1. Brinsea Products Mini II
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This is your go-to option if you want high-quality and performance. It has 7 inches in height, a diameter of 12.5 inches, and it weighs 3 pounds. It is capable of holding 7 eggs at once, and it offers you the possibility of monitoring all the time how the eggs fare, thanks to its clear dome. It is made from Biomaster anti-microbial plastic, thus you can be sure the chicks will be in a safe and hygienic environment, as well as providing you with an easy way to clean.
The central water reservoirs offer the humidity of the egg, while the 2 egg-disks, one made to hold 7 eggs and one which can support 12, smaller eggs, will allow you diversity. Thus, you can place hen eggs, duck eggs, quail or pheasant eggs inside. Additionally, it has a minimum power consumption of 12W, a maximum of 20W, and it comes with a warranty of 3 years from the moment of your purchase.
Digital Control
It comes with a digital micro-control which allows you to take advantage of its several functions by pressing just a few buttons. The display will show you the incubation temperature, days left till hatching, and the eggs’ turning status.
Features and Functions
- Temperature control – you can decide at what temperature the eggs should be, as well as what type of degrees you want to see on the screen – Celsius or Fahrenheit. It ranges from 20.0° C – 40.0°C (68.0°F – 104.0°F), and it has a preset of 37.5°C (99.5° F). Additionally, it has a periodic incubation cooling which switches the heater off for a while once every 24 hours. Its range can be set between 10 and 360 minutes, but it is not recommended to use it before the 7 days of incubation or during the hatching period.
- Turning modes, intervals, and angles – you can set it to on, automatic or off. The turning interval has a customizable delay between turns, ranging from 15 to 180 minutes (default is at 45 minutes). The angles in which the eggs are turned are dependent on how long the motor runs as the range is 1-20 seconds, with a default of 5 seconds. The turning will stop 2 days prior to hatching.
- Countdown to hatching – it will tell you how many days are left, till the chicks appear. It must be set for each batch.
- Alarm limits – you can set alarms to tell you when the temperature is too hot, ranging from 1.0 – 5.0°C (1.8 – 9.0°F) above set incubation temperature, or too cold 1.0 – 5.0°C (1.8 – 9.0°F) below the settings.
| PROS
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CONS
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- Allows several types of eggs
- Has automatic turning
- Countdown to hatching
- Temperature customizable control
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- There’s not too much space for hatched chicks
- There were some complaints about the humidity not being shown on screen
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| VERDICT
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| It provides you with a safe, hygienic and easy to clean space for you to hatch chicks. Additionally, it has 2 disks, one with 7-egg capacity and the other with 14-small-egg capacity, to provide you with diversity in hatching. Thanks to the temperature controls you can set it according to what you plan to hatch, while its automatic rotation will make sure to keep the eggs warm. It will also tell you how many days are left till the eggs hatch, as well as allowing you to raise the humidity without opening the dome. |
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It is made from durable PP and ABS, and it measures 13.98 inches in width, 7.48 in length and 6.89 inches in height, it weighs 4.85 pounds, and it has a capacity of 9 to 12 eggs, depending on the egg type. It can hold several types of eggs, like duck, parrot, quail, goose, dove, own and hen, offering you variation. The egg tray measures 6.89 inches in width, 7.09 inches in length and 1.34 inches in height and it comes with 4 separators which measure 1.10 inches in width, and 6.69 inches in length.
It features an automatic thermometer, which will let you know how many degrees are inside, with temperature control, ranging from 30° C-40°C(86℉-104℉) to allow you to customize it according to what eggs you’re hatching. Additionally, it requires an ambient temperature between 10° C-40℃ (50℉-104℉), a voltage of 110-120V, and it has a power <60W. It features an automatic egg turner, with auto rotation functions, and it has a humidity setting, which allows you to supply it with water in order to maintain a good hatching environment. Additionally, it comes with a 1-year warranty from the moment of your purchase.
| PROS
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CONS
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- Allows several types of eggs
- Temperature settings
- Adjustable egg tray
- Easy to use and clean
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- Humidity is preset and can’t be adjusted
- There were some complaints about fluctuating temperature
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| VERDICT
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| It allows you a hassle-free and easy way to incubate eggs, providing you with enough space to place a large variety of them. You can adjust the temperature according to the stage and type of egg, while the automatic rotation will make sure that the eggs are equally warm on all sides. |
Incubator Warehouse HB1588A
3. Incubator Warehouse HB1588A
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It is made from durable Styrofoam which provides excellent thermal insulation, while the soft air-fan technology will ensure fresh air and an even temperature throughout the incubator. It has a large 12-inch by 12-inch viewing window, to allow you to supervise the process without opening the lid, and it has a clear plastic tray for humidity control. It comes with digital display control, which allows you to easily read the digital LED-lit screen at all times, and with a push button digital thermostat control to allow you to adjust the temperature, or use the pre-set one, 100° F (37.5°C). Moreover, it comes with a digital hygrometer, as well, to allow you to constantly supervise the humidity and adjust it accordingly.
