I bought a new incubator on ebay...

Maybe i should of waited until i got more feedback from experienced members here.
But when i do stuff i ussually dive head 1st then try and figure out the best solution.

So my small farm consist 35 chickens ( big and small) and 10 roosters ( big and small).

Ive been told thats too many roosters. And i agree. Problem it what to do with them? But hey thats another thread somewhere else.
Here is for the right incubator for me.

Like i said its already coming so another week or so ill post a video or pic.

What i would like to hear is what type or with how many egg capacity i should of bought? Later on ill explain my choice.

Thank you!!

1.)Hmm...it all depends on what you most want your incubator to do. At a minimum I would have a forced air hovabator or other brand foam incubator. I started with a wafer thermometer style hovabator with a forced air fan addition from incubator warehouse online. The forced air fans distribute heat more evenly and create better hatch rates typically. Will probably run around $70 for the incubator, fan, and a decent thermometer. I LOVE the digital thermometer and hygrometer from incubator warehouse. It rapidly changes when temps change and humidity which is great, and it was at a good price. The thermometer/hygrometer has lasted me now in great condition for over a year! I have three now, and they all read the same temp accurately. Don't trust the cheap thermometers that come in lower end incubators. They can be a.) inaccurate and besides b.) they tend to measure the temp up higher near the top of the bator instead of at the level of the egg where you want to be measuring temps for accuracy. The hygrometer is a must for me since it is dry out here in Colorado, and lock down/hatching would be esp tenuous if I didn't have a hygrometer as I constantly have to up the humidity then. I still candle the air cells to make sure they are evaporating on schedule in addition to monitoring the incubator humidity.

The downside to the foam forced air cheaper incubators? The temps are harder to keep steady and to get to the right set point. Also, the temps will fluctuate in different spots of the bator which can be frustrating. So check your thermometer all around the bator to be 100% sure there aren't cold or hot spots to avoid that could fry or freeze your embryo critters! What do I like about the foam bators? Well, they are super affordable, and if you place paper towels on the floor to keep the mess down prior to hatching you can clean them out and keep them clean enough to still use for a few hatches in a row too. You can also hold wayyyy more eggs in the foam bator than other types for a cheap price. I didn't use the turner for the foam bator; I have always manually turned the eggs fyi.
Humidity is easier to keep up high in the foam bator for me too.

2.) The next type of bator I recommend and use primarily now is my Brinsea Eco20. I don't have the automatic turner for it, and don't mind manually turning the eggs. The Brinsea is much nicer quality, and the temps stay much more steady throughout the day, and consistent throughout all areas of the bator. It runs more silently, and since it is made of plastic it is easy to clean and reuse again and again and again. It is also more compact in design and takes up much less space. It isn't a wafer style thermometer either which is nice. The wafer for the foam bator will eventually need to be replaced and from what I hear tends to go out unexpectedly once it has become old. The issue with the Brinsea Eco 20 is that keeping humidity up is a pain the keester. I am always filling the troughs chock full and then having to add additional wet paper towels/cardboard. It also costs more money (think mine was $160 on amazon at the time), but it is so much nicer I think it was worth it. However, you can only hold around 20-24 chicken eggs in it. The foam bator holds something like 60 chicken eggs if I remember correctly.

***What kind did you get and what are you concerned about? Also, keep in mind that no matter what number you start with, the biggest losses are always at the 1st candling when you see which eggs are early quitters and infertile...so you will never end up really keeping all eggs in the bator that you set that first week.

Thanks for you insight. About a month ago i started watching youtube videos about DIY incubators and if i only had the hardare shops Americans do, maybe i could pull it off.

But if i made a mistake that would derail my starting this new adventure , so i decide to go with a comercial incubator.

I tought it would be easy to pick. Until i saw over 20 diferent shapes, sizes , manual, semi etc.

I didnt like the small ones. 7-10 egss. Im not saying they arent good. But for me and what i wanted i needed something bigger.. Plus those small looked like toys.

20-30 Looked very good. within my price range. And a good number of future hatches.

Then i saw the one i got

Incubator 48. I think most people here know this machine better them me. I only saw it a month or so ago.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/g/i/7097728/dawn-of-project/

So i bought and and its coming from Germany.

Some will say i should of started small. Or even medium size. But i was looking at the 50% avg. So if i get 24 for laying hens im fine. Problem wil be what to do when the roosters. But thats another thread.


What do you guys think about my plan?

So i woke up this afternoon and got a notice from Postal service. Nobody was home so they couldnt deliver it.
I guessed it was my termometer.
No big deal. I could still get at before closing time. But i went online to see my tracking number and got a suprise.
My incubator had been delivered but nobody was home. So it was here.
Went to post office and go it.
Already unbox it and plugged it in and everything seem Ok. Ill post some pics in a few minutes.

The idea behind a forced air incubator is to even out the temperatures and the humidity inside the bator. That said any single level incubator should only have a temperature reading taken at the top edge of the eggs.

Here it is...

<a href="https://www.backyardchickens.com/g/i/7100588/a/7086955/in-48-egg-incubator/sort/display_order/"><img src="https://www.backyardchickens.com/image/id/17893935/width/400/flags/LL"></a>

Very nice!

I'm kind of late to the party, but how has this incubator worked for you? Looking at a similar model on Ebay. I'm tempted by the fact that it's plastic and... to be honest, cheaper than Brinsea.

pardygwyn said:

I'm kind of late to the party, but how has this incubator worked for you? Looking at a similar model on Ebay. I'm tempted by the fact that it's plastic and... to be honest, cheaper than Brinsea.

Click to expand...

Hello.Sorry it took this long to respond. Xmas and New Years while having to work. Ive had litlte time for my litlte chicks.
I do make time to feed them early in the morning and pet them a bit so rthey dont forget me.

The incubator was great for me, like i said before. This was my 1st time and learnent alot from this forum ( thanks again to everyone who helped).
My problem was 18 eggs werent fertil. So that left me with 30. Of these 30 , 8 developed, but never hatched. Of the remaining 22, 3 didnt make it. One got his head stuck in a space in the floor. Another one didnt get out of the eggshell. The 3rd one had a leg problem and after a week couldnt stand up so i had to ...

But in all im very happy with it. Some here at home said, ah maybe you should of bought a smaller. I said, no. With the numbers i said wrote above i would have less them 10 live birds. Thats just not worth my time.

So im planing another incubation. Trying to find places who ship fertil eggs and maybe in February ill have another batch.

My incubator cost around 50euros. And the shipping cost another 55-60 euros, Sent to me by express mail. Didnt ask for it, but well worth it. A 24 incubator here costs 200 to 250 euros. If it doesnt break down im happy.

The thing you need to know is do you have space for 40-48 chicks? If so go ahead and get this model or one like it.

Hope i helped you. I have some videos of this incubator. Everyday day from day1 to hatch day.


Cheers