An incubator is needed for every breeder who plans to breed young animals. With it, it is possible to achieve the highest percentage of hatchability of young animals, since temperature indicators and humidity are controlled in it. Chicks that are born artificially have no differences from naturally occurring birds. There are several types of incubators: manual, mechanical and fully automatic. You will learn how to choose a model of an automatic incubator from an article.

Automatic incubator

An incubator (lat., Іncubare - “I hatch chicks”) is the name of the apparatus, where at certain levels of temperature (25–40 ° C), humidity, good ventilation, the young animals are artificially removed from poultry eggs. In automatic devices, egg trays are flipped over without human intervention. Typically, a mechanism flips every 3 hours.

The coup occurs in 3 ways:

1. By pumping during the movement of the grill forward and backward.
2. During the operation of the roller mechanism.
3. When tilting the trays by 45 °.

Depending on the flipping mechanism used, the trays can be mesh or in the form of compartments with sides. There are mini-incubators that hold a small number of eggs - 10-30 pieces, and designed for a large amount of incubation material - up to 300 pieces, which are used in industrial factories.The use of an incubator allows you to get more than 90% of young animals from eggs. Experienced users of the devices claim that this is a competent investment, the payback of which occurs after 2-3 broods.

Did you know? The simplest incubators were made by the ancient Greeks and Egyptians 3 thousand years ago. They were special barrels, buildings, stoves, which were heated by burning straw. The first prototype of a modern incubator appeared in the 17th century. Its inventor is the Italian J. Porta.

Benefits

• The use of a domestic automatic incubator has several advantages:
• ease of use;
• compactness;
• minimal human intervention in the incubation process;
• high hatchability of young animals;
• safety;
• low labor costs;
• functionality.

Disadvantages

• Among the minuses of using home incubators are such features:
• 100% full trays are needed;
• regular disinfection and difficult cleaning of foam models;
• high price.

General selection criteria

It is sometimes difficult to choose an automatic incubator, since quite a lot of models are presented. When choosing an apparatus, you should pay attention to some parameters, namely: capacity, type of thermometer, availability of backup power and protection against overheating, materials used, the ability to repair and replace parts.

Number of eggs

Incubators can be universal, that is, designed to hatch eggs of different poultry by replacing trays. The instructions for such devices indicate exactly how many eggs and what types of birds the apparatus can hold: from 10 to 300.Incubators have also been developed in which, for example, only chicken or duck eggs can be incubated. It is reasonable to select an incubator according to the number of eggs, since it will need to be fully loaded - incubation will not work with half-empty trays. The most popular models are for 70 eggs.

Fan

This equipment is not always present in the incubation apparatus. It allows you to distribute temperature and air more evenly. By purchasing a model with a built-in fan, you can count on the brood to turn out to be full. True, such devices are more expensive.

Easy to clean

Modern incubators are made primarily of foam (This material makes the devices light and makes them cheaper). A significant disadvantage of it is the rapid absorption of odors, so it must be thoroughly washed and disinfected after each use.When choosing a model, you need to inspect it for hard-to-reach spots - the fewer they are, the better: it will be more convenient to clean.

Service

This is another important point that will become crucial when choosing a manufacturer. Before buying an attractive model, you need to ask about the availability of service centers that carry out repairs, and the possibility of acquiring spare parts. Often, customers, choosing, for example, an import model, in the event of a breakdown, face the problem of the impossibility of repair work due to the lack of the necessary part on sale.

Important! Before turning on the incubator, carefully read the operating instructions. Failures and spoilage of the incubation material occur most often due to operational errors made by the owners of the apparatus.

Rating of the best manufacturers of automatic incubators

The range of devices for breeding chickens is diverse today. Before buying, it is worth considering several attractive models, evaluating their advantages and disadvantages. Below is a review of automatic incubators of domestic and foreign production, which are in greatest demand.

Domestic production

Among these devices, for several years now, Cinderella, Kvochka, Lay, and Ideal Hen have been popular. The stable demand for these devices is explained by reliability, decent quality and optimal price.

"Cinderella"

In this device, you can display eggs of different species of birds. Various models are designed to incubate 48 to 96 eggs. A goose egg tray is included. If incubation of chicks of other species of birds is required, then trays will need to be bought separately.

The external incubator coating is made of foam. Manufacturers indicate that the deviation from the set temperature can be 0.2 degrees. Flipping trays occurs every 3 hours.The incubator works only from the network. However, it has an option to connect an external battery.

• The advantages of the device include:
• convenience and ease of use;
• stable maintenance of temperature parameters and necessary humidity;
• affordable cost.

• The incubator is not without drawbacks, including:
• foam insides;
• the presence of micropores in the housing, from which contamination is difficult to extract;
• sometimes unstable operation of the egg flipping system;
• incapacitation of temperature sensors (and moisture) under the influence of cold, high humidity.

Important! It is forbidden to use the incubator without filling the water. Liquid is needed to evenly distribute heat and maintain a microclimate for 10 hours at the time of lack of electricity.

