Looking to buy an incubator

[Porpie Pie]

I HATE my homemade incubator. The temp and humidity swings are so frustrating because it looks fine and it'll be fine for a couple hrs then all of a sudden the humidity is way up and then I lose most of my eggs. I don't have a very large flock so I don't need a large incubator I'm looking for something that will control the temp. Probably doesn't help that we live in an old farm house and the room temp fluctuates. This is what I found on chewy. Just wondering if anyone has used this model and what your thoughts were and if it's worth buying or what else you'd recommend. Thanks

 

[Blue Raptor]

I HATE my homemade incubator. The temp and humidity swings are so frustrating because it looks fine and it'll be fine for a couple hrs then all of a sudden the humidity is way up and then I lose most of my eggs. I don't have a very large flock so I don't need a large incubator I'm looking for something that will control the temp. Probably doesn't help that we live in an old farm house and the room temp fluctuates. This is what I found on chewy. Just wondering if anyone has used this model and what your thoughts were and if it's worth buying or what else you'd recommend. Thanks

@casportpony @Kiki @sourland

 

[casportpony]

If you wanna go that route, maybe get the one that turns the eggs.

 

[Kiki]

@casportpony @Kiki @sourland

I would not recommend buying an incubator that small.

 

[Porpie Pie]

I would not recommend buying an incubator that small.

Can I ask the reason? Just so I have more of an idea for what I should look for because I honestly also have no idea what to look for lol

 

[addctd2plnts]

Can I ask the reason? Just so I have more of an idea for what I should look for because I honestly also have no idea what to look for lol

A smaller area being controlled, means that if the incubator isn't highly precise, you will get HUGE swings in temperature and humidity. That's not good and the controllers on these smaller incubators are known for being very bad. The same principle applies to an aquarium. It's much easier to care for a 30 gallon aquarium rather than a 5 gallon, because the 30 gallon will stay more balanced in a larger volume and with a larger surface area. If the electricity goes out, you have much longer that the 30 gallon aquarium will stay stable. Or if you spill an extra half teaspoon of chemicals, it affects the 5 gallon aquarium much more seriously. Does that make sense?

 

[FloorCandy]

If you search on this site for the nurture rite 360 (nr-360) you’ll find lots of reviews. For a starter incubator I think it’s great, it holds temp well, I’ve had a lot of success with it. It isn’t much more expensive than the one you pictured, but it has a turner.

 

[Porpie Pie]

A smaller area being controlled, means that if the incubator isn't highly precise, you will get HUGE swings in temperature and humidity. That's not good and the controllers on these smaller incubators are known for being very bad. The same principle applies to an aquarium. It's much easier to care for a 30 gallon aquarium rather than a 5 gallon, because the 30 gallon will stay more balanced in a larger volume and with a larger surface area. If the electricity goes out, you have much longer that the 30 gallon aquarium will stay stable. Or if you spill an extra half teaspoon of chemicals, it affects the 5 gallon aquarium much more seriously. Does that make sense?

Ok ok. So I may as well just save the money and use my crappy temp swinging incubator because I'm going to get the same results. Also I wonder if that's why my fish always died????☹️

 

[Mosey2003]

If you're dealing with fluctuations you want something that's good at responding and holding that heat in. I like the HovaBators, personally. If you want that small size, I'd say at least a NurtureRight 360, everyone loves those.

 

[Porpie Pie]

If you search on this site for the nurture rite 360 (nr-360) you’ll find lots of reviews. For a starter incubator I think it’s great, it holds temp well, I’ve had a lot of success with it. It isn’t much more expensive than the one you pictured, but it has a turner.

Awesome! I'll do that thanks!