Looking For a Reliable Egg Incubator? My Thoughts on Incubators for Small-Scale Farm Hatching

It's important to invest in a high-quality egg incubator. Going for a cheaper option may end up costing more in the long run. From my personal experience, I have tried four different types of incubators. The old school Little Giant 41-Egg Capacity Still-Air Foam Incubator, Little Giant 41-Egg Capacity Forced-Air Foam Incubator, Farm Innovators 41-egg Capacity Pro Series Circulated Air Incubator with Automatic Egg Turner, and the Harris Farms 22-Egg Capacity Nurture Right 360 Egg Incubator.

Little Giant 41-Egg Capacity Still-Air and Forced Air Foam Incubator

This was the first incubator I ever used. The still-air and forced-air models appear identical, except for the fan in the latter. I am unsure if the conversion kit is still available, but when I acquired my still-air incubator, I found an online kit that allowed me to add a fan for better air circulation. I ended up ordering and converting my still-air incubator into a forced-air.

One drawback of the still-air incubator is that all the warm air and the humidity tend to rise up. If you didn't have a hydrometer/thermometer in and among your eggs, you will have issues or a very poor hatch rate. Additionally, this incubator does not come with turners, which are available for purchase separately. While it effectively maintains humidity levels, if the humidity is too high, the limited number of vent holes makes it harder to lower it. Filling the water reservoir was quite a hassle, especially when the turn table was in place. One had to remove the lid and the turn table before filling the reservoir, during this time the humidity level would drop and the eggs would cool off. It is also very bulky and massive.

This incubator is perfect to use as the lockdown incubator. I usually set it up the day or two before eggs go into lockdown and transfer the eggs into it when they are ready to hatch. This way the incubator with the turners does not need to be taken apart and sanitized after each hatch. I only wipe down the turn table before putting in my next batch.

Farm Innovators 41-egg Capacity Pro Series Circulated Air Incubator with Automatic Egg Turner

This incubator was actually really neat! I absolutely loved the large window through which I could see the eggs. The computer was very good at reading the humidity and temperature levels in the incubator. It works in much the same way as the Little Giant Foam Incubator but there are little holes on either side to make filling the reservoir with water easier.

While using this incubator, I encountered some challenges. Firstly, the window would often fog up during the hatching process. Secondly, the hydrometer would stop reading the humidity accurately whenever it exceeded 70%. Although the side openings made it convenient to fill the reservoirs while the eggs were still in the incubator, it was difficult to determine their fill level. I had to approximate the quantity of water needed, which resulted in overfilling the reservoirs on a few occasions, causing them to leak through the main hole or the small vent holes at the bottom. Personally, I found this to be quite a hassle. Although it is much sleeker than the Little Giant, it's still quite bulky and an eye-sore if sitting on your kitchen counter.

Similar to the previous incubator, this one could be a suitable choice for a lockdown period or as a holding box for pre-brooding. Unfortunately, the computer stopped working and I had to return it to the manufacturer.

Harris Farms 22-Egg Capacity Nurture Right 360 Egg Incubator

Out of all the incubators I've tried, this one is definitely my favorite. It's ideal for small farm-hatching setups. Refilling the water reservoir is a breeze and there's little risk of overfilling. The temperature and humidity readings are quite accurate. If you enter the correct number of days, it will automatically stop the turners three days before hatch day. I haven't encountered any issues with high humidity - the single vent hole on the side seems to be more than sufficient. Additionally, the built-in light is very strong and helpful for candling your eggs. It's easy to set up, has a sleek appearance, and is compact enough to fit on your kitchen counter.

Despite the value of this incubator, there are a few drawbacks to consider. Firstly, the lid sits quite low, which means that once the chicks hatch, they are in close proximity to it. Additionally, the lid can be completely removed, and there is no edge around the bottom to prevent chicks from scattering around the kitchen counter. While the incubator is spacious when the chicks are still in the eggs, it becomes quite cramped once they have all hatched. Although I have not encountered any issues with hatched chicks flipping over pipped eggs and causing chicks to "drown," it is still a concern that weighs on my mind. Most of the above issues can be solved, one can purchase additional 3D-printed accessories on Etsy. However, I have not yet tried these accessories and cannot attest to their effectiveness or fit.

All four incubators are great for hatching eggs if you are innovative and can bypass the small hurdles they present. Personally, I find the Nurture Right 360 to be sufficient since I don't hatch on a large scale. For hatching quail eggs, I still use the Little Giant Force-Air incubator because I have quail egg trays for it. While I may consider getting a quail egg-sized egg turner for the Nurture Right 360 in the future, the Little Giant is the superior choice for hatching a larger quantity of eggs.