Additionally, thanks to the IncuTurn function, the eggs will be automatically turned from one side to the other, to ensure they are warm on all sides, as it will gently roll them 6 times per day. It has a universal egg tray for different egg sizes, and it has an approximate capacity of 40 chicken or duck eggs, 70 quail and 28 goose eggs. It has a 12V DC power system and it is compatible with any 110V and 220V outlets. It has a limited 1-year warranty from the moment of your purchase.
| PROS
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CONS
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- Temperature setting
- Thermostat included
- Hygrostat included
- Automatic egg turning
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- There were some complaints about it needing calibration
- Some complained about it lacking a plastic outer casing
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| VERDICT
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| It allows you to observe and adjust accordingly the humidity and temperature levels with only a touch of a button. The automatic turner will make sure the eggs are warmed evenly, while thanks to the large viewing window, there is no need for you to open the lid in order to see the process. |
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It measures 11.4 inches in width, 17.3 inches in length and 9 inches in height, has a weight of 10.3 pounds, and it comes with a capacity of holding up to 24 eggs, depending on their size. It is made from PC and ABS, and it is Rohs, CE, C-tick approved. The egg tray measures 10.3 inches in width, 12.6 inches in length, and 2.3 inches in height, and it has an automatic turning feature to ensure the eggs are evenly warmed up on all sides.
It can hold chicken, ducks, and geese, and thanks to its clear window around the eggs you will be able to supervise the process at all times. It features temperature control, ranging from 30 °C to 40 °C, and it is best placed in an ambient temperature between 10 °C and 40 °C. It doesn’t have a hygrometer of its own, so you will need to check with a separate one what the humidity is. Additionally, it has an operating voltage of 110-120V with a 50HZ frequency and a power of <85W, and it comes with a 1-year warranty from the moment of your purchase.
| PROS
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CONS
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- Temperature setting
- Automatic turning
- Clear, transparent window
- Large capacity
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- Doesn’t have a hygrometer
- There were some complaints about the instructions
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| VERDICT
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| It will automatically rotate all eggs to ensure they are evenly warm on all sides, while thanks to the temperature settings you can always adjust it according to what type of eggs you use. Additionally, thanks to the clear window you will be able to watch the process without opening the lid. |
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It measures 13.89 inches in length, 7.48 inches in width and 6.89 inches in height, and has a weight of 4.76 pounds. It is made from PC and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and it has a while-like semi-transparent design. It is capable of holding 9 to 12 eggs at the same time, depending on the egg size, as it can hold chicken, goose, duck, parrot, quail and owl eggs, thus providing you with versatility.
Additionally, thanks to the digital thermometer it comes with you will be able to check the temperature constantly – 1°C – 38°C – without disrupting the process, thanks to its LED display. It has a fully automatic egg turning system, which will make sure the eggs are warm on all sides, but you will have to put water inside by yourself, as it doesn’t have a humidity readout. It uses a voltage of 110-120V, has a frequency of 50-60Hz, and its power is <60W. It has a vent hole placed right on top of the lid, to allow proper air ventilation. It comes with a 100% money back guarantee in 30 days, and 1 year of warranty, from the moment of your purchase.
| PROS
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CONS
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- Automatic egg turning system
- Digital thermometer
- Temperature settings
- Can hold a variety of eggs
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- Doesn’t have a humidity gauge
- Some complained about the manual being difficult to understand
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| VERDICT
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| It allows you to hatch several types of eggs, as it provides you with enough space to fit 9 up to 12 eggs at the same time. Thanks to its automatic rotation system, the eggs will be kept warm on all sides, while thanks to its temperature settings, you can easily adjust it accordingly. |
6. G.Q.F. 1602N Hova-Bator
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It measures 18 inches in length, 18 inches in width and 9 ½ inches in height, it weighs 1.68 pounds, and it requires 110V AC to function properly. It features a thermal air flow, which, thanks to its 25 watt-heat tube, will warm the air evenly, making sure to use a circular-like motion to draw fresh air from the bottom, while the top-place vents will provide great air circulation. Additionally, it comes with a wafer-style thermostat, to let you know how many degrees are inside (72°F – 110°F), while thanks to its plastic sanitation liner which comes equipped with built-in humidity channels you can easily make sure the humidity inside is perfect for the eggs.
While it doesn’t come with a hygrometer, it does have great insulation thanks to its polystyrene case, which will also make sure it is sturdy and strong. Moreover, it is able to hold up to 50 chicken or duck eggs, and 130 quail eggs. While it doesn’t come with an automatic egg turner, you can purchase it separately, if you wish to, as well as other several accessories. It comes with 2 4 x 6” windows, to allow you to supervise the process without removing the lid, while thanks to its rubber coated mesh floor, you will be able to easily clean it up when necessary. Even more, it comes with a limited 1-year warranty from the moment of your purchase.
| PROS
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CONS
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- Accurate thermostat
- Viewing windows
- Allows several types of eggs
- Easy to clean and use
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- It doesn’t have a hygrometer
- It doesn’t come with an automatic egg turner
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| VERDICT
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Easy to clean and use, you can easily supervise the entire hatching process without opening the lid, thanks to its 2 viewing windows. Additionally, it can hold up to 50 chicken or duck eggs, but you will have to manually turn them one by one. But thanks to its reliable thermostat, you will constantly know the temperature inside. |
Frequently Asked Questions
?What is the ideal humidity?
While it is not a set-in-stone value, as it is still in debate among the experts, it is advised not to let it fall beneath 25% or go above 60%. Additionally, make sure to increase it during the last three days, to 70-80% to aid the chicks in hatching.
?How many times should the eggs be turned?
To ensure they are warmed evenly, they should be turned 2-3 times per day, or, if you can 4 to 5 times a day. However, DO NOT turn them in the last three days before hatching.
?What is the optimal temperature?
For common birds – chicken, duck, quail, goose, pheasant, etc. – the generally accepted value is 99.5° F (37.5°C). However, some prefer to use their own experience and set the temperature higher or lower. In either case, too high or too low temperature might have negative effects on the birds.
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