Chook Me!

What is the best type of chicken egg incubator?

What is the best type of chicken egg incubator for hatching little baby chickens?

Public Comments

1. There's lots of good incubators, so it's hard to say which is best. How about a Chick Bator: http://www.flemingoutdoors.com/chick-bator-egg-incubator.html They're inexpensive and easy to use.
2. Depends on how much money you have. For about $40, you can buy a styrofoam incubator holding about a dozen eggs, that you have to open and turn the eggs by hand. For another $40-$50, you can add an automatic turner (which I would recommend). A manufacturer of this kind of incubator is called "Hova-Bator". They're reasonably effective for the first season, but usefulness declines as the styrofoam deteriorates, the thermostat ages and germs from the chicks first poop collect in the crevices in the styrofoam. Incubators made of metal or hard plastic can hold up to hundreds of eggs and cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars. The advantage is that these materials are more durable and easier to clean than styrofoam, which helps keep your clutch from dying of contamination (infections), and some have more durable thermostats which will last several seasons. Any of these can be found on E-bay, or "eggbid.com", eventually.