Recomend an incubator

[jodief100]

After raising chickens for years, I am finally going to break down and get an incubator. Unfortunately, there are some birds I want and can only get hatching eggs.

What incubator woudl y'all recommend? I an going to get one soon and I want to know what people like.

Tell me what y'all like and don't like about yours.

 

[matthewjam72]

Don't get a little giant they are junk lost
Many eggs because of one of those built one and
Put 5 eggs in it to try it and got a 100% hatch
The first time

 

[Mahonri]

Small: Genesis 1588 Hovabator
Large. GQF Sportsman or a Dickey

 

[LilyD]

I like my Little Giant. Thus far out of 12 eggs I have lost one at day 11 and I am planning on hatching out two or three full size batches each year to use as meat birds since I am trying to move away from Cornish X so we don't have to pay for our meat birds anymore.

It only cost 40 dollars plus an extra 45 for the turner which I recommend but since I like to check it frequently anyway I have had no problem with it. Others don't like it because you can't just set it and forget it and sometimes have to adjust the temperatures.

So far I love it.


As an added note the one egg I lost was from locally and not shipped but the seller washed the egg before giving it to me so I am thinking that might be the problem. All the other eggs are developing normally.

 

[farmerlor]

If you've got the $$$ and you plan to hatch LOTS of eggs go with the Sportsman. I'm telling you it's absolutely idiot proof and the hatch rate even on shipped eggs is phenomenal. Mine's FULL of turkey eggs right now and I fully expect to see almost every one hatch. Do you realize that this hatch will pay for the sportsman? Good deal for me.

 

[MetalSmitten]

for small batches here and there, i love my brinsea eco 20. it's easy and steady, and you don't have to turn the eggs individually by hand. i highly recommend doing an experimental hatch first with local/cheap/your own eggs, regardless of the incubator you end up with, until you get the hang of incubating (if you've not done it before). the process varies depending on your local humidity etc, so it really really helps to do a test run before you put in expensive eggs. especially since shipped eggs are so hard to hatch anyway.

 

[thekid]

Brinsea eco 20 with auto turn

 

[jodief100]

Thank you for the help. I want one that is a "set it and forget it" type. I do not have time to be fiddling with it. I want to be able to hatch 20-100 eggs. It is going to depend on cost effectiveness.

 

[Ceinwyn]

You'd be looking at the Sportsman then.

 

[Black Cochin Bantams]

I think it depends on what you want to spend and the time you have available. I have a pair of little giants that hatch fine but require hand egg turning and temperature monitoring. Little giants can be bought for about 50-60 new. I also have a Hovabator 1588 (Genesis) that has digital/electronic preset thermostat and an egg turner. This is a machine that you put the eggs in and forget about it for 18 days. Then turn off egg turner. These cost about 180 delivered. I hatch in the basement so the ambient temp is stable. That is important on the Little Giants. They are sensitive to fluctuations in room air temp. I get about equal hatch rates with each type of incubator but the LG requires more involvement. There are also cheaper Hovabators that work also but have a different (wafer ) thermostat. People have used those for years with good results. Good Luck