Egg Incubators for both Hobbyists and Poultry Experts
If you’re interested in hatching eggs artificially, there are egg incubators for chicken eggs, duck eggs, pigeon eggs, and even exotic birds! An incubator imitates a brooding hen by providing eggs with the conditions needed for hatching fertilized eggs into chicks. Your poultry can be a small-scale hobby or even a large-scale operation. Either way, you need to select the best egg incubator to provide high-quality chicks. There are various egg incubators, and choosing can be challenging; this guide provides information to help you make the right choice.
Types Egg Incubators
We can distinguish between incubators by the method of airflow, or by their egg capacity.
Airflow
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Forced-air incubators: They are one of the most common and widely used incubators. It uses a fan that circulates warm air within the egg chamber.
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Still-air incubators: These incubators have no air holes. They are challenging to use and require a precision setup. They work with radiant heat that warms the air within the incubator. It requires you to open the incubator at least four times a day to allow for fresh air.
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Conventional incubators: They rely on ventilation holes on the top, side, and bottom of the incubator. It operates by producing warm air from below that pulls in fresh air to create a warming effect for the eggs. But these incubators are prone to drying out the air as well.
Capacity
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Mini incubators: They can hold between one to twelve eggs, depending on the model and egg type. They are suitable for only duck or chicken eggs and smaller eggs. They are ideal for schools, science fair projects, or as a hobby for your children.
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Tabletop incubators: They can hold up to 130 eggs, depending on the egg type. For chicken eggs, they can hold 50 or less. They are ideal for the backyard or personal use breeders.
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Cabinet incubators: They can hold up to 1500 Quail eggs, 500 Chicken or Duck eggs, 60 Goose or turkey eggs, and 16 Ratite eggs. They are ideal for small farm breeders.
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Commercial incubators: They can contain more than 1500 quail eggs, 1000+ chicken eggs, 100+ goose or turkey eggs, and 20+ ratite eggs. They are suitable for commercial breeders.
What Reviewers Have to Say
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Budget: Your budget usually determines the brand you will go for, but some cheap incubators tend not to last very long. It’s better to invest a little more money and go for a longer-lasting incubator. The price also depends on the capacity of the incubator; mini types range between $20 to $400+, tabletop ranges between $50 to $1000+, cabinet ranges between $600 to $5000, and commercial ranges between $5000 to $10,000.
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Ease-of-use: Incubators can be technical and stressful if you don't know how to use them. It is advisable to go for incubators that offer automatic features. They allow for less time to perform tasks and allow for easy monitoring of the ideal hatching conditions.
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Easy-to-clean: Hatching eggs can be fun, but cleaning is usually tiring. There is a lot of mess and down that stick to the incubator after the egg hatches. This dirt can get lodged in inaccessible areas, so you need to get an incubator that is easy to clean and that can be sterilized.
Important Features
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Material: The material used to construct an incubator determine its lasting capability and efficiency. It is necessary to check that the incubator has quality material. The best incubator materials are ABS Plastics and polycarbonates.
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Temperature control: The temperature of 99-102°F is ideal for successful egg hatching. Anything lower or higher will affect the embryo’s development. Buy an incubator with a thermostat that automatically controls the temperature and has a temperature display. You can also buy one with a built-in alarm for timely notifications of any temperature change.
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Humidity control: To avoid loss of moisture from the egg, it is necessary to control the incubator humidity. A humidity of 25 to 60% is ideal for a successful hatch. Buy an incubator with a channel for adding water and an automatic humidity controller. Get one that allows you to monitor the level of water and humidity easily by means of a clear display unit.
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Egg turning: It is a necessity to rotate the eggs so that they will hatch properly. You can rotate the eggs manually, but there are some incubators with an automatic egg-turning feature. The feature will save you the stress of frequently opening the incubator to turn the egg, and it minimizes or eradicates contamination of the inner chamber that can occur by touching the eggs with your hands.
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Ease of observation: Opt for an incubator with a transparent lid or wide viewing area to monitor what is going on in the incubator. This way, you can quickly know if anything is wrong.
Top-Rated Brands
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Digital Sportsman Cabinet Incubator 1502 has an onboard computer that provides users with reliable up-to-date information about the eggs. It has an LCD screen displaying the humidity and temperature, and an electronically-controlled egg turner with three turning racks and a wide range viewing area. It can incubate 1368 quail eggs, 270 chicken eggs, and 45 goose eggs.
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Magicfly Digital Fully Automated Mini Egg Incubator is an easy-to-use incubator that can hatch a dozen eggs. It is made from PP+ABS material that is durable and easy to clean. Every incubating condition is controlled and monitored automatically.
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Farm Innovators Model 4250 is a high-capacity incubator that can hatch about 41 eggs. It has two easy-to-fill water channels and a heater programmed to reach a factory pre-set temperature of 100°F. It automatically turns the egg every four hours. It has a digital display for temperature, humidity, and count-down to the hatch date.
