If you are planning on hatching chicks on your homestead without using a broody hen, you will need to invest in an incubator. Nowadays there are plenty of incubator models and styles of incubators to choose from. They range from small tabletop models to large cabinet style models. Aside from the model of incubator, there are a range of helpful functions that an incubator may provide to make incubating eggs and hatching chicks more successful on the homestead. With all those options, how will you know what incubator is the best for hatching chicks? Let’s take a look at the two main types of incubators you can choose from along with a few key factors to consider when investing in an incubator for your homestead.
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The two main types of incubators are forced draft incubators and still air incubators. The difference between these two incubator types is the way that air is moved throughout the incubator. Air flow in an incubator is important. Developing embryos use up oxygen and release carbon dioxide as they grow. Proper air flow in the incubator is essential for removing old, stale air and introducing fresh air into the incubator.
All incubators have ventilation holes, which allows air within the incubator to be exchanged with air outside the incubator. However, forced draft incubators also have a fan that aids with circulating air throughout the incubator. Still air incubators do not have a fan.
Still air incubators are usually small models since the still air ventilation system works better in a more confined environment. Still air incubators are also referred to as gravity flow incubators, gravity ventilated incubators, or natural draft incubators.
These styles of incubators rely on gravity and the natural way that dense, cool air sinks. Warm humid air is pushed out the ventilation holes at the top of the incubator. This draws fresh air in at the ventilation holes near the bottom of the incubator. Still air incubators will be warmer near the top and cooler near the floor since there is no fan to circulate the air throughout the incubator.
Because of these temperature differences, still air incubators are often operated at a higher incubation temperature compared to forced draft incubators. Humidity levels are also harder to control in still air incubators.
Still air incubators often take a little fine tuning. They may also not yield as great of hatch rates compared to forced draft incubators. However, many times still air incubators are less expensive than forced draft incubators because they do not include a fan unit.
Both large and small models of incubators can be forced draft incubators. Forced draft incubators have a fan that helps continually circulate air throughout the entire incubator. This results in a more uniform temperature throughout the incubator. Forced draft incubators are also called circulated air incubators or fan ventilated incubators. The temperature is more uniform throughout a forced draft incubator. Forced draft incubators are easier to maintain and often yield better hatch rates than still air incubators.
Many tabletop forced draft incubators have the fan located in the cover of the incubator. Cabinet style forced draft incubators usually have the fan located at the top or back of the cabinet. With some cabinet style incubators, the fan may be switched on or off while the incubator is still operating.
Forced draft incubators are easier to operate and usually produce more reliable hatch rates. However, they are also often pricier than still air incubators. Many large model incubators only give you the option of forced draft ventilation.
There are also some other factors to consider when investing in an incubator. All of these factors apply to both still air incubators and forced draft incubators. An incubator should provide the three main elements needed for incubating eggs: heat, humidity, and turning. As it turns out, these are the three main functions you should consider when choosing an incubator.
In order for an embryo to start developing in a fertile egg, it needs to be exposed to consistent and specific heat and humidity. The way in which an incubator regulates temperature is important since temperature plays a role in embryo development rate. If the incubator runs cold, the eggs will develop slower and hatch later. If the incubator runs hot, the embryos will mature too quickly and may not hatch or will hatch too early.
An incubator must also be able to maintain proper humidity for incubating eggs. Humidity levels that are too low will cause too much moisture to evaporate from the eggs. This can result in the embryo being trapped inside the egg. Humidity levels that are too high will cause not enough moisture to evaporate from the eggs. High humidity during incubation can result in mushy chick disease. Mushy chick disease is which a chick’s navel does not fully heal and the yolk sac is not fully enclosed. Chicks with mushy chick disease often die due to infection.
Lastly, egg turning is another important incubator function to consider. Eggs need to be turned regularly for at least the first 2 weeks of incubation. Turning the eggs prevents the yolk from settling next to the shell membrane which inhibits the embryo from developing correctly.
Let’s see how each of these factors affect what incubator you invest in for your homestead.
Fully automatic incubators will have a motor-driven turning device that rotates or tilts the eggs as they are incubated. You will need to program the incubator to turn the eggs at certain intervals. Some incubators even have you program specific turn angles depending on the size of the eggs. Eggs should never be turned in a complete 180° circle. Repeated turns in the same direction can cause the chalzae to break. The chalzea is what holds the egg yolk in place within the egg.
Automatic turning devices can range from plates to rings to trays or racks. In incubators that use turning trays to tilt the eggs back and forth, you will need to set the tilt angle correctly. That will ensure the eggs are tilted at anough of an angle to shift the egg yolk within the egg. Many tilting devices come preprogrammed at a 45° angle tilt. However, hatch rates are often better when the angle is closer to a 75-90° tilt.
The turning system should be able to be turned on/off or be able to be removed for the last 3 days of incubation. The eggs should not be turned during the last three days of incubation prior to hatching.
