Incubator for Regular Hatching of Chicken and Quail

[WesternWynde]

I would like some recommendations!

I am looking for an incubator with capacity for approximately 30 chicken eggs, something that will withstand regular use, as I am hoping to be hatching chicks for sale at my local farmer's market next year. I would like to be able to hatch button quail eggs in the same incubator when I am not using it for chickens.

There are so many options out there, and I am sure there are many that would fit the bill, but I've love to hear from all of you what you have had good experiences with. Thanks for any thoughts!

 

[QueenMisha]

I love both the Brinsea and RCom brands. I've had Brinseas for years (a Mini Advance, a Mini Eco, and an old Octagon 20 Eco DX) and just recently started working with R-Coms (a 10 Pro and a Suro 20 pro).

If you're looking for a good quality incubator that does a decent amount, an Octagon or Suro might work for you. They've been giving me great hatch rates, and hold 20-24 standard eggs each.

One thing I did to increase hatch rates with smaller incubators was use a basic Mini Eco as a hatcher and one of the larger 24 egg models (this season it was the old Octagon) for the first 18 days of incubation. By doing a staggered hatch and adding/removing eggs every four days or so, I was able to hatch 20 chicks each week instead of 24 every 3 weeks.

 

[WesternWynde]

Thank you @QueenMisha, super helpful. Oh, those RCom incubators!