Need help picking an Incubator

[sgtmom52]

As my favorite little Ma & Pa feed store is closing and I can't get chicks there anymore

~ I now think I want to buy an Incubator and start hatching my own.

I have been looking at all of the Beautiful eggs selling here and am really tempted!

I would like to get a decent one with a fan and turner (possibly with quail trays too ~ DH wants to try them). I don't need a really large one ~ maybe around 24 eggs or so would be fine. I would like to keep the price under $200. if possible.

I am looking for suggestions of which are good and which to stay away from. Also I am looking for the best place to purchase one from. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

 

[butterrflye81]

We have researched and researched and we came to the decision to get the Hovabator 1588 Genesis...and make sure it says Genesis. It has a fan and has pre set thermostat. We also purchased the automatic egg turner model number 1610 comes with the quail egg racks. We found the best price at Cutlers Supply. We are very happy with the Genesis and with Cutlers supply and their shipping.

Hope that helps

Ola

 

[huckleberryfarm]

I'm doing my first hatch and have an RCom King Suro 20. It's been awesome! So easy that even I couldn't screw anything up. I had 12 eggs (shipped) and so far 9 have hatched. It's a little pricey but I did get a good deal on it. I think I paid $250 from an online source JMT Distributing or something like that. Good luck!

 

[Southernbelle]

Quote:
Agree

The Hovabator Genesis is supposed to be the best styrofoam incubator available and the preset thermostat makes it very user friendly! I have a Hovabator still air and adjusting the temp can be tricky. I'm hoping to get a HB Genesis this spring!

 

[One Acre Wonder Farm]

My vote is for the Brinsea Eco 20

 

[Ridgerunner]

With your criteria I'd suggest you consider the 1588 Genesis with turner if you want to go with new equipment. I believe the 1610 turner is the one you want for quail eggs but please check that out for yourself. If you add in a hygrometer and thermometer, you will be pretty close to your price range.

The Brinsea is probably a better incubator but is also more expensive. You might be able to find one used in your price range.

Be a bit careful on purchasing a thermometer. AsI understand it, the household ones are required to be accurate within 2 degrees Fahrenheit. For incubation, you really need one that is accurate to within 1 tenth of a degree Fahrenheit. Then you need to calibarate the thermometer and the hygrometer.

For new equipment, this is the best site I could find. Maybe someone else can do better.

http://www.cutlersupply.com/cart/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=2

Any incubator performs better if it is not in drafts or sunlight and not in a place that experiences big shifts in temperature.

I recently purchased a 1588 from Cutler and was generally pleased with their service. It took about a week for them to ship it, which was within their stated range, but they did not update my account with them to reflect that it had shipped. The delivery van just showed up with it. I have not started incubating yet but have it set up in my attached garage. It holds temperature very well there. I am experimenting with how to control humidity before I start, probably early next month.

I certainly do not consider myself an expert at incubation but submit this to give you a starting point and to help get the conversation rolling. Good Luck!!!

 

[darkmatter]

My Hovabator is over 20 years old now and I still use it yearly for several clutches as I need to. I started without the egg turner and used it for several years hand turning just fine. I got the egg turner as a concession to the Missus, I post a placard on the top with the dates to take the eggs off the turner, add 2nd tray of water, hatch date, etc. I find it best to let the clutch completely hatch before removing the chicks. I replaced the cheapo thermometer with one of those electric (battery) stick thermometers that I punched through the Styrofoam, it seems more accurate and easy to adjust the thermostat to get the target temperature. I find that using 3% hydrogen peroxide instead of water prevents the bacterial slime that can develop on the water surface preventing evaporation. Its a good disinfectant that's completely harmless to the chicks. The 0.99 cent bottle from Walmart lasts the entire incubation. (I have a Nuclear Engineering Laboratory Technician background)

 

[danielle82]

I just bought an incubator (but I havn't used it yet) and I went with the brinsea 20 eco. I didn't get the auto turner to save on money and because hand turning is done by rotating the whole unit so not a big thing at all. Hope fully I am just as happy with that choice when it comes to hatching eggs, but Ive heard a lot of good stuff about it.

 

[sgtmom52]

Wow ~ lots of great information here. Keep it coming!

Now I am looking at all the suggestions and will try to determine which will fit my needs best.

Hopefully soon I can start bidding on some of those really cool eggs!

 

[equine chick]

I have 2 of the 1588 incubators. I have not used them for 2 years and they still work great. I had the lil giant which fried most of my eggs, the hovabator with the fan which was not bad but the genesis is amazing. I don't have perfect hatches but it depends on a lot of factors but my hatches usually are around 75-90% depending on shipped eggs and 90% and above for local.