What incubator to get for chicken eggs?

[AmayaOkami]

OK at the moment, the incubator is one we've had for years and we've always had 80-90% hatch rate with our quail sometimes more, but we've noticed it has a less than 10% hatch rate for anything bigger. We've tried it a few separate times for turkeys and chickens and the chicks will either stop developing halfway through or will start to hatch but die right before they make any real progress.


I was wondering if there was a brand that any of you know of or use that seems to work really well for chicken eggs? I'm at work at the moment and can't think of the name of the one we have, only that it is made of a thick Styrofoam, is still air, and has a metal mesh bottom.


Thanks!

 

[Pork Pie]

Brinsea make some good incubators, but they are considerably more expensive than equally good alternatives, certainly in the US, at least.

 

[AmayaOkami]

Mind if I ask what kind you use and how well does it work? Are there any you know of to stay away from?

 

[Pork Pie]

Mind if I ask what kind you use and how well does it work? Are there any you know of to stay away from?

I use a Brinsea Octagon Advance EX, i.e. the one with the cradle and water pump. Only just using for the first time but in terms of controlling temp and humidity its great. I know a few other members that use the same set up and they think that they are great.

Members in the US will likely give you better advice than me, but certainly the cheaper incubators from China seem a bit iffy.

 

[MoonhavenFarmer]

I like the new Little Giant electronic controlled. I have 3 of them. Atwoods puts them on sale occasionally. Temperature control is plug and play. You still have to add water. Get the one with the fan and egg turner. You incubate 42 eggs at a time. After the hatch is over it is pretty easy to clean and sterilize.

 

[AmayaOkami]

So I found this offer on Amazon, here I've seen mixed messages about the hovabator, and the deal almost seems too good to be true... Any thoughts?