The Incubator!
So, unless you are hatching by a broody hen, you are going to need an incubator. The biggest decision you have to make (after wether you actually want to hatch your own chicks) is what are you going to use as an incubator. There are endless possibilities out there. You can build your own. Lots of people have had success with DIY incubators. Not an area of my expertise, however. Or, you can buy one. But what one?
There are many things you need to take into consideration when deciding which incubator to buy. How many eggs are you looking to incubate at once? What can you afford to invest in an incubator? How much time do you have to monitor and adjust the bator throughout the day?
First let's discuss the two main types of bators: Still air and Forced air.
Still Air Incubators: Still air incubators have no fan kits installed to circulate the air. The heated air inside a still air during incubation is layered. Near the bottom of the eggs the air is cooloer and warms as you elevate up to the top of the eggs. (These incubators need to maintain 101-102 degrees F taken near the top of the eggs.) Hot/cool spots are more prevalent in the still air incubators.
Forced Air Incubators: Also known as fan forced, have a fan kit installed to move the air for better circulation throughout the incubator and supposedly more even temps in the incubator. (Forced air incubators need to maintain 99.5 degrees F)
Table Top Incubators: Most of us small back yard chicken raisers use the average incubator that sits on the table. They range in size between the mini's that hatch 6-7 eggs to the more common 40+ egg capacity incubators. These are the ones that I am familiar with and that my experience is based on.
Lots of newbies start with the hardest to control incubators: the cheaper styrofoam incubators most commonly found at your local feed or farm store. Not that you can't get good hatches out of them, you most definitely can, it just takes more work. I started with one of these types and continue to use one.
These bators are not what is known in the chicken world as "set em and forget em" bators. They are known for heat spikes and temp fluctuation and should be monitored more closely for this reason. Room stability and outside influences affect these bators to a higher degree than some of your more costly bators.
On the forum I am part of, one of the most frequently asked questions is: "What incubator do you recommend?" When I am part of these discussions and we are talking about these styrofoam bators (especially the little giant brand) my first response is, "If you are away from home for a majority of the day, you might want to consider something different." The most successful hatches from these bators are those that are monitored more often and temp fluctuations can be caught and watched.
There are plenty of midline bators that are thermostat controlled and have a more reliable heat system. Usually plastic bases. I personally have no experience with these, but have seen decent reviews from fellow hatchers.
Then you have your high end "set em and forget em" bators. The cadillac of the table top inncubators. Most everyone that I know that use these machines swear by them. Of course, they come with a nice Cadillac price tag too. I'm talking the Brinsea brand of incubators. If you have the greens and want ease, these are, apparently the way to go. Known for reliability and ease they make hatching easy, or I should say easier.
Taking time, ease and finances into consderation you should be able to choose an incubator that you can make work for you.
For bigger more production incubation look into Cabinet Incubators.
There are many things you need to take into consideration when deciding which incubator to buy. How many eggs are you looking to incubate at once? What can you afford to invest in an incubator? How much time do you have to monitor and adjust the bator throughout the day?
First let's discuss the two main types of bators: Still air and Forced air.
Still Air Incubators: Still air incubators have no fan kits installed to circulate the air. The heated air inside a still air during incubation is layered. Near the bottom of the eggs the air is cooloer and warms as you elevate up to the top of the eggs. (These incubators need to maintain 101-102 degrees F taken near the top of the eggs.) Hot/cool spots are more prevalent in the still air incubators.
Forced Air Incubators: Also known as fan forced, have a fan kit installed to move the air for better circulation throughout the incubator and supposedly more even temps in the incubator. (Forced air incubators need to maintain 99.5 degrees F)
Table Top Incubators: Most of us small back yard chicken raisers use the average incubator that sits on the table. They range in size between the mini's that hatch 6-7 eggs to the more common 40+ egg capacity incubators. These are the ones that I am familiar with and that my experience is based on.
Lots of newbies start with the hardest to control incubators: the cheaper styrofoam incubators most commonly found at your local feed or farm store. Not that you can't get good hatches out of them, you most definitely can, it just takes more work. I started with one of these types and continue to use one.
These bators are not what is known in the chicken world as "set em and forget em" bators. They are known for heat spikes and temp fluctuation and should be monitored more closely for this reason. Room stability and outside influences affect these bators to a higher degree than some of your more costly bators.
On the forum I am part of, one of the most frequently asked questions is: "What incubator do you recommend?" When I am part of these discussions and we are talking about these styrofoam bators (especially the little giant brand) my first response is, "If you are away from home for a majority of the day, you might want to consider something different." The most successful hatches from these bators are those that are monitored more often and temp fluctuations can be caught and watched.
There are plenty of midline bators that are thermostat controlled and have a more reliable heat system. Usually plastic bases. I personally have no experience with these, but have seen decent reviews from fellow hatchers.
Then you have your high end "set em and forget em" bators. The cadillac of the table top inncubators. Most everyone that I know that use these machines swear by them. Of course, they come with a nice Cadillac price tag too. I'm talking the Brinsea brand of incubators. If you have the greens and want ease, these are, apparently the way to go. Known for reliability and ease they make hatching easy, or I should say easier.
Taking time, ease and finances into consderation you should be able to choose an incubator that you can make work for you.
For bigger more production incubation look into Cabinet Incubators.