Are Styrofoam Incubators Any Good?

[VolailleAmant]

She does ship eggs when she has them. And she does an awesome job. She's in the NYC area, I'm up by Canada. She has sent eggs to a mutual friend in Wyoming and Georgia that both had awesome hatches. I'm sure by now she's sent all over, lol, but these were mutual BYC friends, so I know how well the hatch went. My own hatch had 14 go into lockdown with 12 hatching. This is one of my paints from her hatch:

I LOVE him/her!!!!

Can you PM me her information like contacting? Does she Facebook? Thank you!

 

[Kristi26]

I borrowed a styrofoam incubator with a fan and egg turner in it from a friend to do my first hatch this month. So far, 11/14 eggs are hatched. 1 more is pipped and 1 more is doing nothing. 1 didn't develop beyond a few days. It has been awesome for us. So easy to use! My only complaint is that the temp seemed crazy some days. I think it was because the temp in our actual house would swing 10 degrees either direction, so the temp in the incubator would follow suit (but not 10*).

 

[AmyLynn2374]

​I LOVE him/her!!!!   Can you PM me her information like contacting? Does she Facebook? Thank you! 

Her, and I sent you a pm earlier. Did you get it?

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I borrowed a styrofoam incubator with a fan and egg turner in it from a friend to do my first hatch this month. So far, 11/14 eggs are hatched. 1 more is pipped and 1 more is doing nothing. 1 didn't develop beyond a few days. It has been awesome for us. So easy to use! My only complaint is that the temp seemed crazy some days. I think it was because the temp in our actual house would swing 10 degrees either direction, so the temp in the incubator would follow suit (but not 10*).

Awesome! Congrats.

 

[The Moonshiner]

Depends on the brand. The digital Little Giants are terribly unreliable for temp and humidity displays and prone to heat spikes. The farm innovators have better reputations, more 50-50. The Hovabators are great. I have the 1583 now and love it. I used an old lg 9200 for 2 1/2 years had great hatches, but it was a lot more work to get those good hatches.

Agreed
Little giants are junk. I wouldnt have one again. Cooked way too many eggs with their temp spikes.
Farm innovators are no better.
Hovabators are great. Ive had the best hatch rates in them hands down over anything Ive used including cabinets.

I started with a hovabator over 35 years ago. Back then there wasnt any digital thermostats, fans or turners and I still had some 100% hatches.
Ive used about every styrofoam out there and ive got three hovabators now that I use for hatching duck, geese and turkey eggs but mostly I use them for hatchers now days. I recommend the forced air (fan) and the turner but personaly I like the wafer thermostat over digital.
Once set my wafer hovabators are truly plug and play. Ive had one for 5 years now and I still dont have to touch the thermostat even when I break it back out every spring.
I think a lot of newbies problem is that they cant leave the thermostats alone. They see the temp a few degrees low and they turn it up. Little is more with them. You bearly have to move that knob so some turn it a little bit too much then spike tbe temp then nosedive it back too low. Little giants hop around on their temps and people try to adjust and cause more harm so that makes them perform worse then they should but even if you set them and leave them they always seem to spike high temps.
The FI to me seems to be the same incubator as the LG in performance if not same thermostats also.

 

[VolailleAmant]

I borrowed a styrofoam incubator with a fan and egg turner in it from a friend to do my first hatch this month. So far, 11/14 eggs are hatched. 1 more is pipped and 1 more is doing nothing. 1 didn't develop beyond a few days. It has been awesome for us. So easy to use! My only complaint is that the temp seemed crazy some days. I think it was because the temp in our actual house would swing 10 degrees either direction, so the temp in the incubator would follow suit (but not 10*).

I got my Styrofoam still air incubator today! Yay! It came with a turner, I tried it out today and was getting kind of worried that I will forget to check the temp during the hatch....

Hopefully not.
What breeds?

 

[VolailleAmant]

Her, and I sent you a pm earlier. Did you get it?

Yes, I got it! Thank you!

