Chook Me!

Does anybody know where you can get an incubator for chicken eggs? how long does it take? price?

My friend has chicken eggs and i want to know where you can get an incubator from, how long it takes, the price, and any other details. THANKS!!!!!! (First helpful answer becomes best answer)

Public Comments

1. $50 for a cheap incubator one of the styrofoam kind and it takes 21 days to hatch them.
2. Well, if they own a farm, then they should have a supplier that they buy that type of stuff from. If he just has a few eggs that he's wanting to hatch (and the mother hen isn't available to hatch keep them warm herself), then just a warm towel and a heat lamp would work. You can purchase heat lamps at any pet store or even a hardware store like Lowe's for under $15.
3. My father bought an incubator for $25-$50 at the local "farm feed store" (basically, where you can buy food for cattle, chickens, etc.) It takes 21-23 days for chickens to hatch but I've known my dad to keep the eggs in there for 25 days and we woke up with new chickens. To tell if there are chickens still in the eggs before you throw them away, peck lightly and put it up toy our ear to listen for peeping. When the chickens are born you need to buy "start and grow" when you call the feed store, they should know what you're talking about if you explain you're wanting to raise baby chicks. Keep them in a box (cardboard is fine) with a heat lamp, which you can get at a hardware store. Arrange the heat lamp so you can put it on top of the box. We usually get a lamp and get the socket out with the cord and hang it on top and use a 75 watt bulb (the regular light bulbs) in the socket. Tie the cord around a stick longer than the box so it can sit on there and keep it about 12-15 inches from the chickens. You also need to keep water and food for them at all times and clean their box every 4 days or so. Depending on how many you have. For three chickens we raised, I cleaned the box every week but I'd imagine for more, you'd clean it about every other day. Good luck. Trust me, in the end it'll be worth it. They're so adorable.
4. Murry Macmurry has incubators. If you live in a rural area with a tractor supply store they will have them too. Also your local animal feed stores will often have them. It takes twenty to twenty one days for them to hatch. Always have clean hands before turning them. Use a number 2 pencil to date them on one end. The basic set up runs about 40 us dollars and work fine. You will also need a brooder. Thats a place to keep them once they hatch, too keep warm, until they are bigger. I looked into this , but decided to go with pullets (slightly older chickens). You could also see if your friend is willing to have one of their hens brood/hatch out the peeps for you. These guys have a good reputation and I know folks who have reccommended them personally. http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/ Since I am getting pullets I am going to my local tractor supply instead. Plan on ordering some guineas from tMcMurray later though. This is also the time of year to get peeps in the mail.