The 6th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-a-long!

[Joshua G]

I think the GQF incubator is the #1 rated incubator on BYC.

 

[hitekhomestead]

We're in. It will be our first hatch a long.

 

[freejpony]

I'm in too. Hoping the guineas or turkeys will start laying in time...if not my frizzle cochins are laying like crazy, I can't believe they have not gone broody yet.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

The best incubator for the price is the GQF Genesis Hova-Bator 1588 it is around $150 but has the best reviews.
On the cheaper side, TSC sells one for around $40 but it is a still air incubator. Regardless of its 50/50 reviews, I have had nothing but success with it as they made it better in the last year or so.

TSC had the Farm Innovators pro series online for $129 I think it was. Fan and egg turner included. I have an older Little Giant, but it has the fan installed and the egg turner.

 

[ozexpat]

my problem with the Little Giant and Farm Innovators is the dial on the thermostat. micro movements cause macro changes.

A trick to making them more stable is to increase the size of the nob. you can glue a kids plastic tea cup saucer to it and control the temp easier.

 

[Dustystrail]

my problem with the Little Giant and Farm Innovators is the dial on the thermostat. micro movements cause macro changes. 

A trick to making them more stable is to increase the size of the nob. you can glue a kids plastic tea cup saucer to it and control the temp easier.

I poke a hole in a milk jug lid.

 

[adfields0609]

The best incubator for the price is the GQF Genesis Hova-Bator 1588 it is around $150 but has the best reviews.
On the cheaper side, TSC sells one for around $40 but it is a still air incubator. Regardless of its  50/50 reviews, I have had nothing but success with it as they made it better in the last year or so.

right now I am not to worried about hatch rate or reviews. Just looking for one that is good for begginners. I know nothing about hatching with a Bator. What is a still air incubator. I want something that is good for learning with . I

 

[adfields0609]

right now I am not to worried about hatch rate or reviews. Just looking for one that is good for begginners. I know nothing about hatching with a Bator. What is a still air incubator. I want something that is good for learning with . I

pressed reply to soon. Lol. I have a rooster that has excellent hatch rates with broodys. His previous own had good hatch rates but since I have had him i have not had one egg not hatch and he is who I plan on testing with

 

[adfields0609]

pressed reply to soon. Lol. I have a rooster that has excellent hatch rates with broodys. His previous own had good hatch rates but since I have had him i have not had one egg not hatch and he is who I plan on testing with

anyways the less $$ the better

 

[LadyHawkeAvry]

right now I am not to worried about hatch rate or reviews. Just looking for one that is good for begginners. I know nothing about hatching with a Bator. What is a still air incubator. I want something that is good for learning with . I

Still air incubators are more like having the eggs under a hen. The air on top of the eggs is warmer than on the bottom, and turning the eggs ensures that they will be warmed evenly. You need the temperature in a still air incubator a little higher than a circulated air one, so that the bottoms of the eggs are not too cold. Circulated air incubators have small fans that move the warm air around the eggs evenly. Some types of birds do better in a still air incubator, but chickens do fine in either type. I would pick your first incubator based on how much time you have available to spend on it. If you are not ready to babysit your eggs all day and all night for nearly a month, go with a model with an automatic turner. Look for models that are known to hold their temperature well, so that you will be less likely to need to adjust your temperature during you hatch. If you are not familiar with how the incubator's temperature dial behaves when you adjust it, you could get some big shifts in temperature. I would suggest getting your incubator as far in advance of the hatch a long as possible, so you can start it up, have it running for a while, and understand how it behaves - every brand runs slightly differently. I'm still calibrating one of my incubators, while the other is running exactly at temperature. Before you know it, you'll be hooked on incubating like the rest of us!