incubator -what did you choose, why did you choose it

[bj taylor]

i think i'm going to have to branch out into hatching chicks. how did you choose your incubator? any regrets?
what is a very important aspect to a good incubator?

 

[Chickie'sMomaInNH]

i started with one of those styrofoam bators but i didn't care for my results. i bought over a year ago a Janoel that has a fan and thermostatic control for the temp. it worked well for my own eggs i hatched, but the ones i bought at the same time must have been shaken during delivery since i only had 1 egg out of 36 hatch, 6 eggs developed but didn't make it.

 

[Ridgerunner]

What would I look for in an incubator? How many eggs are you hatching at one time? How often are you going to be using it? Do you want one you have to watch or one that pretty much you leave alone?

There are two basic types, still or thermal air and forced air. The still or thermal air does not have a fan. Hot air rises so there can be quite a bit of difference in the temperature inside the incubator depending in where you measure the temperature. A forced air has a fan. You should have the same temperature anywhere in the incubator.

I like the forced air with the fan. Its easier to check and control the temperature.

I strongly recommend a turner. You need to turn the eggs several times a day. I like to not have to worry about that, especially if I leave home for most if a day.

You can get either a hard plastic or a Styrofoam incubator. Both work fine as far as holding temperature and all that. The big advantage to me for the plastic ones is that they are easier to clean after a hatch. I have a Styrofoam forced air Hovabator 1588 which has a plastic tray in the bottom that catches most of the mess anyway, but if you have serious mess I could see a real advantage in cleaning hard plastic. I only hatch 2 or 3 times a year so cleaning is not that much of a problem for me. If I hatched more often a hard plastic one would look a lot better. They are more expensive.

You need to provide your own thermometer and hygrometer. Dont depend on the ones that come with the incubator, if yours even comes with one. The temperature controls should be reasonably easy to adjust. My old model 1588 is horrible for that. The new model is a lot better.

You need a window so you can see what is going on inside. To me, a decent window is a must have.

You need a way to control the humidity. With my Hovabator I have different sized reservoirs in the plastic tray in the bottom. The more expensive Brinsea has a different way. They can adjust the humidity as they go. I dont know exactly how.

A lot of chicks get hatched in all kinds of incubators. The more expensive ones are easier to use. The Little Giant still air takes a lot of watching but they are pretty cheap. The Brinsea is top of the line and priced accordingly. The Hovabator is somewhere in between the others.

What I consider important is a window, a forced air, and an automatic turner. Well, obviously size too. The rest comes more into personal preference.

 

[dickiebird]

I did a bunch of research and had a price I was willing to pay and I ended up with a HOVA-BATOR with a LITTLE GIANT auto egg turner.
They are both used bought off of flea-bay, errr I mean e-bay.
The bator is styro foam with a fan and thermostat.
I've hatched some eggs from scratch with good results. What it's used for mostly is to finish the hatch of turkey eggs.
We have a couple of turkey hens that go broody and if you leave the eggs under them and aren't there when they hatch, you will lose 50% or more. The mom or other turkeys are not real good with hatchlings and they tend to step on them and cause injurys that are severe.
So when it gets time for the hatch the eggs are moved the the bator, usually when we see pipping.
For a first timer I wouldn't go too elaborate just something basic but with a fan and some sort of temp control.

THANX RICH

 

[Chickie'sMomaInNH]

i almost forgot about letting my hens go broody. i tend to have a much better rate of hatch. plus i don't have to worry about the chicks in the house, the smell and dust they would kick up. i promised my dh that i wouldn't be hatching inside our new/old house. so the incubator is on a shelf and i'm watching my hens closely for the sign of broodiness.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I fully agree about the broody but to get enough chicks I have to use an incubator. I just don't have enough go broody.

My brooder is in the coop. As long as you can keep them out of the wind and weather, provide predator protection, and keep one area of the brooder warm enough, there is no reason to brood chicks in the house other than you just want to. Any outbuilding with electricity should work.

The incubator is another matter. It needs to be where temperatures are pretty stable.

 

[canesisters]

I'm lazy so when I found someone with birds I really, really liked I begged for some if she would hatch and grow them up a little.

She has a mixed flock of several purebreds - so this batch of chicks could be pure or any combo, she calls them "dorucanas, buff dorkingtons, wyandorks, orpingdottes, and a couple that might be pure"

 

[MuranoFarms]

I tried several types of incubators before I settled on Brinsea. I have 4 and they're great! I pretty much don't do anything but add eggs and water. lol

 

[Chickie'sMomaInNH]

I'm lazy so when I found someone with birds I really, really liked I begged for some if she would hatch and grow them up a little. http://www.pic4ever.com/images/4chsmu1.gif She has a mixed flock of several purebreds - so this batch of chicks could be pure or any combo, she calls them "dorucanas, buff dorkingtons, wyandorks, orpingdottes, and a couple that might be pure"

sounds like a bunch of 'dorks'! hehe. will they have their 5th toes from the dorkings?

if i combined the names of what i have for breeds they sound more like designer handbags. Cohelles, Faverchins, and a hen who i think may be part faverolles and D'uccle, can't figure out how i would pronounce that one.

i also like using my broody since she does all the work and it tends to be easier to introduce the chicks into the flock so there are less issues with the pecking order as they age. once they are feathered out and no chick down left on them moma lets them fend for themselves and they have to learn their place in the flock. pullets tend to blend in well with the flock. while the cockerels tend to get picked on by everyone since they have the raging hormones by 4 months and that just erks some of the girls that weren't ready for his...um...advances.

 

[canesisters]

I'm lazy so when I found someone with birds I really, really liked I begged for some if she would hatch and grow them up a little. http://www.pic4ever.com/images/4chsmu1.gif She has a mixed flock of several purebreds - so this batch of chicks could be pure or any combo, she calls them "dorucanas, buff dorkingtons, wyandorks, orpingdottes, and a couple that might be pure"

sounds like a bunch of 'dorks'! hehe. will they have their 5th toes from the dorkings?

if i combined the names of what i have for breeds they sound more like designer handbags. Cohelles, Faverchins, and a hen who i think may be part faverolles and D'uccle, can't figure out how i would pronounce that one.

i also like using my broody since she does all the work and it tends to be easier to introduce the chicks into the flock so there are less issues with the pecking order as they age. once they are feathered out and no chick down left on them moma lets them fend for themselves and they have to learn their place in the flock. pullets tend to blend in well with the flock. while the cockerels tend to get picked on by everyone since they have the raging hormones by 4 months and that just erks some of the girls that weren't ready for his...um...advances.

ooohhhh I bet Cohelles and Faverchins are big fluffy bunches of personality! Would love to see a picture.
My friend has Dorking, a crested EE and SLW roos - and several hens of each. They all run together until she sets up her 'official' breeding pens so the first batch or two of chicks are 'dealer's choice'. But yes, she's holding onto the crested 5-toe'ed chicks for me. AND (bonus) she's gotten blue eggs from some of her hens so there's a good chance that I can get blue AND green eggs from these chicks!