Separate incubator and hatcher for a newbie....wise idea or not?

[Intheswamp]

I've been reading and thinking about an incubation setup.

My thinking went along the normal train of thought that having a separate incubator and hatcher would keep the incubator cleaner and easier to wash/sanitize. Then I realized that having separate units would mean I would need to achieve correct incubation environments in two chambers.

Would it make more sense for a newbie to use only a single chamber so that he can learn adjusting it "as needed"? Or, would it make more sense to have two chambers and tweak both chambers for optimum settings?

I'm toying with the thought of getting a 1588 w/turner for incubation and a 1602 for hatching. Of course the 1588 would have an electronic themostat while the 1602 would have a wafer-type thermostat.

I had thought of simply buying the parts for the hatcher and building my own in a cooler, but after pricing the parts and comparing the cost to the cost of a 1602 there isn't much difference. If I wanted to, I could take the parts out of the 1602 and installed them in the cooler of my choice.

There again, for the $50 for the 1602 I could buy a couple of dozen hatching eggs.

Thoughts anyone?
Thanks,
Ed

 

[Snakeoil]

I've had two seperate incubators for years now. One has the auto turner that is used for the incubation time and the other has a 1/4" hardware cloth wire floor used just for hatching.

 

[Indiana hens]

Keeping a clean incubator is always good. A hatcher would greatly reduce the cleaning of the incubator.

 

[Intheswamp]

Well, I opted for a 1588 w/turner and a 1602. They should be here next week, but I've still got some logistics to take care up before I get some eggs. I'm getting a bit excited about it all.

Ed