Hatching eggs and incubators

[Chicken Bff]

I was thinking about hatching around 12 eggs but i dont want to buy a pricy one and cant find a good used one. I want to do this to be more sustainable and for fun. Also since i dont have a roo where should i buy hatching eggs.

 

[Rod-T]

There is threads on here. For do it yourself incubator. Some use coolers..you should check it out...
If you have fertile eggs from your flock nothing wrong with using those.. mixed eggs from Craigslist are cheap and local. . Or you can order purebred eggs thru here and ebay

 

[Lacy P]

I found that my local Tractor Supply had theirs marked down to about $40 last week. It's a still air styrofoam incubator

 

[Rod-T]

What brand? I wouldn't buy the little giant 9300 still air...

 

[Lacy P]

It is a Little Giant but my mom has used one of these for years and had no problems with hatching with it.

 

[Rod-T]

It is a Little Giant but my mom has used one of these for years and had no problems with hatching with it.

The older style I guess are better.. idk since I haven't had the older ones..
The new ones are digital and the temps vary wildly..
Do you have a second thermometer? Is it checked for accuracy?

If so place it in all 4 corners for awhile to check for various temps.. I've found that temps are wildly diferent

 

[Lacy P]

The older style I guess are better.. idk since I haven't had the older ones..
The new ones are digital and the temps vary wildly..
Do you have a second thermometer? Is it checked for accuracy?

If so place it in all 4 corners for awhile to check for various temps.. I've found that temps are wildly diferent

I do have a second thermometer in mine. Maybe that's why it works for me. I go by what the second thermometer says. Habit really. I just adjust the incubator temperature until I get it to the right temp on the other thermometer. I like the digital because to me even if it's off it usually isn't more than about a degree and for me the digital is easy to adjust. My mom has one of the older one and a digital and I do think the older one is slightly better, but for just a cheap, hatch my own backyard eggs I have found these work.

 

[Rod-T]

I do have a second thermometer in mine. Maybe that's why it works for me. I go by what the second thermometer says. Habit really. I just adjust the incubator temperature until I get it to the right temp on the other thermometer. I like the digital because to me even if it's off it usually isn't more than about a degree and for me the digital is easy to adjust. My mom has one of the older one and a digital and I do think the older one is slightly better, but for just a cheap, hatch my own backyard eggs I have found these work.

Well that's what we all do ..is set incubator to the thermometer that's tested..
What I'm trying to say is since the heater is not in center.. the temp vary wildly.. sometimes 3 or 4 degrees diferent. . You will only know if you test all areas with your thermometer.
Some people report better luck if the rotate lid every so often .. but personally if I was buying one.. I'd go with a better one...

 

[Lacy P]

Well that's what we all do ..is set incubator to the thermometer that's tested..
What I'm trying to say is since the heater is not in center.. the temp vary wildly.. sometimes 3 or 4 degrees diferent. . You will only know if you test all areas with your thermometer.
Some people report better luck if the rotate lid every so often .. but personally if I was buying one.. I'd go with a better one...

Ah I got you. I just ran into the not having the money for a more expensive one and watching these work with little adjustments. I probably will buy a more expensive one later on if I can save the money.

 

[Flock Leader]

We made our own simple incubator from a Styrofoam container and had excellent results hatching eggs in it, provided we used good fresh eggs that had been properly handled. We had to turn manually of course. If you are interested in details you are welcome to PM me. Good luck!