When my broody's decided to give up as soon as my hatching eggs arrived in the mail, I knew I had to get an incubator and quickly. I have been putting off getting one, not wanting to really cross into this dimension of chicken ownership, lol but I guess I did. Since an incubator wasn't in the budget and I really didn't have time to order something, I had to find something reasonable but reliable and local. My feed store had this one and everyone who was there yesterday (about 6 different people hatching a variety of birds) had nothing but good things to say about its use their hatches from it. http://www.strombergschickens.com/products/basic_incubators.php I ended up buying the forced air fan (still on the fence about installing it - what do you think?) but not the turner. The feedback on that item and online feedback hasn't really been stellar so I'm going to turn them the old fashioned way this time. The only thermometer I have is the one that came with the unit and a digital meat thermometer (someone said she had great results from using one) so measuring humidity accurately really isn't going to happen. Everyone in the store told me to follow the directions in the manual and use what I already know about hatching. I'm hatching Seramas so I already know I'm up against big hurdle (though I had great luck last time with a friend's incubator, 3 out of 4 eggs hatching) but I'm hoping for some success with this unit. Has anyone else used this incubator? If so, what did you think? How did your hatch go and do you have any words of advice or tips?
I would buy the Brinsea Eco 20. It's idot proof and easy to clean because all plastic. I have the LG styrofoam and require more work. It hard to keep the temperature and humidity in range. You may want to post in craigslist around your area and see if someone nice enough to let you borrow the incubator while you order one.
That's a good incubator especially with the fan added. If the locals are having good results following the directions then you should too. Most places are not so lucky.
I highly recommend that you purchase a hygrometer to measure humidity. These unit can be difficult to regulate humidity, so it would be a good idea to keep a close eye on it.
Thanks for the feedback! Unfortunately, the fan was defective so I had to return it and get a whole new unit. It is warming up now. This was basically an emergency purchase so I didn't get a chance to really investigate incubators much. If I like hatching (who doesn't? lol) and I can save up some money, maybe I will get something more idiot proof and easy to use. Plugging it in and letting it go would be ideal!
