I am currently leaning towards a Reptipro 600. I like that it can cool as well as heat since we do get the 100+ degree weeks occasionally. It also come with native D/C power support which is nice for road trips, off grid, etc. I know that Brinsea also has a strong following here. I have one of their brooders and it has worked well for chickens. My goal is eggs and some meat for the house hold. So I do not needs hundreds and hundreds of birds. I _may_ also look into some Chukar as well long term. So something that worked for both and the occasional chicken would be nice. Ideas? Should I go for a separate hatcher?
I cannot comment on the reptipro or hatching in a hot environment, and the subsequent need for cooling, but I do not think that you would need a separate hatcher. You simply do one batch of eggs at a time and use the eggs for consumption in between hatches. If you decide that you would want to stagger hatches, putting the eggs in the incubator every week, then a hatcher/second/third incubator might be right for you. I would also consider something with an auto-turner, if you want a less hands on (set it and forget it) type of an experience. Further, I would recommend something with a digital thermometer if you want not worry about ambient fluctuations of temperature. There are a lot of personal preferences, if you are just having fun then it is nice to be hands on, but if you are trying to consistently hatch then it is nice to be able to have trustworthy equipment to help create a consistent experience.
I figured either Brinsea Octagon or the Reptipro 6000 would take care of all of your bullet points. Digital thermometer, egg turners, etc. plus they have windows so the whole family can watch but not disturb the process. The hovabators seem to have a love/hate among the BYC crowd. While simple is good most seem to eventually graduate to something better.
Back when I had a wood stove and wood furnace heating the place, I used my Hovabator Genesis 1588, with EXCELLENT results. There were nights that it was so hot in there that we had to open all of the windows, and I'd even sit outside on the porch sometimes with snow blowing just to cool off, and it never seemed to phase the 1588. Their customer support was simply fantastic too!
I like Undergroundquailroad's reply. It seems that you have and educated and somewhat experienced attitude. You will do fine. Something that will amaze you is:::You can actually WATCH THEM GROW. They grow that fast. I threw away my turners about 30 years ago, but alot of people swear by them.
The D/C power would allow you to hatch with solar -- that'd be cool. We are thinking about building a D/C powered bator for just this purpose. Even for small scale hatching a separate hatcher is nice -- not a necessity but sure nice to have. Don't spend much money on it just make sure it works right. Here is the one we built from an ice chest. We use it as the hatcher -- it works really well and allows you to get the humidity plenty high enough. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/649699/random-homemade-incubators
OK, it has been 7+ months since I started this thread. We got working on rabbits and gardening so quail are still in the planning stages. Ah, life What are the current thoughts on incubators? reptipro 6000? Brinsea Octagon 20 Advanced? I work and have kids so something with a turner sounds like a good idea. What about that separate hatcher? Do I need to buy a hovabator or the like? I see plenty of people in the forums mentioning this lets them keep a cleaner incubator. Thanks all.
