If you are planning to start a chicken family and yet you don’t have mother a hen to lay on the eggs for hatching, consider having one of the best chicken eggs incubators. It will be the initial stage of realizing your chicken rearing dream.
There are various incubators in the market and not all of them have success rate of hatchery. Therefore, when searching for the right one in the market it is essential and prudent to be more careful as some can be a headache to handle with poor results.
This review will ease your search by outlining some of the best chicken eggs incubators and provide you with a buying guide to identify what is best suitable to you.
Top 5 Best Automatic Egg Incubator 2021
| Product Name | Weight in pounds | Eggs Capacity | Automatic Turner/
No Turner |
| G.Q.F. Manufacturing 1602N Hova-Bator Incubator | 1.18 | 42 | Automatic Turner sold separately |
| HBlife 9-12 Digital Fully Automatic Egg Incubator | 4.76 | 9 | Automatic Turner |
| Farm Innovators Model 4250 | 6.0 | 41 | Automatic Turner |
| GQF 1588 Genesis Hova-Bator Incubator | 1.63 | 50 | Automatic Turner sold separately |
| HovaBator Advanced Egg Incubator | 5.25 | 42 | Automatic Turner |
#1 (Editor’s Choice)G.Q.F. Manufacturing 1602N Hova-Bator Incubator
Since its invention 30 years ago by G.Q.F Co. this incubator is still going strong and making an impact in egg incubating business. Due to its small size, this is one of the best economical incubators to use in the market.
It is a thermal-air-flow model with a radiant heat tube which creates warmth gently inside the incubator and to the eggs as well. The heated thermal air flows through the top exhaust vent while the bottom vent draws in fresh air. The warm air flow also assists in drying the chicks after hatching.
The wafer thermostat which controls the temperature inside the incubator is the best technology for excellent hatchability.
The incubator has two small windows on top for viewing inside the incubator to monitor what is happening.
This incubator is highly-rated with a high percentage of best reviews. However, the only setback is that it does not turn eggs automatically leaving you to add an egg-turner or opt to turn them manually.
Weighs 1.18 lbs with dimensions of 46.4” x 46.4” x 13.1” and 42-eggs capacity
PROS
- Good inside view from two top windows
- Wafer thermostat for temperature controls
- Has a water tray which is good for humidity
CONS
- Does not include automatic egg turner
#2 HBlife 9-12 Digital Fully Automatic Egg Incubator
This incubator is made from durable PC+ABS materials which have passed the CE test of health and safety material that conforms to the required technical standards.
It is a type of best incubator for startup in rearing chicken. With a capacity of 9 eggs, you can start a chicken family gradually without stress. It is most popular with domestic rural farmers who raise chicken for food purposes rather than commercial.
Besides being a small incubator, it is a full automatic egg turner preventing handling eggs manually up to the hatching time.
The thermostat setting does not change from the time of setting up to the hatching time. The thermometer reading which is in Celsius has an excellent digital display that does not change the settings as well. The whole incubation process will continue uninterrupted without temperature fluctuation. Since the temperature reading is in Celsius and not Fahrenheit you should be careful to set it at 36 degrees Celsius when the current temperature outside is less than 25 degrees Celsius.
It is a small incubator that can be placed on a table with easy handling. The size is L3.98 x W7.48 x H6.89 inches and weighing 4.76 pounds.
PROS
- Durable material used for the incubator
- Automatic egg turner
- Temperature does not fluctuate
CONS
- The temperature reading is in Celsius which can cause confusion
#3 Farm Innovators Model 4250
The Farm Innovators incubator is made from a sturdy plastic shell that gives the incubator high durability. Its plastic mesh screen doubles in safety for hatching eggs and also keeps high hygiene by easy cleaning.
The inclusion of a fan in the incubator helps to circulate and provide fresh air for the stability of the right hatching temperature. With temperature, humidity and days count digital display it is easy to monitor all the happenings in the incubator. The settings can also be adjustable according to the type of eggs you have. It flashes a light when the temperature exceeds or is below the required level avoiding damaging the eggs from unstable temperature.
This incubator is best for a farmer who operates moderately high in chicken rearing since it has a capacity 47 eggs. It is also an automatic egg turner incubator turning eggs after every 4 hours. It eliminates any egg handling from when they are set up to the hatching time and therefore increasing hatchability rate.
More importantly, the incubator has an egg candler that enables you to monitor the development of chicks inside the eggs. The large window at the top of the incubator gives a clear view inside it.
