Incubator for a beginner

[tiffinimarie]

Hi all! This year we have decided we want to try our hand in incubating our own eggs. We don't have a HUGE budget for an incubator, so I am looking for something that is on the cheaper side but still good. Any ideas?

 

[ajacskr]

Check with your local feed store. Sometimes they have used ones at really good prices.

 

[DMSrabbit]

Hovabators are good for low investment, but dont expect PHENOMENAL hatch results.. You can grab one (a still air without a turner or fan) for about $60 bucks. I have 2 of these and average about 60% success with my eggs. I also have a new GENESIS hovabator (thermostat preset at 99.5 with larger viewing area and fan unit, thats much more efficient, but will run you $129 bucks without a turner, and about $150 with a turner. There is also a thread on here about homemade incubators if you really wanna "penny-pinch", but again you could have mixed results.. It all really depends on what you want/need to do..

 

[DanEP]

I just did my first hatch with a brinsea eco 20. It's pretty newbie proof which helps a lot. I bought mine from Brinsea for 99.00 and 49.00 for the turner but if your buget is tight it would no problem to turn by hand as you turn the whole bator as opossed to each egg . Shipping is pretty steep but I think you would be much happier with the results from the Brisea than with the cheaper bators out there if you can swing it.

Good luck Dan

 

[foxnthehenhouse]

I have done a lot of looking around on here and the only thing i see that everyone can agree on is that you realy should have a circulating fan in what ever incubator you buy. It seems this one thing dramaticly increases your chances of a successful hatch. I bought one for my still air incubator off of ebay for $26.00 after shipping and it was very easy to install. Hope this helps and good luck.

 

[Baralak]

I guess the unasked question is how many chicks do you want to hatch at a time?

 

[DMSrabbit]

Quote:
touche...

 

[tiffinimarie]

I really only want to do a few chicks at a time, so maybe a dozen?