[whitby_sam]

We've been thinking about getting an incubator for a while now but there are just so many to choose from we don't know where to start. We're also a bit confused by whether to get one that's fully automatic with all the bells and whistles or to just settle for a cheap £25 one and turn the eggs ourselves.

Can anyone recommend a particular make/model or tell me if more money equals a higher success rate?

We want to hatch our own fertile Maran eggs as well as ducks and possibly geese.

[Anke]

If you get one that does turn the eggs automatically it will make it so much easier, but it depends on your time available and budget. We have a Brinsea Octagon 20 advance, but not sure if they still make that model. We also bought it in late summer, which meant that we managed to get the price reduced by a bit, as it was out of season. It works very well, and doesn't need any maintenance other than cleaning.

Quite often game dealers have quite a good selection, and also refurbished ones for sale, from customers (pheasant rearers) that have up-graded.

[Lavinia]

Hi i just got a Brinsea Eco 20 which has an attached cradle, i have just hatched 11 khaki campbells and it was my first go, i did make a mistake at the beginning and added to much water, but still got 11 out of the 15 fertile eggs i had....

It is so much fun watching them hatch and how quickly they are up and about. I'm really have no experience but it has been a great result. The cradle does all the turning for you so the only thing i really had to do was candle and wait, wait , wait..

[shetlandpaul]

get an auto with humidity control. it will pay for itself with better hatch rates.

[whitby_sam]

Can you please expand on the best place to get one? I don't mind travelling (I'm in North Yorks) for the right one but buying new seems so expensive! Ideally I'd like to spend no more that £100 (although the missus probably thinks that's too much) which should leave me with about the same for materials to make a brooder box and to buy feeder, drinker, heat lamp, chick crumbs, eggs etc...

[harry]

dont get a cheapy..... lots of good ones about, brinsea auto cradle, get and auto you will soon get fed up with turning eggs 2 times a day... watch ebay prices they can be dearer than new, look on ebay for new then phone the brinsea dealer for a price match.

[xnbacon]

Unless you're happy to commit to turning eggs 3x plus a day, at least get an one that turns itself.  I started with a Brinsea micro advance and it's brilliant but only does 7 eggs on auto (10 if you manually turn).  I then 'upgraded' to a Brinsea 20, but eco model (might have upgraded, but skint).  It hasn't performed any worse, but needs more user input, the worst being remembering to turn the eggs and needing to organise your day to do so!  If I was starting again would probably go for the eco 20 with turning cradle.  The big downfall of the mini was that I was hatching eggs from ebay and there is too much potential for getting only 1 or 2 hatched from a batch if only 6 set, for my own eggs its fine as I usually get a good hatch rate.

[Sylvia]

I have a Brinsea Hatchmaker(master??!) still air incubator bought from a car-boot sale five years ago for five pounds.It holds 24 hen eggs easily.
When I first got it I switched it on and twiddled the thermostat until the temperature felt like the under-wing of a broody hen, put in 12 Indian Game eggs and sprayed them lightly with water from a spray-bottle.
I turned them 3-4 times a day, spraying lightly each time until about the 15th day when instinct said, spray a lot more. I stopped turning on the 19th day, but still sprayed and on the 20th day, before expected, hatched 10 chicks.
I have also hatched quail, guinea fowl and geese with much success even though I have often forgotten to turn or spray the eggs in the evening but have always sprayed well or even put a little pot of water in towards the end of incubation.!
I am saving for an all singing all dancing make a cup of tea etc. incubator but will it be as much fun?!!

[xnbacon]

I do think we fuss too much sometimes, the last lot I set I inadvertantly started at the wrong temperature then dropped the tray half way through (obviously not breaking any eggs though) and still hatched 12 out of 13.  I'm sure eggs are not quite as sensitive as one is given to believe!
Incidentally I set the temperature 1 degree too low for a week and achieved a full set of little boys.  Normally previous hatchings from the same chickens have given me a ratio of one boy to four girls (approx).  Anyone know if the difference would be related to temperature?

[whitby_sam]

Right,
We've decided to stretch the budget a little and I *think* we've settled on an RCOM Suro (easier to look after than the Brinsea Octagon)

Can anyone offer some advice on where to start? We want to hatch our Maran eggs, we also want some Khaki Campbell ducks and hopefully a couple of geese... I guess we'd be better starting with our Marans except that we're only getting 3 eggs per day between them (at the moment) and they're bloody tasty! What are the success rates like from "hatching eggs" that have been through the postal system?

[shetlandpaul]

very veried. ive had 75% and 0%. a lot depends on how they were handled. the time of year has a lot to do with it too. if your doung your own just store them point down in a coolish room when you have enough put them in. luck has a lot to do with it as well. also some breeds seem easier to hatch than others.

[whitby_sam]

Is there any disadvantage to hatching 6 eggs in a 20 egg incubator? I think it may be a week 'til we've got 20 Maran eggs to hatch as opposed to 2 days for 6. If I put 6 in will I have to alter anything? Also, can I hatch chicken and duck eggs together or do they have different incubation requirements?

[xnbacon]

Well, I did it and it was fine!  Your eggs will keep for a week if you want to save up and do 20.   I keep mine in the box in the kitchen as we generally eat them, and if I want to incubate I just take some out.  However, the recommended method is sharp end down in a cool place and turn from side to side once or twice a day - I wouldn't follow my method for more than a couple of days - I'm not really recommending it, just illustrating that there is some margin for error!  Don't know about duck eggs off the top of my head (exept they take a week longer), my understanding is you can use the same incubator, just not do them both together.  Your incubator should come with relevant instructions, I know Brinsea were very good - also you can get incubating instruction info off their web site.

[whitby_sam]

Just had some delicious scrambled eggs on toast! So...

Tomorrow, I'll start saving my Maran eggs for a week (or as long as I can last before excitement gets the better of me) and attempt to hatch as close to 20 beautiful Marans as possible!

Wish me luck

[shetlandpaul]

i would do diffrent birds at diffrent times i did turkeys and chucks together the chickens did ok but only 3 ut of 12 turkeys.  don't ducks need higher humidity than chucks.