PROS
- Large hatching capacity
- Automatic egg turner
- Large view window
- Has an egg candler
CONS
- Unstable temperatures need close monitoring
- Hard to clean
#4 GQF 1588 Genesis Hova-Bator Incubator
GQF 1588 is an improved incubator from others of its kind. With an LCD for clear display of the temperature and the humidity in the incubator, you will always be alert when something amiss happens. The thermostat microprocessor digitally regulates the temperatures in the incubator in instances when the outside temperatures suddenly fall or increase. It means then the incubator temperature can’t be affected by external temperature changes, humidity or even dust.
It also has sensors that will automatically sense too much heat inside the incubator that can damage the eggs and therefore regulate the temperature.
The incubator is lined in plastic at the bottom to maintain internal humidity. This 12 volts system incubator is perfect for classroom, laboratory, beginners, as well as for use by the experts. You just need to add water in the specified place for humidity and then plug it in to start it.
It doesn’t come with its turner which is its drawback but, you can either buy it or use it as a manual eggs turner.
PROS
- Clear top for more comfortable inside view
- Able to sense over-heat in the incubator
- Regulates the temperature despite fluctuation on the outside
CONS
- Automatic egg turner is sold separately
#5 HovaBator Advanced Egg Incubator
This is one of the egg incubators which is getting much appreciated from users. It has a simple design but still meets the most essential elements for an ideal incubation environment.
This automatic egg incubator can hatch up to 42 chicken eggs or 70 quail eggs. It can also incubate duck eggs and some other types of poultry eggs. Definitely a great option for small and family farms.
This product comes with an automatic egg turner. It will help keep all the eggs exposed to heat and moisture. The rate of successful incubation since then has also increased.
It also comes with a digital temperature and humidity meter. This device works relatively accurately, helping you know information about conditions during incubation. From there launched timely interventions.
This product also includes a set of air circulation fans. This device ensures the humidity and temperature are evenly spread throughout the incubator.
PROS
- Comes with a working thermometer / hygrometer
- Good air circulation
- Automatic egg turner ensures eggs are hatched best
CONS
- Difficult to clean up
What to Consider Before Buying a Chicken Incubator
A good hatch rate of chicks depends mostly on the incubator if at all the eggs are fertilized. It is therefore essential to be careful in selecting the best chicken eggs incubator that will give you the best results.
Having that in mind, some conditions will guide you while buying your egg incubator to get what is most suitable and faster.
Size of the incubator
The number of eggs you are planning to hatch will determine the size of the incubator. Before you decide how many eggs you need to hatch, think about the space you should have ready for their growing.
If you are a beginner it is advisable you start with a few eggs so that they do not overwhelm you when they hatch.
Still air or forced air
There are two types of incubators depending on the air flow. That is still air and forced air. An incubator with forced air has a fan that circulates heated air in all areas of the egg incubator. This type of incubator has a higher hatch rate than still air incubator
The still air incubator, on the other hand, is one that does not have a fan. Instead, the egg incubator gets layers of different temperatures. This kind of temperature fluctuation can affect the hatching rate.
Automatic or manual control
The two variables affect the price of the egg incubator and also the hatch rate. The automatic incubator will work on its own with just a few monitoring sessions while the manual egg incubator needs close attention and regular handling.
For instance, it needs close monitoring of temperature and humidity level. Also, turning eggs will have to be manual and precise without fail. If one gets held up on other errands or issues and fails to turn the eggs, there will be a risk of the embryo sticking to the shell. The temperature can also escalate to the extent of damaging the eggs.
Easy Cleaning
Some incubators are complicated to clean and therefore leaving much to be desired on the matter of hygiene. Select egg incubator that you feel you will be able to clean when necessary.
A not well-cleaned incubator can easily pick bacteria and therefore affect your next eggs incubation and hatching.
The price
The price is the ultimate of your incubator selection. Of course, it does not mean that you will dive for the cheaper one without considering other factors. Check the features mentioned above whether they fit your choice of the incubator.
In most cases, some cheap incubators might compromise the parts used on them. Instead of saving you end up spending more money on repairs even to the extent of replacing the egg incubator.
Rating and reviews
Since you have never used the product, it is always advisable to check with those who have been there before you. Take time to check what others are saying about the incubator and how they rate it. This simple task will reveal a lot that you need to know on your selected egg incubator.
Final Verdict
Low hatching rate and frequent breakdowns are not what you would wish for in your incubator. Although it is rare to have a 100 percent hatching rate, at least having between 80 and 90 percent should be highly acceptable with a good egg incubator.
The incubators in this review are sure to give you durability and excellent service with a good result in hatching.
The top pick of all the incubators in this review is G.Q.F. Manufacturing 1602N which has better controls in both temperature and humidity. The fact that it has no automatic egg turner doesn’t affect it at all to become a top-notch egg incubator. With G.Q.F 1602N you surely can count your eggs before they hatch.
What is your best incubator pick? Share your comments in the section provided here below.