Automatic turning devices must also be correctly sized for the type of eggs you are incubating. Sometimes seperate turning units are sold for hatching different species of birds. Duck eggs or turkey eggs would be larger than chicken eggs or quail eggs would be smaller than chicken eggs.
When you get an incubator with an automatic turning device, it is always a good idea to test run the device with some dummy eggs. Depending on the turn angle and egg positioning, sometimes eggs may be pressured against the incubator or against other eggs. The pressure can cause them to break when they are turning. You will need to troubleshoot those dangerous spots or avoid placing eggs there when incubating.
Incubators without an automatic turning device are often less expensive. However, if your incubator does not have an automatic turning system, you will have to manually turn the eggs 3-5x a day. You will have to manually turn them for at least the first 2 weeks of incubation. This requires you being present on a daily basis. You will also have to open and close the incubator several times throughout the day.
All incubators should have a method of temperature control. However, the style of temperature control can vary depending on cheaper or more expensive incubator models.
Fully electronic incubators will have a digital temperature read-out. These incubators usually have an electronic thermomstat that is preprogrammed by the manufacturer for keeping the incubator at the correct temperature for incubation. Most of the time the preprogrammed temperature needs little to no tweaking in order to get good hatch rates.
Some incubators will also have features that tell you if the room in which the incubator is kept is too warm or too cold for the incubator to maintain a steady temperature. You may also be able to program high and low temperature alarms. The alarms will sound if the temperature within the incubator changes too dramatically.
In electronic thermostat incubators without a digital temperature read-out, you will have to use a thermometer to monitor the temperature within the incubator. Using a stem or probe style thermometer is best. That way you can stick the thermometer in a ventilation hole to get a temperature reading without opening the incubator.
You will want to make sure you are using an accurate thermometer when taking incubator temperature readings. You can test thermometer accuracy by comparing the thermometer to two or three other thermometers. Do so by sticking two thermometers in a glass of warm water that is about 100°F. If the two agree, they are probably both accurate. If the two don’t agree, add a third thermometer. More than likely two out of the three will agree. The one that does not match the rest is probably the non-accurate one and should not be used for incubating.
An alternative to an electric thermostat is a wafer thermostat. A wafer thermostat uses a wafer disk that is filled with ether. As the incubator heats up, the ether expands and causes the wafer to swell and make contact with a buttom that switches the heat off. As the incubator cools, the ether contract and causes the wafer to release pressure on the button, turning the heat back on.
You can regulate the temperature at which the wafer hits the heat button by adjusting a control bolt. Most wafer thermostats also have a light that indicates when the heat is turned on or off.
Wafer thermostats are affected by barometric pressure. How they regulate incubator temperature can be effected by changes in barometric pressure in the environment due to weather patterns. Incubators that use a wafer thermostat for controlling temperature also take longer to heat back up after being opened.
In general, wafer thermostat incubators produce a less steady temperature throughout incubation, which can affect hatch rates. Wafer thermomstats can also misfunction if the wafer disk starts to leak or gets too old. If you are using an incubator with a wafer thermostat, it is always a good idea to have replacement wafers on hand as backup.
The third most important function to consider when investing in an incubator is how it controls the humidity. Humidity is controlled by how much water evaporation can occur due to moisture in the air. Humidity can come from moisture evaporating from the eggs while they incubate, the humidity content of the air where the incubator is located, and from water pans.
Too prevent moisture from evaporating from the eggs too quickly, most incubators have a water container. You will need to fill the water containers with water to help control the humidity levels in the incubator. The amount of water surface available will control how much moisture can evaporate into the air within the incubator.
Depending on the incubator model, the water container could be a pan, a divided pan, or grooves that you can fill with water. Additionally, some incubators have an external water container that you can fill that will feed the internal water pans without having to open the incubator. If the incubator does not have an external method of filling the water pans, you will have to open the incubator whenever the water pans need to be refilled.
Fully automatic incubators will have a pump and hydrometer that adjusts the humidity within the incubator. The built-in hydrometer will sample the humidity levels and temperature in the incubator and give you a digital read-out at percent relative humidity. All you need to do is program the correct humidity level and make sure the water container always stay full. Digital hydrometers work the same way.
For incubators that are not fully automatic, you will have to adjust the humidity levels yourself. In most cases, placing a small digital hydrometer in the incubator is helpful for monitoring humidity levels. A probe thermometer with a damp rag tied on the end stuck into one of the incubator’s ventilation holes can be a way of getting a wet bulb humidity reading instead of using a digital hydrometer.
Adjusting the amount of water surface area that is exposed to the air is the main way you can control evaporation which leads to humidity. The larger the water surface, the more evaporation can take place, which results in higher humidity. The less water surface area that is available, the lower the humidity will be.
Here are some ways you can adjust the humidity in an incubator that does not automatically regulate the humidity for you:
Another factor to consider when choosing an incubator is the incubator’s egg capacity. When an incubator is not run at full capacity, it can be harder to maintain proper humidity levels throughout incubation. Getting the right size incubator for your needs is good for hatch rates and your wallet.