 

[VolailleAmant]

Agreed
Little giants are junk. I wouldnt have one again. Cooked way too many eggs with their temp spikes.
Farm innovators are no better.
Hovabators are great. Ive had the best hatch rates in them hands down over anything Ive used including cabinets.

I started with a hovabator over 35 years ago. Back then there wasnt any digital thermostats, fans or turners and I still had some 100% hatches.
Ive used about every styrofoam out there and ive got three hovabators now that I use for hatching duck, geese and turkey eggs but mostly I use them for hatchers now days. I recommend the forced air (fan) and the turner but personaly I like the wafer thermostat over digital.
Once set my wafer hovabators are truly plug and play. Ive had one for 5 years now and I still dont have to touch the thermostat even when I break it back out every spring.
I think a lot of newbies problem is that they cant leave the thermostats alone. They see the temp a few degrees low and they turn it up. Little is more with them. You bearly have to move that knob so some turn it a little bit too much then spike tbe temp then nosedive it back too low. Little giants hop around on their temps and people try to adjust and cause more harm so that makes them perform worse then they should but even if you set them and leave them they always seem to spike high temps.
The FI to me seems to be the same incubator as the LG in performance if not same thermostats also.

People can have their own opinions based on thought or experience. I am sorry that it cooked your eggs

That isn't any fun. I actually am starting out with a Little Giant, I have heard good things about it, I believe that it will be a good starter incubator. I am starting with this one and in the future hope to upgrade to a bigger better one. Thank you!

 

[Kristi26]

I got my Styrofoam still air incubator today! Yay! It came with a turner, I tried it out today and was getting kind of worried that I will forget to check the temp during the hatch....:/ ​ Hopefully not.
What breeds?

They are from my Jersey Giant hens, buff orpington hen, and buff orpington rooster. So mostly a mix but a couple of pure BOs.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Agreed
Little giants are junk. I wouldnt have one again. Cooked way too many eggs with their temp spikes.
Farm innovators are no better.
Hovabators are great. Ive had the best hatch rates in them hands down over anything Ive used including cabinets.

I started with a hovabator over 35 years ago. Back then there wasnt any digital thermostats, fans or turners and I still had some 100% hatches.
Ive used about every styrofoam out there and ive got three hovabators now that I use for hatching duck, geese and turkey eggs but mostly I use them for hatchers now days. I recommend the forced air (fan) and the turner but personaly I like the wafer thermostat over digital.
Once set my wafer hovabators are truly plug and play. Ive had one for 5 years now and I still dont have to touch the thermostat even when I break it back out every spring.
I think a lot of newbies problem is that they cant leave the thermostats alone. They see the temp a few degrees low and they turn it up. Little is more with them. You bearly have to move that knob so some turn it a little bit too much then spike tbe temp then nosedive it back too low. Little giants hop around on their temps and people try to adjust and cause more harm so that makes them perform worse then they should but even if you set them and leave them they always seem to spike high temps.
The FI to me seems to be the same incubator as the LG in performance if not same thermostats also.

I've seen mixed reviews on the FI. I've seen people say the same as you, and I've seen people say they are great. Too mixed for me. My luck I'd fall in the hate em group...lol
I have the Hovabator 1583, non digital version off the 1588 so it has the picture window, but wafer thermometer, and I LOVE it. It is rock steady. I do have to adjust at lockdown when I add water, but that's it. My old lg 9200, as long as it stayed between 99.5 and 101 I left it alone cause the slightest movement sent it in a tizzy...lol

​People can have their own opinions based on thought or experience. I am sorry that it cooked your eggs  ​That isn't any fun. I actually am starting out with a Little Giant, I have heard good things about it, I believe that it will be a good starter incubator. I am starting with this one and in the future hope to upgrade to a bigger better one. Thank you!

If you have the digital LG, just make sure you have your own thermometers and hygrometer in the bator and don't rely on the digital displays and watch for temp spikes. Out of all the styro they really are the least reliable. That doesn't mean you can't have good hatches in them, but it takes more monitoring and knowing their quirks to compensate for them. It's the one incubator I won't recommend.