What incubator would people recommend?

[black_cat]

This is purely theoretical but I like to plan everything out about 4,000 years before it happens, so I pose the question: What incubator would people recommend? For chicken, duck, or quail eggs. I know that you need to get your own thermometer and humidity measurer thingy (can you tell I don't know what I'm talking about?) because the ones on incubators aren't really inaccurate. I wouldn't be doing mass amounts of eggs, so I don't need anything too big. I also have questions about stuff like how often you candle and things like that.

 

[IamRainey]

I've only ever used 1 so there are many alternatives out there that I know nothing about.

The one I used is a Brinsea that's pretty automatic. I set it up, checked to see that the reservoir stayed topped off and took the chicks out when they hatched.
Mine will do 7 hens' or duck eggs. It has a modifying plate for smaller eggs like quail eggs (don't know how many of those it will take).

It rotates the eggs and adjusts the temperature in preparation for the actual hatch. There are no temperature or humidity levels to monitor. I have to get a new corrugated cardboard disk for each hatch. I bought a few. Don't remember what they cost but it was a minimal fee. That's it! it's reasonably affordable and almost fully automatic.

There are bigger models and there's one that has a larger reservoir that doesn't need to be refilled so that one is completely automatic and, of course, more expensive. I believe there may also be a less automatic model than mine that's even less expensive. I wanted the assurance of a good hatch regardless of my naiete and wandering attention. The mid-priced one filled that bill.

 

[black_cat]

I've only ever used 1 so there are many alternatives out there that I know nothing about.

The one I used is a Brinsea that's pretty automatic. I set it up, checked to see that the reservoir stayed topped off and took the chicks out when they hatched.
Mine will do 7 hens' or duck eggs. It has a modifying plate for smaller eggs like quail eggs (don't know how many of those it will take).

It rotates the eggs and adjusts the temperature in preparation for the actual hatch. There are no temperature or humidity levels to monitor. I have to get a new corrugated cardboard disk for each hatch. I bought a few. Don't remember what they cost but it was a minimal fee. That's it! it's reasonably affordable and almost fully automatic.

There are bigger models and there's one that has a larger reservoir that doesn't need to be refilled so that one is completely automatic and, of course, more expensive. I believe there may also be a less automatic model than mine that's even less expensive. I wanted the assurance of a good hatch regardless of my naiete and wandering attention. The mid-priced one filled that bill.

That's super cool! I would definitely be worried about me messing things up with humidity, temperature, turning the eggs, etc. The reservoir is the water to keep the humidity up, yes?

 

[Owntalin]

We brought one that turned the eggs and kept temperature and got 6 chickens and 6 quails hatched out of it. It worked amazingly well and we never had to keep an eye on the temp. We did have to fill the water up though. But it was £40 and well worth it. Sorry can't remember the name. But definetly would recommend ones that do it for u!

 

[Owntalin]

We brought one that turned the eggs and kept temperature and got 6 chickens and 6 quails hatched out of it. It worked amazingly well and we never had to keep an eye on the temp. We did have to fill the water up though. But it was £40 and well worth it. Sorry can't remember the name. But definetly would recommend ones that do it for u!

Ohhh and to add we had alot of eggs in the one incubator.

 

[BennieAnTheJets]

Ok, so I only ever had one kind of incubator but that is because I *love* it. It is not cheap but I have used it for 8 years now and the original one is still working. I bought another one so I could have one going with the egg turner and one without egg turner for hatching days. This is when I have eggs at different stages in the 'bator. If you put them all in at once and they are all the same species one bator will be enough becuase you take the egg turner out when hatching days arrive for everyone at the same time.

Mine is this one: https://incubatorwarehouse.com/hova-bator-genesis-1588-advanced-kit.html

Mine came with the yellow egg turner and rails and I like those a lot - they hold 41 eggs Guinea or chicken eggs. I think you can click on the choice of egg turner when you scroll down and if you want both chicken and quail size rails it adds 30.- to your kit for a total of 240.- today. I think the price has gone up a little bit since 8 years ago.

And I also super-duper love this thermometer: https://incubatorwarehouse.com/incubator-remote-thermometer-hygrometer.html

I don't think I had the thermometer in the first year and we hatched our original flock without it. The thermometer/hydormeter is very cool, though, in that it has a max / min memory and will let you see what the max/min temperature and humiidty was since you last reset it. Also, the battery lasts super-long. I have one in the coop that has worked for years. I like to see how hot or cold my babies got while I was at work or away for the last 24 hours. I tend to reset it every night after checking it.

The incubator is nice since it has that big window on the top so you can see the eggs and keets (hatching) without opening it, even though you have to open it to add water , if needed. I always add warm water, of couse, and try to have the water filled before the hatch starts.

It is a bit frustrating to clean the thing, since it is just styrofoam but that's ok. Overall I am very pleased with the functionality and ease of use. I just set the temperature, fill the water channels, add the eggs and plug in the turner and 'bator and keep an eye on it every few days to refill the water as needed. At hatch time, I put the eggs in cartons, take the turner out, and put the eggs back in. Add more water, close and watch for keets!

We only have Guineas with thick egg shells, so I do not candle until about day 7-10 to see red veins. Chicken eggs are thinner, I think, and you can see something sooner. I use a regular flashlight to candle them and have not bought a special light for that after the first year. God knows where that little light went.

There are many different opinions and likes on incubators out there, so you will probably get some other great posts on here.

Watching the hatch through my 'bator window:

 

[FloorCandy]

I love the Nurture Right 360. It’s super simple for hobby hatchers, at a reasonable price. It has a spindle style turner that rolls the eggs around on their sides. I’ve found mine has a pretty reliable temp and humidity reading, and the turning style keeps there from being eggs in hot or cold spots. If you search it in the search bar of this site, you’ll find a ton of informative threads about it.

It has 22 slots for chicken/duck sized eggs, but with quail I can put 2 per slot. Bumpy shelf liner underneath keeps them rolling smoothly. Last hatch I set 15 quail eggs, on day 6 I candled and 1 was infertile. I hatched out 14 healthy chicks. I’ve tweaked my method here and there, but the majority of the credit belongs to the NR360.

 

[IamRainey]

That's super cool! I would definitely be worried about me messing things up with humidity, temperature, turning the eggs, etc. The reservoir is the water to keep the humidity up, yes?

Yes, the reservoir is a little external tube that holds about 3 tablespoons of water. That was pretty close to enough to hatch in my very dry climate but I still kept it topped up out of insecurity. There's a second reservoir at the center of the round incubator that delivers the actual humidity required under the dome.

The dome is a large clear lid that lets you watch everything that happens and allows the chicks enough room to stand and move about once they hatch. It was funny to watch the first couple stumble over and around the stragglers.

 

[black_cat]

Yes, the reservoir is a little external tube that holds about 3 tablespoons of water. That was pretty close to enough to hatch in my very dry climate but I still kept it topped up out of insecurity. There's a second reservoir at the center of the round incubator that delivers the actual humidity required under the dome.

The dome is a large clear lid that lets you watch everything that happens and allows the chicks enough room to stand and move about once the hatch. It was funny to watch the first couple stumble over and around the stragglers.

Do you have to take them out immediately or do you wait for them to all hatch?

 

[FloorCandy]

Do you have to take them out immediately or do you wait for them to all hatch?

You want to try not to open the incubator during hatch. As you get more experienced you can snatch them out quickly, but the worry is that you will dry out the eggs that have pipped and not hatched. This can cause shrink wrapping where the chick can’t hatch on its own because the membrane is hardened onto it.