I am a first time incubator user/buyer. What do I need to Know?

The first questions to ask relate to the capacity of the  machine and its suitability for the particular species you may wish to hatch. Generally, chicken eggs and  most species of bantams hatch more easily, as they have been selected for hatching in incubators. Most importantly, chicken and bantam nutrition is better understood and better formulated than feeds formulated for many rarer game and avian species. This means that chickens tolerate the conditions inside incubators better than do the rarer species. There is no incubator available which can duplicate exactly the conditions of the natural mother. Some incubators come a bit closer than others. The rarer the species, the better the incubator needs to be to achieve good results. So chickens will hatch well in basic incubators but parrots require more sophisticated incubators with more facilities such as sophisticated humidity controls and backups.

The next question is to do with the ambient environment where the machine is to be used. If the machine is to be used in an air conditioned building, then even the most basic machine can produce good results. If however the machine is to be used out in an uninsulated, breezy back shed, where the temperature is close to freezing at night and hot during the day; then even the best machine will not perform as well as its potential, and the basic machines will be an absolute flop. Most manufacturers specify a room temperature between 15 and 25-30 degrees Celcius, and humidity of 50%RH for best results.

Next is the question of simplicity of operation. In the simple machines, there is usually more to do with regards to adjustment, monitoring of humidity, and turning the eggs.  The use situation may dictate that automatic turning is important, eg. when the incubator is at a school or if it is unattended overnight or weekends. The turning rate effects hatchability and eggs need to be turned 2 to 3 times a day minimum to achieve good results, with rare, or difficult species requiring more frequent turning. This is one of the limits to hatching with the simple machines, as the conditions are upset by opening the machine, and so turning twice to three times a day is the maximum practical. Turning can also take quite a while in the larger still air machines. A point worth remembering here is that price can bear little resemblance to the ability to hatch eggs. Often a larger more complex machine will produce similar results but with less work, or in a fashion which allows a different management system.

The most significant factors effecting hatchability are often not part of the machine at all. Most commercialy produced today will work well. The handling and storage of the fertile eggs, and the breeder nutrition, are of major importance in achieving a high rate of success. These are often the factors which mean, that one person hatches well from a certain incubator and another person cannot. We firmly recommend the use of a vitamin supplement either in the breeder rations or in the water for a minimum of 2 weeks before the fertile eggs are to be collected for setting. Vitamin supplements should continue for the whole of the breeding period.