Reviews by JohnnyxRex

I got this when my chicks started hatching out of the incubator. I moved them to a box with this item for water and a feed tray from TSC. The main reason these were selected was because they were cheap.

After a few days, my chicks started to move more, and they loved playing around with the bedding (newspaper shreddings, bad idea but all I had). This quickly led to the waterer getting filled up and clogged. This isn't the waterer's fault, but with many beddings, not just newspaper, the chicks throw it into the feeder or waterer. So be aware that you may have to clean it out.

This container seems to be specifically designed with the baby chicks in mind, because of the height of the sides (red part). They are short so the little guys can reach the water.

As the weeks went on and the birds grew, it worked great. I simply ran my finger along the bottom when I was refilling it, and the newspaper came out. It was all good for 3 weeks or so.

By a month old, my chicks were very capable of barreling into it and flipping it over. Even when full, it simply does not have the weight to stay upright. Time to change to a bigger one

In all honesty, its a $5 waterer made for young chicks. It isn't magic and it won't have you going "Oh that's so cool. I'm so glad I bought it" It just simply serves it's purpose. If you are getting young chicks or mabye a few small quail go buy one. If they are older or even bantam chickens, step up to a bigger size.

Other Thoughts:

With 19 Buff Orp chicks, I had to refill often. I should have gotten 2.

Due to the design, when you screw on the bottom and flip it over, it will look like you didn't fill it all the way. There will be an inch or two of air in the top. That's just how it's designed.

At TSC you buy this in 2 seperate pieces I think. You can also get a metal base instead of the red plastic (see picture). I do not think that it was that much better, but it may help with the weight and tipping over, especially if you use a glass mason jar instead.

We love this incubator. My family and I have hatched quail, ducks, and chickens in this thing. (all with the appropriate sized racks, as it comes with several) When it first arrived, my first impression was....styrofoam? Really? But as it turns out, its actually pretty tough. We got the egg turner with it.
The success rate with thing thing has been really good, except for the ducks. Only 3 of 16 hatched because one day we put to much water in it and the water was touching the eggs. 14 were growing when we candled them. There were only 3 water didn't touch and they hatched. So make sure you don't put in to much water in this thing.

One thing i've noticed is the temperature. You cannot adjust the temp. and it is pretty high. We average 102-103. This was in winter in a shop with very little insulation, so it was mabye 5-10 degrees warmer inside. Its the same temps, 102-103, inside the house, so it must have some kind of sensor inside. The only reason I mention this is because sometimes a lower temp can hatch out more females, but you can't do that with this incubator.

This incubator is very easy to use, just plug in, add eggs and water, and check on it every now and then. I wouldn't leave it alone for more than a few days, because of the water evaporating, but other people have.

Overall, I would reccomend this incubator to anyone who needs something that they can rely on and can't watch it 24/7. This is a great first incubator, and it will last. There are better incubators on the market, but not for this price! Its great for beginners and experts alike, and I might get more this year.