Please Help Me Choose An Incubator!

[MGG]

I have had very nice results with Hovabators. I heard that styrofoam incubators work better than plastic ones, but I know others have different opinions.

I haven't ever heard that, but I am not a big fan of styrofoam incubators. I've tried a number of them, but they're very finicky and are pretty tough to get to stay steady imo. My Nurture Right 360 is my all time favorite incubator. I have not tried the Incuview, and I'd maybe like to someday, but my NR works fine for big eggs too. I just have to manually turn them because they're too big for the turner. Quail eggs don't tend to work well in the turner though. I had problems with them getting turned pointy end up after a while. But I had 20 quail eggs in there and it's some work to hand turn them, so I just left the turner unplugged, and came downstairs (to the basement, where I keep my incubator) a few times a day to plug in the turner and then watch the turner turn them. There's a button on top that you can push and it will turn them. Then I just fixed any that got turned weird and unplugged the turner again. That way it didn't turn them while I wasn't watching. It worked fine and I got an 100% hath rate with all 20 hatching. I sold some of them and kept my favorites. It works perfectly for chicken eggs and duck eggs, but geese/turkeys/peacocks are too big.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

It is interesting what different opinions everybody has! It makes me wonder, is it the brand, the incubator, or the person?

It's a personal preference but if you haven't had anything other than what you're using then it's tough to compare. There's nothing "wrong" with Hovabator, it's a great incubator and my favorite of styrofoam incubators but I much prefer the plastic incubators for ease of cleaning, and most of all I LOVE being able to see everything so much easier! I have spent so many many hours sitting in front of my incubators and watching chicks hatch. Lol

Pictures in my NR360s and IncuView

 

[PioneerChicks]

It's a personal preference but if you haven't had anything other than what you're using then it's tough to compare. There's nothing "wrong" with Hovabator, it's a great incubator and my favorite of styrofoam incubators but I much prefer the plastic incubators for ease of cleaning, and most of all I LOVE being able to see everything so much easier! I have spent so many many hours sitting in front of my incubators and watching chicks hatch. Lol

Pictures in my NR360s and IncuView

View attachment 2482793View attachment 2482794

Yes, I really do wish I could see the chicks inside! That is the one thing I don't like about Hovabators.

 

[MGG]

It is interesting what different opinions everybody has! It makes me wonder, is it the brand, the incubator, or the person?

I don't know. I incubate everything the same way and use my five different calibrated/salt tested thermometers and hydrometers.

So, I would probably have to hand turn my button quail eggs? They're just so tiny

How many are you planning on incubating? You might have to. I've never had a problem with hand-turning them because I'm homeschooled and don't really have to go anywhere though, so I'm not sure how difficult it would be for you to be around to turn them. Most incubators don't do well with quail eggs from what I've seen, except for those that have a separate turner specifically for quail.

 

[Raysal]

Hi all! I was going to get the genesis hovabator, but then I started hearing bad things about styrofoam not being very consistent with temperature, even though it's a really great incubator in other ways, and I'm at a loss of what to do. I'm looking for an incubator that is very reliable, and not over $230 if possible. It doesn't have to be big, but not too tiny please. I was looking on incubatorwarehouse.com and wondered if any of the ones on there are really good? They gave them starred reviews but I want lots of opinions I've heard that Brinseas are pretty good, but I want to try to avoid them because they are so expensive! (I know any good one is going to be kinda expensive)
Thanks for reading this everyone! Hopefully you help me decide!

I 10000% Recommend the Nature Right 360 this incubator is so easy to handle basically just let it run its job and it will Hatch your chicks. It was a temperature reader and a humidity reader and automatic egg turner that turns 3 times a day by itself. You don't even have to upen it to put water in for humidity you cam just add the water trough the side wholes. 100% Recommend this one wish you luck

 

[CluckNDoodle]

Really? Weird. What incubator was it for? Quail seem to be tough. I have tried them in all sorts of turners, and never had luck. They always get turned weird or get stuck. Sometimes they even end up pointy side up! I thought my janoel would be great for quail, but I had the same problem.

That was the Hovabator but it was a Little Giant turner I was using in it. I used the NR360 successfully to hatch quail but you're right that they bounce around, I checked it often. I found mine stayed in place better in the center ring and I put two eggs per slot in the outside. Those were standard quail eggs though, for buttons I would either hand turn or use the IncuView because those shells are extremely delicate. Even in the IncuView quail eggs slide around but it's still enough movement for a good hatch.

 

[Raysal]

At this point I'm kind of leaning in the direction of the Nurture Right, because of all the great things I've been hearing about it! Can you set the humidity? Sorry I don't know anything about incubators
Thanks!

It has 2 water holes on the side you use hole A for the first 1-18 days then after that u open up the B water hole then add water to both holes half way this will increase the humidity

 

[Raysal]

It has 2 water holes on the side you use hole A for the first 1-18 days then after that u open up the B water hole then add water to both holes half way this will increase the humidity

You just need to add water and the machine will control the humidity it has a small whole you can open or close a bit to increase or decrease the humidity

 

[Raysal]

You just need to add water and the machine will control the humidity it has a small whole you can open or close a bit to increase or decrease the humidity

This is the easiest incubator there is it also rotates automatically 3 times a day and at day 18 it will automatically sgop turning and you just take out the turner super simple

 

[Raysal]

At this point I'm kind of leaning in the direction of the Nurture Right, because of all the great things I've been hearing about it! Can you set the humidity? Sorry I don't know anything about incubators
Thanks!

Ik how you feel when u didn't know anything about incubators and this Nature Right 360 made it so much easier fpr me not having to worry about the temperature to it adjust itself without us moving amy buttons