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.
