Easiest and Best Incubator

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

What is the easiest best incubator for a total beginner? I'm startin' to get tha itch...







Thanks!

 

[Sir Birdaholic]

If you have a spare $700, The Sportsman 1502 is the way to go! I LOVE mine!

 

[CricketYang]

I just got the HovaBator Genesis 1588. The factory setting is set at 99 degrees. All you do is add water every few days and eggs of course. Also, it only costs around $150. Got mine on eBay.

 

[gryeyes]

I cannot recommend the Brinsea Mini Advance series enough. FOOL proof. (Trust me - I am a total beginner and expected something I did or didn't do to kill the chicks at some point during incubation and/or lockdown/hatch.)

After my first hatch (those chicks are 4 weeks old now, 6 out of 7 eggs hatched, one drowned in the water reservoir - see, I DID kill one), I bought two more, but I bumped up to the Brinsea Mini Advance EX model because it has a humidity pump. No standing water in the water reservoir.

These are digital incubators with automatic egg turners - set 'em and leave 'em alone until lockdown, then reset the EX models' humidity level and stop the egg turner, and again, leave 'em alone.

What I like about the Mini Advance (as opposed to the EX model) is that it has a day count-down display, automatically stops turning on the day you set it to stop. The EX model needs you to reset the turning mode to off on the correct day ALL BY YOURSELF - oh wah! - then reset the humidity pump controls to the proper level for lockdown. No day count-down. More paying attention to it than the lower model. And much more expensive.

BUT there's no standing water in the reservoir to drown chicks, either. Hmmmmm. Putting a bit of a screen, or mesh over that reservoir would solve that problem.

Buy from the Brinsea web-site. There are often "web only" sales.

I also like the small size - I shouldn't be able to go hog-wild with only 7 eggs per incubator.

 

[Mahonri]

If I lived on a farm, I would have a Sportsman.

I live in the city.

I started with a Genesis 1588 Hovabator... Good incubator, Great hatcher, the only problem is the humidity. Price is right.

I now also have a Brinsea Octogon 20 Advance Ex with the humidity pump. It's practically plug and play. I LOVE IT.

I'm gearing up for Mahonri's 2nd Annual New Years Hatch and will have the bators out and running about the 7th of December and will put the eggs in on th 11th.

This year I'll be selling excess chicks. Should be fun.

 

[featherz]

I like my brinsea advance EX. Plug it in and chicks pop out.

Ok, you have to move the thing off the turner at day 18, not like the mini ones that stop for you. but it's still very easy!

 

[newlyweds]

Quote:
Double this, with a auto turner, it couldn't be easier.

 

[PunkinPeep]

I got my hovabator on Amazon for about $60. It's not as user friendly as the ones these folks have described. It's all manual, but still, i'm happy with it. When i have another $50 bucks to spend, i'll buy the automatic egg turner and make my job way easier. With some reading and experimenting, i was about to hatch 23 out of 24 eggs on my second try. Not too bad for a newbie, i'd say. And yes, now i'm hooked. I have another 24 due Monday.

 

[muddstopper]

My first store bought incubator was the Brinsea Eco 20, with automatic turner. You can paint feathers on a rock and it will hatch it. For a entry level incubator, I wouldnt consider any other brand or model. I have since started building my own cabinet incubators, and have two of them full of eggs now. I also still use the Brisnea and this morning found 5 new chicks and several more pipping. My biggest complaint about the eco20 is adding water for humidity. You have to remove the top and pour water into the bottom. The Advance models with the humidity pumps eliminate this inconvience and are well worth the extra few bucks.

 

[LaurenM23]

I am right there with you in the hunt for the best bator! I have my choices narrowed to the Brinsea Octagon 20 Advance EX and the King Suro 20. Both are fully automated and digital, both hold 24 eggies, but there is a bigger price difference. Some on the boards have gotten the Suro for as low as $250. Normally, there is at LEAST a $100 difference between the two, if not much more.

After all of my research and questions, the only negative thing I've found on the Brinsea is the price. The Suro has some questions in regards to customer service that give me some cause for concern. Right now, the Brinseas are on sale on the direct site (www.brinsea.com), and the top of the line Octagon 20 is $399.00 (w/ humidity pump). A savings of $100.00. It sounds like a great buy compared to the original price and shopping around, but does anyone know of any better sales in the past?

Good luck and happy hatching! I started with an LG still air...HUGE mistake.