If you are getting a 90% hatch rate, you are already getting the best value for your buck. It’s highly unlikely you will significantly improve on that hatch rate. Sounds like you are more looking at ease of operation than bang for the buck.
How many eggs you hatch at one time is only part of the equation. How many times a year do you hatch? The more times you hatch the more “ease of operation” should be a criteria, at least for me.
I think having a turner is quite important to ease of operation. You don’t have to build your daily schedule around being home to turn the eggs at a set time. You still have to watch them, occasionally they can get hung up, but that it’s still a lot easier on me.
How often do you have to clean it? A hard plastic one is easier to clean than a Styrofoam one but generally costs more. That tray in the bottom of my Styrofoam one helps tremendously on making it easier to clean. You really need to clean it well after each incubation.
Personally I like a forced air. Being able to take the temperature anywhere in there makes it easier for me plus, if you change the elevation of the eggs in a still air, you should adjust the temperature. The same is generally true for humidity readings too. Warm air rises and can hold more moisture. Relative humidity can vary depending on where you take it in a still air. You’ve dealt with a still air so you probably know all this.
Then you look at how easy it is to play with humidity and heat. You still have to make sure the water reservoirs don’t run out, but some you can adjust the humidity with a knob which gives you fairly tight control. With some you fill different reservoirs or add sponges or towels to adjust the humidity. These require more work, are relatively slow to adjust to a new humidity, and can be difficult to fine tune.
Once you get the heat stabilized you should not have to do a lot of adjusting, but it is real nice to be able to tweak the heat with just a slight turn of a knob. I think that feature will be available on about any that you look at. The older model Genesis Hovabator 1588 was a pain to adjust the temperature but once it was set mine held really well. The newer model is much easier to adjust.
I think your choices are between a Styrofoam Hovabator and a plastic
Brinsea. The
Brinsea are going to be easier to operate and clean, but are going to cost more. Is that ease of operation worth the difference in cost to you? As you have seen with your Little Giant, a whole lot of chicks are hatched in all of them when they are operated right.
I only hatch maybe two times a year. I’m Ok with my Hovabator 1588, even the old model now that I have the thermostat set right. If I were hatching more often I’d likely upgrade to a
Brinsea.
