Decisions... Incubator comparison?

[HomesteadNowhere]

41 egg capacity
https://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/pro_series_digital_incubator.html

56 egg capacity
https://www.strombergschickens.com/product/egg-incubator-56-egg-capacity

I'm leaning toward the second. More eggs. Little cheaper. Has humidity display. But mostly I want to make a good investment in an incubator that will do well and last. This is about the amount of chicks I'd want to hatch at a time. And the ability to hatch other eggs is nice too. I'm wanting to make a decision somewhat soon so I can spread out the cost of supplies before buying eggs. If there is a better incubator that you've had good success with I'd be interested to hear! Thanks!

 

[nuthatched]

No matter what Bator you get, remember to calibrate the temperature and humidity!

 

[HomesteadNowhere]

This one is on sale through walmart for $119 and ships. 96 eggs. It's two levels and I'm thinking there would definitely be a temperature difference because of it. Would it be enough to be a big problem though? It looks like you can set it up with just the bottom level, 48 eggs.
Lol I hatched coturnix in an old electric skillet so I know they don't have to be super amazing.. But I don't want to spend my money on something I know will be a problem.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/96-Digit...cken-Turning-110V/251303896?findingMethod=wpa

*eta- Nevermind, found on amazon and bad reviews. The temp difference is bad-bad.

 

[The Moonshiner]

I honestly wouldnt use any of those if they were given to me. The second two are (IMO as well as many others) straight up junk.
The first one ive used a different brand with the same thermostat and it was very unreliable. Lots of temp spikes.
My opinion is the best option hands down for that size/type would be a hovabater. They're the only brand id use.
There's different models and options so you can find what works for any budget. Wafer or electronic thermostat. Forced air or not. egg turner or not. Small viewing window or large.
They've been very reliable for me and have been basically plug and play once temp has been set up.

 

[HomesteadNowhere]

Thanks. This is why I don't already have an incubator.. I forgot how ridiculous they are. Been doing a bunch of searching and it's definitely worth it for me to build a cabinet incubator and plan to hatch for others and sell excess chicks than it is to buy a little table top one.
If I find a used cabinet that could be redone I could build one for about $350 that could hatch ~170 chickens or ~480 coturnix quail when filled with auto turners.
Guess we shall see if the incubator comes before the chickens.. or the chickens come before the incubator.. lol

 

[nuthatched]

You can turn a big cooler into a incubator, I have a 35 gallon cooler that would a lot of eggs.

 

[mcdze]

if you havent seen it, theres a build on Youtube that is pretty cheap and absolutely awesome .. the guy used 1" foam board, a couple of computer fans, a cheap temp relay off ebay and two light sockets .. it has two levels as well and he had pull out drawers with turners in them .. .i really dont need to hatch 200 eggs at once lol, or i would build one .. i may anyway since its just a neet project, you should try to look it up ...

 

[HomesteadNowhere]

Yes I've seen that video. I'm not someone who understands wiring/electrical very much. I know they can be made cheap. For me, if I'm bothering to put money to it and build it I want to do it right. Or at least right for me.

After re-checking I can buy the kit of all the working parts for $255. Then just build a nice insulated cabinet, which I can do easily for cheap. Install easily, plug in the fans etc. Bam, ready to go.