Thoughts On The Little Giant Incubator & Auto Egg Turner?

[smoknz28]

Hmmm.....okay, well I've now had a good conversation with the folks over at Randall Burkey Company on incubators...what a nice woman I had the pleasure of speaking with.

The one that she was leaning more towards was the Hova-Bator Incubator.

The particular one she pointed me to has an electronic thermostat...so you'll get the same temperature to consistently hold. The item number is 1588 ($169.99) however, it does not come with an auto egg turner. Adding the egg turner is item number 1610 ($58.99).

There is a less expensive Hova-Bator Incubator ($132.99) however, it does not come with the electronic thermostat but does have the auto egg turner.

http://www.randallburkey.com/Electr...Picture-Window/productinfo/1588/#.Uwtp2V6Z6LE

Hell...I don't know....maybe I'll just go back to our old way of hatching our eggs....let the hens do it on their own. What we were doing was letting the hen (usually one takes on the duty) lays on the eggs until hatching or until they are peeping/zipping. Once this occurs, my daughter and I will bring the egg(s) indoors where we put them under a heat lamp and bedding with food and water. They make their way out of the eggs...usually with no help from us or very little help...and then we let them get stable enough to stand. Once that occurs...we dip their beak(s) in the water so they know where it is and they start drinking.

Maybe the incubators are not what we should be heading towards at the time.... Rethinking my thoughts on selling chickens. Go figure....

Thanks all.

 

[aprophet]

funny there is a learng curve to any of them no matter what style or type you buy last coupla years I mostly hatch quail chukars and seramas I normally have a 80%-95% hatch rate

http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog...ubators/-/thermal-hova-bator-incubator1602n-/

this is what I started with after a while I added a turner so I did not have to turn the eggs 3 times a day on one of my bators I installed a ditatal t-stat that I use at work on walk in coolers on the others I still use the wafers to me there is no differance between the digatal and the wafers just the "operator" using the equipment LOL

 

[mortie]

I think if I had the option, I would let a broody hatch my eggs. I feel a lot of pressure to get it right and not screw up and I feel like if I had a hen I would be able to relax more and just let her do her thing.

 

[smoknz28]

I think if I had the option, I would let a broody hatch my eggs. I feel a lot of pressure to get it right and not screw up and I feel like if I had a hen I would be able to relax more and just let her do her thing.

Mortie....I hear you.

 

[cbradio]

I used this with my hovabator to combat my variable house thermostat ( uses a schedule). worked great

Temp controller


I also used this SSR

solid state relay

 

[blucoondawg]

I prefer a mechanical dial to digital. I don't trust digital stuff in a cheaper unit like a Styrofoam incubator. Like I said my farm innovator doesn't fluctuate much at all and I think all these incubators will be the same in that respect. I personally wouldn't pay more for a digital control. As was mentioned there will be a learning curve with any of them