[tasha090505]

Can I have your opinions please??

I've well and truly caught the chicken keeping bug, and am now looking into getting an incubator to go in our garage. I've been doing a bit of research and just wondered what Incubators you've got? All good and bad reviews welcome

Thank you x

[hillfooter]

We have a car to go in our garage Tasha.  Try a ford Focus for economy or a Ferrari 599 GTO if you want a bit more performance.

However incubators must be used in a reasonably constant room temperature and humidity for best results and a spare bedroom is the best bet.  RCOM incubators and Brinsea are the market leaders and are very reliable and give excellent results and I don't think there's much to choose between them.  Best to get a forced air type with an automatic turner.  Don't be tempted to buy a cheap manual one as you are sure to forget to turn the eggs.  Get one that can hatch at least 12 eggs and in which you can brood the hatchlings for about 24 hrs so you don't have to keep lifting the lid to transfer the chicks to your brooder.  Yes you will need a brooder too but that can be a lower cost or even a DIY affair with a heat lamp.  You need to invest in other equipment for brooding too so make sure you do your research.

I use a Brinsea Octagon type which has a cradle which turns the eggs and can cope with 24 eggs.  I've had excellent hatch rates from this and would recommend Brinsea.

HF

[trinamc]

Hi

I would recommend the brinsea but I also have a 12 egg manual inci which I have had rearly great results from, for a brooder i use an indoor rat/rabbit cage (the plastic ones so it is easy to keep clean) I bought it from a car boot sale for £4.00 the lamp hooks onto the lid.
I would say buy one for 12 eggs as a friend bought a 6 egg one and now says she should have bought the 12 egg one as there was not much difference in the price.

Good luck and remember you will have to be prepared to deal with the cockerels that you will get!



 

[CluckyChicken]

I use a Brinsea Octagon type which has a cradle which turns the eggs and can cope with 24 eggs.  I've had excellent hatch rates from this and would recommend Brinsea.

HF

I use the same incubator as hillfooter here, I love mine and even though I have only had 2 hatches so far (soon to be three!) I have achieved 100% hatch rate from my eggs.  But I think some people say that you have to suit your incubator...  I manage to forget about it unless it needs the water topping up, or I'd be looking at it all day long! 
Good luck in choosing one 

[grenhouse]

This makes me feel great as last night I bought a brinsea octagon 20! Been doing loads of research on which one is best but there is so much conflicting advice and some say rcoms are rubbish others say great etc.

well, hope I have as good fortune as you!

Steve

[hillfooter]

What I will say about incubators is that as the product is relatively low volume it doesn't suit expensively tooled injection moulded parts and they are often made from formed sheet materials or cast plastic parts.  Hence they tend to look a little amateurish without the precision fit you get from volume injection moulded parts you find in consumer electronics for example.  

Now that chicken keeping is a lot more popular that could be changing and better quality manufacturing methods maybe coming in.  A point worth bearing in mind if you buy secondhand.  As incys are always in demand and you certainly won't be wanting to hatch 12 chicks a year or else you will soon be inundated it's worth considering buying new and selling on after a year or so and you won't lose a lot of value.

HF