If you just plan on hobby hatching, then tabletop incubator models are probably the most resonable choice. If you are planning on going into full-blown breeding, you may want to invest in a cabinet style incubator.
You will need to consider how many hatching eggs you 1.) plan on buying or 2.) can collect from your own flock within a resonable amount of time. Also keep in mind that the number of eggs you set may not be the number of chicks you get. Hatch rates will be dependant on the fertility of the eggs and the incubating conditions.
It is resonable to expect about an 80-85% hatch rate from most incubators given that all the eggs you set are fertile. Expect a poorer hatch rate from eggs that have been shipped through the mail. However, the better you get to know your incubator, the more you will able to fine tune it to increase hatching success.
Lastly, you should also keep in mind that an incubator’s egg capacity will be dependant on the types of eggs you are incubating. An incubator will be able to hold fewer duck or goose eggs compared to chicken eggs. Likewise, you will be able to fit more bantam eggs in an incubator than traditional size chicken eggs.
Choose an incubator that will best accomodate your current hatching needs. You can always invest in multiple incubators or in a larger incubator if needed.
How easily you can see inside the incubator may be an important factor to consider. Especially if you are hatching eggs for educational purposes. Then again, being able to see what’s going on in the incubator can be helpful for when you are anxiously waiting for that first pip to appear! If you can easily view inside the incubator, you won’t be tempted to keep opening the incubator up.
Many incubators are now designed with large windows, clear plastic covers, or transparent doors to make for easy observation all throughout the incubation and hatching processes. In some models, the incubator may have see-through components, but the motor and other functions of the incubator may block easy viewing of the eggs.
Incubators with small windows or no windows at all must have external means for you to monitor the temperature and humidity throughout incubation. Fully electronic incubators usually have a digital display that is helpful for controlling and monitoring temperature and humidity. In more basic models, you may need to use a stem thermometer to at least monitor the temperature. You may also be able to take wet bulb readings of the humidity levels.
I always encourage homesteaders to get an incubator that allows easy viewing of the eggs. You will find it hard not to know what is going on at hatch time, especially if this is your first time hatching…. okay, maybe even after multiple hatches, you may still want to know what’s going on!
Ease of cleaning in another feature to consider when choosing an incubator. Eggshells, hatchling fluff, and egg waste all make an epic mess in the incubator. The incubator will need to be cleaned and sanitized after each hatch to prevent bacteria from building up in the incubator and ruining future hatches. Hatching debris can also clog incubator functions. That would prevent the incubator from turning the eggs properly or maintaining the correct temperature and humidity.
You would think that incubator manufacterers would make all incubators easy to clean, but that’s not always the case. Styrofoam incubators are notoriously hard to clean. You can’t use a stiff brush to scrub them and you have to be careful that the foam doesn’t break or crack. Some styrofoam incubators come with plastic liners that can easily be replaced or cleaned after each hatch.
Hard plastic, fiberglass, or wood incubators are all relatively easy to clean and sanitize after hatching. For tabletop models, many times the top and bottom of the incubator can be seperated to make for easy cleaning. Don’t submerge any motor parts of an incubator completely in water. Use a clean cloth or towel for washing non-waterproof incubator parts.
In large, cabinet style incubators you will need to make sure you can reach all the way into the incubator to clean even the far back wall. You may also need to know how to remove any panels that give you access to clean the incubator functions and prevent them from getting clogged.
Size and functions are correlated to how much an incubator costs. The least expensive incubators will have the fewest features. They may not have an automatic turning system, digital temperature and humidity read-out, or automatic humidity control. These kinds of incubators will require more monitoring throughout incubation and you will have to do more things manually.
Fully automated and/or computerized incubators will be more expensive. They also require less fine tuning and are more like ‘set and forget’ incubators. Once the incubator is programmed, there is little you have to do other than make sure the water container is full for the incubator to maintain proper humidity levels. Fully automated incubators may get close to 100% hatch rates since the incubating variables are more consistently controlled.
When deciding how much you want to spend on an incubator, you will have to consider what functions are most important for your homestead lifestyle. Some features are well worth the few extra dollars you have to save in order to purchase a more automated incubator. Also, purchasing a reliable incubator will prevent you from having to replace the incubator after only a few hatches, or worse yet, having the incubator fail during the incubation process!
When it comes to choosing the best incubator for hatching chicks, a fully-automated, forced-draft incubator will be the most reliable and yield the highest hatch rates. Second best would be an incubator where you only have to manually control the humidity levels throughout incubation. For any incubator, the more constistent you can keep the incubation temperature and humidity and the fewer times you have to open the incubator, the better hatch rates you will get. Every incubator will require a little bit of a learning curve, but once you learn your incubator, there’s no stopping you from striving for almost 100% hatch rates. Hopefully this guide will help you decide on an incubator that will be a good fit for your homestead lifestyle and your budget!
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by Alexa
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