[reedos]

We've never done it but want to try. What advice would you give? What type of incubator would you recommend for beginners?

Ta

Andy

[daddymatty82]

how many eggs you want to hatch? what type of eggs you want to hatch? i get on  with a brinsea mini eco 10 egg . how much you got to spend on incubators?

[Mel Rice]

I like my little Brinsea Automatic... It does it all for you and tou can watch, but it can only fit in 7 eggs. Silly number of eggs to buy, but just enough birds to keep my flock numbers up. ( at least half , the boys, for the pot!!!)

[chrismahon]

We started with a cheap Spanish unit with semi-automatic (pull a handle) egg turning. Had great consistent results for £60, takes 20 eggs, but remembering to turn the eggs 3 times a day for 18 days was a pain. Upgraded to a King Suro fully auto 24 and results terrible. Too badly insulated so temperature gauge reads right only in the centre. Hatches were up to 3 days late on the outer rows.

Use egg sanitiser and sterilise the unit thoroughly. Otherwise just follow the instructions exactly.

Get good quality hatching eggs!!! Its a lot of time and money wasted otherwise -that was our first mistake. Go to a reputable breeder and see the parents. They need to be properly fed and looked after to have good eggs. Don't be conned by breeders write-ups or photos on ebay, often not the parents but a photo of somone else's birds.

[smudger]

We will be making purchase soon ourselves. When I looked at this last year i had decided on the R-COM Egg Incubator SURO. Pretty much automatic (temperture, turning and humidity) at a reasonable price (c£160).  (But I see another poster hasn't had good results so may rethink....)

If you don't go automatic you can't go away for 21 days, so a bind, and you need to get the moisture right for different stages of development and also turn them correctly 2 or 3x a day. 

A small, non auto will still be just under £100 but you run greater risk of wasting eggs - maybe not a problem if home fertilised eggs but a waste of money if buying them in at say, £27 for 18 eggs.

[Rumpleteazer]

I've never done very well with incubators and have tended to have more success with using a broody hen. Pekin batam hens work well as they tend to go broody at the first hint of spring. Find somewhere quiet where they can sit on the eggs without being disturbed. You will need to lift the hen off twice a day feed, drink and go to the toilet. They will turn the eggs and keep warm and moist for you. Make sure you discard any eggs that become soiled.

[jaykay]

I've got the automatic Brinsea 20 with humidity pump and have found it very good. At least it finishes the job, which two broodies I let sit last year didn't 

[chrismahon]

If you use a broody they must be well into their second year. Any younger and they are likely to cop out or panic.

Problem with Suro 20 is there is little or no insulation on it, same as any cradle unit I suppose. So you need to run it in a high ambient temperature. They say 20 degrees in the very small print but 25 would be better and certainly without any draughts. We will run ours within a perspex heated box next time, or in Summer. Problem with living in a large 1830's house I suppose.

[daddymatty82]

broodies are great thats why iv edged over to pekins and silkies both make great mums  i tend to let them sit for 7 days on fake eggs then move them to a rabbit hutch one hen to one hutch i got double and a up and down so got 3 hutches ready at all times.  i would not worry about lifting hen up  just insure the feed and water are at reachable distance to hen and hen will get off and on in her own time usally when no one is about  just keep topping up feed/water at regular times  and leave hen alone just feed corn and water that is all they need as corn takes alot of time to digest  and they dont eat much at all as they got a job to do so there not intrested. the main problem you have if you keep disturbing the hen  by lifting  or anything is  you could make her get up and leave then your stuck with half hatched eggs.  but best way to incubate is mother hen herself. she turns them herself and all you got to do is feed water her and maybe candle the eggs once or twice.

[hughesy]

We've got an Rcom suro and have experienced quite variable results with it. Best hatch rates were in the summer months definitely. What's been said here is making sense I'm thinking of running it inside an insulated container or maybe trying taping some bubblewrap around the body. Shame though because it's a great little incubator to use.

[Sylvia]

For me, part of the joy of hatching eggs is the hands on bit, turning, spraying, watching the temperature etc. I think I've said this on another thread but I also sing to them each time I tend them, the same song each time, any old thing, I sing the same song as they hatch, when I feed them and when I lift the cockerels out for slaughter.
I've never had one panic.
I agree with DaddyMatty, broody hens should be left to their job, they know better than us what to do!
I just love hatching eggs and rearing chicks

[Penninehillbilly]

I use a Brinsea polyhatch, says for 40 eggs but I only get 35 in. had good result with hen eggs (put plenty in because I didn't expect a high percent, most hatched and I didn't know what to do with them all. Not good for my call duck eggs, which is why I didn't expect much from hen eggs.
eggs turn via 'moving floor', (remembering to turn at least 3 times a day at regular intervals was hopeless).
put extra water in for humidity and hatch in there as well.
Much more reliable than my 'Octagon'

[reedos]

Thanks folks lots of different thoughts there!

We have half a dozen Welsummers with a cockerel, one Vorwerks hen and cockerel and a load of layers. we want to increase our flock of Welsummers and Vorwerks so it'll be their eggs we want to hatch.

One of our hens went broody at the drop of a hat last year and we have no problem in using her at all, my only concern with using a broody is that she probably won't go broody when we'd like her to.

As we'll only be hatching a relatively small number at a time, I guess turning them wouldn't be too onerous a task - but I stand to be corrected on that.

[Mel Rice]

I do like the hands on side of the incubator....but introducing the chicks to the flock is easier with a broody as she will look after them. Ive got a broody bantam at the moment that I keep turfing off the nest, At -10 highs I dont think chicks would be great at the moment!   (she does stop the early morning eggs freezing though!)