“The perfect hen”

According to the manufacturers, using this incubator, you can achieve one hundred percent hatching of chickens. The range is represented by models that hold from 63 to 104 eggs. There are no trays for other birds, but they can be purchased separately.

The incubator is made of polystyrene foam. Automatic egg flipping takes place every 3 hours.

• The advantages of the device are appreciated by those who have already tried it:
• high quality heating elements;
• ease and convenience when moving from place to place;
• ease of use;
• there is protection against electric shock;
• easy to find spare parts and repair the device.

• Among the shortcomings are:
• lack of a connector to connect an external battery;
• small window sizes for monitoring the process;
• odor-absorbing foam body that is easily contaminated.

“POSIDA BLITZ-48”

One of the most popular domestic incubators. Its popularity is due to reliability. Both manufacturers and users say that the deviation in temperature can be as little as 0.1 degrees. Using it, you can raise up to 48 chickens, up to 20 goslings, up to 38 ducklings, up to 34 turkey poults and up to 130 quail.

• The advantages of the device are as follows:
• equipped with digital electronics;
• there is a convenient display with large numbers;
• it is possible to recharge the battery;
• convenient system of adding water to the bath;
• the case well keeps heat;
• equipped with a convenient viewing window;
• the presence of an audible alarm that a failure has occurred;
• small dimensions and weight.

One drawback is the difficult loading of egg trays into the device.

"Quota"

This device is made of polystyrene foam and is equipped with a temperature controller, lamp reflectors, heaters, analog or electronic thermometer, fans. In order to be able to control the incubation process, there are 2 viewing windows on the device cover.The ventilation system consists of 8 holes in the housing. The type of automatic flipping mechanism is inclined. The incubator involves laying 70 chicken, 30 goose, 40 duck and 200 quail eggs.

• Advantages of the device:
• light weight;
• compactness;
• ease of use;
• the ability to repair and replace parts;
• low power consumption;
• budgeting.

• Cons are also available:
• not too high degree of reliability;
• no automatic humidity setting.

Important! The process of breeding chickens lasts 21 days, ducklings and turkey poults - 28 days, quails - 17.

"Lay"

In the incubator "Layer" you can get chicks of different birds (in particular, chickens - from 36 to 100 individuals). There are 2 types of models: Bi-1 and Bi-2. Their difference is that they are equipped with different temperature sensors - digital or analog - and hygrometers. It also affects the price.Manufacturers claim a low level of error in maintaining the temperature - 0.1 degrees. A foam incubator is made. It is possible to connect an external battery.

• The advantages of the device are:
• simplicity in operation;
• the presence of a window to monitor the implementation of the process inside;
• the ability to connect to any external battery with a capacity of 12 V;
• complete with trays for hatching eggs of various sizes;
• affordable cost;
• a light weight.

• Among the disadvantages of the incubator are:
• uneven distribution of heat;
• difficulty cleaning and disinfecting;
• fragility of the outer shell.

Important! Before you start the incubator in work, it is necessary that he worked idle for a day. If after that all the sensors are normal, eggs can be laid in the apparatus.

TGB

With the help of TGB incubators, 140 to 280 chicks are hatched. Most often, such devices are installed in large poultry farms and farms. They are reliable and have a number of differences from incubators of other manufacturers.

• The advantages of these devices are:
• metal case;
• removable textile cover;
• large capacity of eggs;
• equipping with an aero ionizer;
• built-in bioacoustic stimulator;
• absolute deduction;
• the presence of rugs that absorb moisture and regulate humidity;
• availability of backup power.

• There are also disadvantages, but they are much smaller, and they do not concern the quality of work:
• big weight and dimensions;
• lack of a viewing window;
• high price.

IFH 500

As the name implies, this device is designed for laying 500 eggs and allows you to breed chicks of various poultry. Eggs are loaded in one chamber. It is possible to switch from automatic to egg-flipping mode to semi-automatic. In 24 hours, 15 turns of trays are made.

In the event of a sudden power outage, the microclimate inside the device can be maintained for 3 hours. The error in maintaining the temperature is 0.3-0.5 degrees. There are models with a glass door.

• The main advantages of the device are:
• good price / quality ratio;
• high accuracy of maintaining temperature and humidity indicators.

• The cons indicate:
• not too convenient to use;
• the need to adjust humidity manually (on some models).

Import production

Foreign manufacturers also made sure to introduce many of their models to our market. Only a small part of the most popular incubators of imported production was included in the review of the article.

Janoel

These incubators are manufactured by a Chinese company. Designed for breeding various types of farm birds. Models: different, you can lay from 24 to 96 eggs. The devices are made of plastic and equipped with automatic overturn and temperature control, a fan, a hygrometer and a convenient digital display. The error in temperature indicators is 0.1 degrees. Water in the tank can be poured into a special hole with a syringe. The percentage of hatchability declared by the manufacturer is 83-85%.

