What is your favorite incubator?

[farmgirlinMN]

We have a Brower Top Hatch and have lost every single batch of eggs. (4). Seems like we have all the numbers right. Anybody else have problems with this brand? What's your favorite incubator and why?

 

[yinepu]

I used to love the Brinseas.. however their products tend to break down a whole lot more than they should.. I thought at first it was just a fluke.. but we own a bunch of their bators, turners, candler, and brooders and have had way too many break down under normal use... dealing with customer service has been a nightmare.. so now we don't even bother to contact when something dies.. we just throw it out.. Several of their products arrived here with frayed wires which is from poor manufacturing and is also a fire hazard.. after receiving more than one I quit recommending them to others

my current favorite is the Reptipro 5000 .. some people have problems getting eggs to hatch.. however I have had 0 issues with getting the correct temperature figured out and with humidity (I think they are over thinking things.. just set the temp so the shelf temperature is correct for the type of eggs and than leave it alone).

I do have a few eggs left in one of the Brinseas.. as soon as that hatch is done the last of the Brinseas are leaving!


and in case anyone is wondering.. we have eggs hatching pretty much all the time.. so the incubators are running most of the year
Emus, ducks, muscovys, turkeys, chickens and coturnix quail

 

[quintinp]

I have a Brower Top Hatch, it didn't work very well. (it was given to me though) It is a THI10. The thermostat went out just after I got it, so I took out the cadelabra base socket, and have a regular sized socket screwed to the lid. I use a 75 watt bulb in it. I wired a Bi-metal thermostat to the bulb, and added 2 PC fans. I have an all around temperature of 98 to 100. It is going to be my Goose, Turkey, and Peacock egg incubator. I like the auto turning part of it, but wish the auto turning wasn't so loud.

I also have a Brower 846 incubator. I just hatched 18 chicks out of 21 eggs in it not too long ago. It has worked really well.

 

[cashdl]

I have the Dickeys Incubator and the Dickeys hatcher. I hatch constantly all year and needed something that could stand up to that and look good doing it. I search and pondered a year before I bought mine last January.

The first two months were rocky as I am a who needs instructions kinda gal. It has a digital thermostat that was easy to set, but they came with wafer backups that you are supposed to calibrate. Didn't know what they were so they are still in a box. Mr. Dickeys gasped over that one. LOL!

I do feel that they need to be ran for at least a month to get the fumes of the wood finish cleared out of them. I am pretty sure I lost a batch or two from that.

Now I am having the time of my life, except I am a little befuddled about what to do with all these chicks. For the last 5 years my hatch rate has been no more than 50% and I have become adjusted to it. My hatches each week have been better and better, with last weekends hatch being 23 hatched out of 24 set. For Araucana that is beyond excellant.

I currently have over 90 chicks in my chick brooder pen, 23 in the house and 48 eggs going into lockdown this week. Thats with selling over 50 chicks already in the last couple of weeks. These incubators are amazing. They don't fluctuate a bit on temp. The humidity is super easy to control. They are wonderful except for all the chicks I have running around.


Lanae