are easier to clean and are stronger if you are rough with them. Styrofoam can break if you don't handle it with some care.

One big difference is forced air or still air. Warm air rises so you can get a significant difference in temperature in a still (thermal) air incubator depending on where inside the incubator you put the thermometer. If it has a fan the air is stirred up and should be the same throughout the inside of the incubator so you can put the thermometer wherever you wish. To me the forced air are easier to use.

Another choice you have to make is whether you turn the eggs by hand or use an automatic egg turner. The eggs need to be turned a few times a day minimum. That's a whole lot easier if you just plug in a turner and it manages that for you. Otherwise your schedule has to accommodate turning which can be inconvenient.

You have to manage humidity inside the incubator. Many use reservoirs in the bottom of the incubator that you fill with water. Mine has five different sized reservoirs in the bottom so I have to fill different ones for certain humidities. If I want to drop humidity that reservoir has to dry up before it stops having an effect. It's not an immediate process. With other types you may fill a reservoir off to the side and set a gauge, it does the work for you as long as you keep that reservoir filled.

All incubators will provide some way of adding heat. Of course there are different ways to do that. But the big thing to me is that there are different ways to adjust that heat. I strongly suggest you try to read the operating instructions online before you buy and see just how complicated that is. Most of them use a dial which isn't bad at all. Mine is an older model that uses dip switches, a real pain in the rear.

I never trust the factory pre-sets for heat until I've checked it against a known trusted thermometer. Even the top of the line incubators can come from the factory set wrong. That's one thing. Another is that the commercial operators that may hatch 1,000,000 chicks each week in incubators that hold 60,000 eggs each find that if they move an incubator from one location in the hatching room to another they have to go back and tweak the settings for optimal hatch. Once I got mine set properly for where I was using it those dip switches held really well, but I spent a few days of frustration getting to that point.

Some incubators have alarms that warn you when temperature or humidity is outside certain limits. Many don't. How good will you be about checking to see that heat and humidity are correct?

How often will you use that incubator each year? If you are using it a lot you might be more willing to invest in an easier to operate more expensive one than if you only hatch a few times.

These are some of the things I'd consider if I had to replace mine. Now that I've learned how to use it I'm quite happy with my 42 egg styrofoam forced air incubator with automatic egg turner. I check it twice a day and refill reservoirs as needed. I trust it to behave. I only use it a few times a year. When I take it outside to clean it I have to be a bit careful in the wind so I on't break it.

I don't have a clue what to recommend for you.

 

[Awtdaniel05]

Some people can get great hatch rates with a certain incubator, others get horrible hatch rates with the same make/model. Some are easier to use than others but a lot of chicks are hatched with any of them. I'm seeing a lot of new make and models showing up lately, some pretty crappy and some plenty good. That's part of the unknown but just the way life is now. Every time I shop for a new desktop computer the best selling top rated ones are from companies I've never heard of.

On question for you is size, how many eggs do you want to hatch at one time? That's pretty basic when it comes to picking an incubator.

There are two different kinds of basic materials, hard plastic and styrofoam. Some people really hate styrofoam but I've used one for years and gotten good hatches. Both materials insulate quite well but the hard rubber are easier to clean and are stronger if you are rough with them. Styrofoam can break if you don't handle it with some care.

One big difference is forced air or still air. Warm air rises so you can get a significant difference in temperature in a still (thermal) air incubator depending on where inside the incubator you put the thermometer. If it has a fan the air is stirred up and should be the same throughout the inside of the incubator so you can put the thermometer wherever you wish. To me the forced air are easier to use.

Another choice you have to make is whether you turn the eggs by hand or use an automatic egg turner. The eggs need to be turned a few times a day minimum. That's a whole lot easier if you just plug in a turner and it manages that for you. Otherwise your schedule has to accommodate turning which can be inconvenient.

You have to manage humidity inside the incubator. Many use reservoirs in the bottom of the incubator that you fill with water. Mine has five different sized reservoirs in the bottom so I have to fill different ones for certain humidities. If I want to drop humidity that reservoir has to dry up before it stops having an effect. It's not an immediate process. With other types you may fill a reservoir off to the side and set a gauge, it does the work for you as long as you keep that reservoir filled.

All incubators will provide some way of adding heat. Of course there are different ways to do that. But the big thing to me is that there are different ways to adjust that heat. I strongly suggest you try to read the operating instructions online before you buy and see just how complicated that is. Most of them use a dial which isn't bad at all. Mine is an older model that uses dip switches, a real pain in the rear.

I never trust the factory pre-sets for heat until I've checked it against a known trusted thermometer. Even the top of the line incubators can come from the factory set wrong. That's one thing. Another is that the commercial operators that may hatch 1,000,000 chicks each week in incubators that hold 60,000 eggs each find that if they move an incubator from one location in the hatching room to another they have to go back and tweak the settings for optimal hatch. Once I got mine set properly for where I was using it those dip switches held really well, but I spent a few days of frustration getting to that point.

Some incubators have alarms that warn you when temperature or humidity is outside certain limits. Many don't. How good will you be about checking to see that heat and humidity are correct?

How often will you use that incubator each year? If you are using it a lot you might be more willing to invest in an easier to operate more expensive one than if you only hatch a few times.

These are some of the things I'd consider if I had to replace mine. Now that I've learned how to use it I'm quite happy with my 42 egg styrofoam forced air incubator with automatic egg turner. I check it twice a day and refill reservoirs as needed. I trust it to behave. I only use it a few times a year. When I take it outside to clean it I have to be a bit careful in the wind so I on't break it.

I don't have a clue what to recommend for you.

I want to hatch about 4 dozen at a time and want automatic turners and circulated air

 

[Ridgerunner]

The only standard one I can find that hatches 48 eggs is a top of the line incubator, the Brinsea Ovation 56 EX. The turner racks holds 56 eggs and is kind of pricey. Really easy to use.

GQF makes a few that the turners handle 42 eggs. These are the styrofoam ones and more affordable. You will have to work a little harder with these. These typically have Hovabator in their model name.

If you get one read the fine print closely to make sure it comes with turner or if you need to order the turner separately.

There are several others out there but I don't know them and do not feel comfortable as to their quality.

 

[Shamo Hybrid]

Hello, I have raised chickens for w years and have never incubated eggs before. I was wondering what incubator to use and which ones don’t cost to much but still have good hatch rates.

Get this one here, you can find it cheaper on Ebay. Also get an addition hygrometer/temperature gauge to calibrate which will set you back another $10 or so.

HERE : https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073XD9GZ1/?tag=backy-20

 

[kwhites634]

Get this one here, you can find it cheaper on Ebay. Also get an addition hygrometer/temperature gauge to calibrate which will set you back another $10 or so.

HERE : https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073XD9GZ1/?tag=backy-20

Big difference between 9 eggs & 4 dozen eggs!