Need new incubator. Ideas?

Frizzlett

Songster
10 Years
Jun 22, 2014
682
46
186
Northeast Tennessee
I have right now a Farm Innovators model 2100 still air with a new brand new air fan. This piece of junk killed all of my chicks. I am looking for a new one that works great but isn't too expensive. I have my eye on a Brinsea octagon 24 egg incubator but it's much more than I wanted to spend. I'm 16 so coming up with that money without a job is almost impossible. I might be getting a job with my horseback riding instructor helping with the horses but it might be a little while on that. I don't think I'd be making much but maybe enough to get this one. I could use some advice on incubators that work great but aren't really expensive.
 
Unless you've found that your Farm Innovators incubator temps are fluctuating, in which case it is junk, I recommend keeping it and investing in a good thermometer. Most thermometers are off enough to kill a clutch.
I highly recommend this one.
http://thermoworks.com/products/low_cost/rt301wa.html
The Brinsea spot check is very accurate too.
Even an expensive incubator can be off and without a reliable additional thermometer, you never know what's going on.

Even if you ended up getting a nice reliable incubator, the peace of mind of having the temps verified by a guaranteed accurate thermometer will be great.
Get a good thermometer and give the FI another chance.
If its temps are all over the board then you could be right but if they hold steady, it's salvageable.
 
The temp does hold steady most of the time but it fluctuates a lot after i turn the eggs. The temp goes low and then high and the low and then high for about an hour after.My eggs made it to day 3 one of which made it to day 4. I cracked it thinking it was dead but it wasn't. I've given it 2 chances and I don't think I want to any more.
 
I understand the frustration and I hate losing a clutch to what may be the incubator's fault. With several incubators, both manufactured and homemade, I know the critical thing to have is a guaranteed accurate thermometer.
 
I' hng trouble deciding between the Brinsea mini advanced or the Brinsea 24 egg octagon. They are almost the same price but with the octagon you get a lot more "machine" for your money. I will probably never have 24 eggs to hatch so should I get the mini? I might have more than 7 eggs though.
 
Another idea is to get the one you want and then if you have more eggs you can do a staggered hatch by starting some a week later in your farm innovators.
Or the other way around, hatch in the FI.
Hatch in whichever is the easiest to clean and disinfect.
 
Sounds like a plan.
My best incubator is a humongous homemade cabinet that I keep having to tweak but I couldn't afford a real cabinet type and I needed to incubate a lot of eggs.
 

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