The best table top incubator? what are they

[willowcol]

Yes new they are expensive, but you can find them used for around $250.00. They also last forever, and the replacement parts are not that expensive.

 

[austinhart123]

something with forced air and egg turners

 

[iajewel]

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250. and lasts forever sounds like my kind of thing. Where would a person look for a used one? I looked on eBay and about fainted. Googleing just finds the new ones.

 

[amyquilt]

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[deerman]

The sportman will last 20 year, beat the 2 or so years you get from the styrofoams ones.

Sometime you can find used ones for around 200.00. The incubator come with auto turner, myself I have the auto humidity, but do NOT use it. No trouble to fill the water pan.

The sportman hatcher DONT have a turner.

You can set ever week,just a few or a tray full.
Some come with a hatching tray in the bottem.

Dont cost that much to run, the heater doesnt stay on as much as the one on the styroforms.

 

[iajewel]

Your all are starting to sell me on this sprotsman. I had never heard of it. Glad I posted this.
Now where to find a used one in no where Iowa? If you go about 100 miles past the boonies, then turn left at Mars Iowa.. then go another 100 miles into no where land.. thats where Im. Rome had running water 2500yrs ago.. Carbon got it 4yrs ago.. I love this place ..

(actually I do)

So where do I start looking? What things would I want to check over, or "notice" when looking at a used sprotsman? remember Im an idiot, I need all the help I can get.

 

[crazychickenrancher]

I have a sportsman incubator and a very old sportsman hatcher.... I love my sportsman

I had 2 styrofoms (sp) that we used before and it sucked compared to these...
I bought the incubator from randall burkey in texas new i think it rwas 500 or so and the old one ( costs 100) I got from a really old man that had bought it new like 20 years ago or so it is a hatcher that has 6 drawers i think.... The new one holds 6 blue universal egg trays and I can set one each week and that is 2 or 3 dozen in each tray.... then when time i move them over to the hatcher... It has worked so far

I would not go back to hand turning my eggs for nothing

I could get away with just the incubator because it has a hatching drawer in the bottom if I needed to... but now Im spoiled
-Diana-


Also having the extra room when I come along to a good deal on eggs or such I can get them because i have the room...

Like now I just put 8 doz duck eggs in there that I got for $2a doz from a friend:yiipchick

 

[crazychickenrancher]

oh yeh also if you dont need it right away keeplooking in the newpaper and at the auctions for a used one... the parts are fairly cheap and easy to work on if need be.... it is winter and a lot of people are getting rid of them for extra cash for the holidays!!

 

[willowcol]

Craigslist or bargaintrader, is where I see them used sometimes.

 

[iajewel]

The over all size of this thing is still a bit over whelming to me. Im not going to be hatching my mutt birds, they are for eggs only. I have 3 barred rocks that I would hatch from and then I plan to buy about 50 Blue Orp eggs this spring. Out of those I will most likly cull all but 2 roos. ( that puts us at 25 birds in theroy) then out of those hens I will pry cull 1/4 for one reason or another. That puts me at 12 birds the next year I will produce from. I will only keep about 6 of the barred rocks total ever..
So you can see why Im bulking a bit about the over all size of the sportsman. Do they make a Mini sportsman? 50 eggs at a time is all I will ever need.
I do see the absolute need for a incubator and a hatcher. So Im stuck at 2 if I go smaller no matter what.
I just can't see me ever using a 200 egg bator. I can't see me ever having over 100 birds and half of those will not be laying but growing to see if they are culled or not.
I have to think about this one..