You want to raise chicks at home or at school, but the variety of egg incubators on the market is confusing you.
It makes sense that way. The past several years have seen a major growth in the backyard chicken keeping market, and there are many options available.
Read here , Generic 192 Egg Incubator & Hatcher & Automatic & Solar & Battery
If you don't have a broody hen, a dependable incubator is essentially the main "must have" tool when hatching chicken eggs. However, there are many incubators available, and they all have different features. Thus, decisions must be made.
I have four incubators, ranging in size from a tiny one to a larger one that holds 24 eggs.
To assist you in determining which would be the best chicken egg incubator for your particular situation, I'm going to share with you the lessons I learnt when selecting my incubators in this article.
Read here , Generic 192 Egg Incubator & Hatcher & Automatic & Solar & Battery
Step 1, How big should your incubator be, first?
From a few eggs to several thousand, there are many different types and sizes of incubators. Though it's unlikely that you'll want to go the "many thousand" path, you should carefully consider how many eggs you want to hatch.
Bear these three things in mind.
1, Although the process of hatching is enjoyable and exciting, you will end up with chickens. Have you considered how to handle them, especially any roosters (cockerels) you may end up with?
2, No matter how wonderful the incubator is or how cautious you are, keep in mind that not all of the eggs you place there will hatch. Only about 80% of attempts—even under the best possible conditions—are likely to succeed. That may fall to about 50% if your eggs were delivered via post.
3, Be aware that when you first start to hatch, you'll want to do it more than you think. It's a chicken egg addiction!
Step 2: Where will you keep your incubator?
Getting a sizable incubator is great, but do you have a place where you can keep it safely for the (often longer than) 21 days it takes for the eggs to hatch without interfering with family life?
The small Eco or Mini Advance is only 8" broad, while Brinsea's Octagon 20 (with spinning cradle) is 17" (43 cm) (22cm). The Maxi II, my most recent incubator, is in the center and measures 12.5" (32 cm).
Additionally, there are candlers, humidity pumps, and cameras.
Step 3: How much can you see?
If you have children who want to watch the chicks hatch, this is very crucial. It's crucial for everyone who wants to see the chicks hatch, in fact!
It's essential to be able to view clearly without disrupting during the final days of incubation and during hatching, when it's crucial not to raise the incubator's cover.
A portion of the egg can be seen through a little window in the front of some incubators. A plastic cover may be present on some, but it may be constrained by the incubator's fan and other mechanisms.
If you have children who want to watch the chicks hatch, this is very crucial. It's crucial for everyone who wants to see the chicks hatch, in fact!
Step 4: How easy is the incubator to clean?
Yet another relevant and significant practical point.
Your incubator must be maintained clean at all times. Porous egg shells are a common entry point for bacteria, and this can cause the embryos of chicks to perish.
And believe me, there is a lot of crap left over after hatching. Dust, shells that have been emptied, chicks' first poop after hatching, and the down that they shed as they dried out...
Step 5: How do you want to measure temperature and humidity in the incubator?
Temperature and humidity are two important factors during incubation. Any deviation, especially in high temperature and low humidity, can potentially result in the embryos dying, hence they must be steady.
How do you intend to evaluate them, then? Would you want to utilize a personal thermometer and hygrometer that you monitor yourself? Do you prefer to set it and forget it by having it done digitally?
My Final Words
If you can, get an incubator that can do this for you, is my advise. The need of maintaining the proper temperature and humidity levels for a successful hatch makes it more expensive in the long run to purchase an incubator without automated measurement, as well as more stressful.
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