Little Giant Air Incubator

[birdbrain5]

anyone have the little giant air incubator from tractor supply? i was thinking of purchasing this along with the auto egg turner. i read reviews and most were good, only a couple bad ones. i did read in one that someone hatched turkey eggs, but didnt use the turner because the turkey eggs wouldnt fit in the turner?? is this true? id like to be able to hatch turkeys and chickens. i was hoping to be able to go with this bator so i didnt have to order one, and because its a very reasonable price. im not able to spend too much over $100 for an incubator, but if anyone knows of any other brands in the price range please share!

 

[Colored Egg Farmer]

still air are not the best incubators but will work. Just make sure to not use expensive eggs. If you really want a good incubator go with a hova bator or brinsea that have a fan in them to circulate the air.

we bought a little giant from tractor supply only because it was an emergency

 

[sheila3935]

I have an LG with fan and love it. I use it all the time and have great hatches. I also have a hovabator with a homemade fan in it. I use it for hatching. That way I can stagger hatches, but before I got the hovabator I just used the LG and didnt have any problems. You do have to keep and eye on it for temp and humidity you cant just set it and forget, but over all I am pleased with mine. By the way I got both used. The LG cost me 25.00 and the hovabator 30.00

 

[JustAChickenLittle&More]

birdbrain, I bought an incubator I am very happy with off ebay, brand new. I can't remember the name of it. It is round plastic with plastic see-through top. It has forced air and in this breezy house, that incubator held the temperature so well, that I bought another one after that batch hatched. Only thing, you do have to hand turn the eggs. But this think is a breeze to clean up and a breeze to keep you humidity just right, simply by filling it up in both trays. I am more than happy with it. It is grey. I think I paid like 99.00 for the first one I bought, plus 12.95 shipping. It was shipped VERY quickly by UPS. The second one I bought, I think I paid about the same. You can watch his auctions on ebay, and he does have some that are buy it now, with shipping paid and they are even cheaper. I would definitely reccommend them. Easier one I ever used, and didn't have to worry about the temperature going crazy. I set it for 2 days with the water before the eggs arrived and the temperature held at 100 degrees throughout the hatch. It was amazing. Good luck!

 

[Baralak]

If you don't want to spend too much more than 100 bucks, and you want a turner, then I would go with the Hova-Bator 1602n with the 1610 universal egg turner.. That will hold 42 eggs. The 1602 uses a wafer style thermostat which is MUCH more stable than the LG's made in china termostat.

Surehatch has a combo turner and 1602n for 101.98.. You can add a fan to it at a later date if you wish.. but it is the best deal if you don't want to build one, and you want a turner.
http://www.surehatch.com/GQF-hovabator-styrene-incubator-model-1602N.htm

If you want small batches, then the Brinsea Mini series is good starting at around 65 bucks. It can hold 7 standard size hen eggs.
http://www.brinsea.com/SearchResult.aspx?CategoryID=52

 

[birdbrain5]

baralak thanks for those links! i couldnt find a fan to buy seperate. what if i went with the GQF Model 2362N with the turner, that way it already has a built in fan? that would come to $130, id be willing to pay that.
if i went the route you were saying and go without the fan, how significant is the fan to have? i honestly dont know much about all of this so i plan to get me a book and do some reading too! but what benefit does the fan have and is it going to make a difference if i dont have it?

i meant to ask, can i hatch turkey eggs in these models? even with the turner?

 

[ChickadeeMom]

i have a lg still air...its brand new just waiting to find some local eggs to put in it....i needed a semi cheap one (college student budget) so i got it...next paycheck= egg turner

bills can wait... i have eggs to hatch lol

Hopefully it works ok.. ive heard good and bad. good luck.. will be watching this thread for sure

 

[Baralak]

Quote:
Yes.. you can.. The LG has its' place, but the are just very inconsistant with their product. Hova-Bator is made by GFQ and been around for YEARS. The fan makes the incubator a forced air incubator, instead of a thermal incubator. The forced air incubators are more reliable due to the keep the air at a constant temp.

Thermal incubators work by making layers of heated air inside of the bator, fresh air is pulled in through the vents at the bottom, and exit through the top. The element inside of the bator heats the air inside the unit. The air cools off as it gets lower in the incubator (closer to the fresh air). The way to set a thermal incubator is to set it at 101 degrees F on top of the egg. The temp of the egg on the bottom is around 99.5.. In a forced air, you would set it at 99.5 being the air is moving around inside the bator by the fan.

 

[al6517]

I also agree and encourage you to buy anything other than an LG if you want decent hatches. The suggestions that some have made for other incubators are good ones and head over heals better deals for what you get. You will not be disappointed by going with a better product for just a tiny bit more.

There was a poll created not long ago on which incubator folks in the forum liked the best. Out of the hundreds of votes the LG got 1 vote, and we are chicken folks that hatch allot of egg's, go with what's proven, not by TSC/Chinese marketing.
Good luck hatching .

AL