• The advantages of the device are many:
• has a small mass and dimensions;
• simple and easy to use;
• has a beautiful design;
• the presence of a wide viewing panel on the side wall;
• economically consumes electricity;
• it is easy to wash;
• the incubation process can be observed through the side walls of glass;
• affordable.

• The disadvantages are still there:
• no backup power;
• fragile material on the case;
• at first it may ooz out the smell of plastic.

R-com King SURO20

Korean household incubator is made of high impact plastic. It provides automatic console flip and counteraboutclimate controllers, large viewing window, digital display. Subject to all recommendations on the operation, the breeding of young animals of any farm birds can reach 100%. The tray is designed for 24 chicken eggs, 20 duck eggs, 60 quail eggs, 12 goose eggs, 40 pheasant eggs, 46 parrot eggs. The error in temperature declared by the manufacturer is 0.1 degrees.

• The advantages of such a device include:
• The best price / quality ratio for a domestic incubator;
• modern design;
• lack of inaccessible places for cleaning;
• simple operation with 3 buttons;
• high accuracy of automation;
• complete with universal tray.

• There are few disadvantages:
• when closing the lid, make sure that the tube responsible for heating and the tube do not come into contact with water;
• sometimes there is a malfunction of the rotary mechanism when incubating heavy eggs;
• only distilled water must be added.

Novital Covatutto 54

This incubator is made by Italian experts. It is made of plastic, with a transparent cover and a powerful fan. It is possible to incubate not only various bird eggs, but also reptile eggs. The temperature and humidity parameters can be adjusted to your needs.

• The positive that the device has:
• stable long work;
• noiselessness;
• low power consumption;
• Beautiful design.

• Disadvantages do not affect the quality of the incubator:
• sensitivity to voltage drops in the network;
• there is no humidity controller;
• high price.

Features of incubation using a mini-incubator

Incubation in a mini-incubator can be divided into 4 stages:

1. Preparing for work.
2. Bookmark incubation material.
3. Breeding young animals.
4. Hatching young.

At the preparation stage, it is necessary to wash and disinfect the device and make sure its correct and stable operation. To do this, you need to put it into operation for 24 hours, and then check the microclimate indicators.

Video: Step-by-step instructions for hatching chickens in an incubator

Egg laying is done already in the incubator, warmed up to the required temperature. In this case, the material to be laid must also be warm. If it was stored in a cool room, then it should be brought to a warm place for some time before laying. It is desirable to disinfect the shell with a weak solution of potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate).

It is important to remember that the fresher the eggs, the greater the percentage of hatchability. It is allowed to store chicken eggs for up to 20 days, eggs of geese and ducks - up to 10.

Before laying, you also need such an important procedure as the selection of eggs and ovoscopy (assessment of the contents of the egg using transmission). At the first stage, eggs that have:

• irregular shape;
• shell contamination;
• damage;
• rough shell;
• small or too large mass;
• marble coloring.

Ovoscopy is performed using a special or home-made ovoscope. During the procedure, the material is rejected:

• with a heterogeneous shell having thickening, compaction or thinning;
• with a poorly distinguishable air chamber;
• with a yolk that is not centered.

Eggs that have successfully passed ovoscope control are loaded into the trays with blunt ends up. Then, water is poured into the incubator and loaded trays are placed in it. Water will need to be periodically added - as indicated in the instructions. Every day, it is necessary to control the process inside using the viewing window. In addition, periodically, at different stages of embryo development, it is necessary to ovoscope the incubation material.

For each type of bird, airing is required starting from a certain day, as well as adjustments to the microclimate parameters. For example, when hatching eggs, the temperature and humidity during 20-21 days of incubation will need to be changed 3 times:

• initial parameters: temperature - 38 °, humidity - 60-70%;
• the first time the parameters change after 7 days: within 4 days the temperature gradually decreases to 37.5 °, humidity - up to 50%;
• starting from day 12, the temperature gradually decreases by 0.2 degrees, the humidity rises to 70-80%;
• when the first sounds are heard (squeak of chickens), the temperature is set at 37.2 °, and humidity - at 78-80%.

The same incubation schemes exist for different types of birds.

After hatching, the chicks are left in the incubator for a day to dry, after which they are removed and placed in a brooder. At the end of the work, the device is washed and disinfected.

Did you know? It seems to the naked eye that the eggshell is dense and whole. However, if you arm yourself with a magnifying glass, you can see many pores on it. They are necessary for the supply of oxygen to the embryo and the release of carbon dioxide. Within 21 days, when the chicken is in the egg, about 4 liters of oxygen gets there and 4 liters of carbon dioxide and 8 liters of water vapor come out.

Breeding of poultry is a rather profitable business, which is practiced both on an industrial scale and in small farms. It is impossible without domestic incubators.

The most convenient when operating automatic devices. When choosing them, you need to pay attention to the country of manufacture, performance, internal structure and materials of manufacture, warranty, absence / availability of a backup power source. It is also advisable to read reviews about the models of those people who have already used them.