Chicken incubators are used to hatch chicken eggs and have been around for years. There are many practical uses for incubators which include anything from grade school projects to serious poultry breeding, for this article we will focus on the hobbyist perspective.
There are two types of incubators on the market, the forced air incubator which is more often used when hatching a large amount of eggs. This type of incubator has a fan which circulates the warm are more evenly around the eggs and also has an automatic feature when it comes to turning the eggs.
The still air incubators are more often used for hatching smaller amounts of eggs however this type usually requires more attention in turning the eggs due to this having to be done manually. The basic premise behind chicken incubators is to keep the eggs at a constant temperature in order to get the eggs to hatch properly. Temperatures should be between 100-102 degrees depending on the type of incubator.
Eggs need to be turned at least 4-6 times a day, and you should see eggs starting to hatch as soon as 21 days. Both types have their own advantages the type of chicken incubator you choose would depend on how much time and money you wish to spend. Some of the more popular brands are Miller, SureHatch, Sportsman and Hova-Bator. The average price for forced air incubators is 69.00 to 815.00 dollars depending on size and features, while the still air incubators price range is between 42.00 & 98.00 dollars.