Raising chickens in your farm or backyard is a great investment, but picking the right chicken incubator out of the many best chicken egg incubators can be somewhat overwhelming.
With many brands offering various sizes, prizes, and models, the best option might be harder to discern right away.
In order to make the best decision for your chicken raising future, we at BarnCoop compiled a list on the chicken incubators with the best quality.
Table of Contents
Best Chicken Egg Incubator with Superior Quality
Our Pick for the Best Egg Incubator
Brinsea Products Manual Egg Incubator
This unit allows you to hatch a good number of eggs simultaneously. It isn’t too big, and is simple to clean. Although it has a manual turn, its shape and size will make it easy.
READ MORE: Best Duck Egg Incubators for the Money
Factors that Guide Choosing Chicken Incubator
Before you even check out different manufacturers, you need to know how many eggs you would like to hatch at once.
Incubators come in different shapes and sizes, starting with only a few eggs and running all the way up to a few thousand.
What is the size of your yard or coop where the future chicks will be staying? Ensure you will have enough room for the number of eggs you could potentially hatch.
Note: Regardless of the number of eggs you place in the incubator, it is likely that you will not hatch quite that many as a firsttimer….
Remember the phrase, “don’t count your chickens until they hatch”? That is true here. However, your selection of incubators should be based on how many chickens you wish to hatch!
Another key point is to determine where you are storing the incubator during the incubation period.
Ensure that you are picking a top rated chicken egg incubator that will fit that space. Plus, pick one that will be easy to clean consistently in that space.
Another thing to note here is that not all incubators have automatic egg turners for the eggs. If your incubator lacks one, be certain you will be able to get to the eggs to turn them on schedule.
Next step is that you should decide how you would like to handle and measure your temperature and humidity incubators have an automatic humidity pump, while others leave you to your devices (channels, pots, or sponges).
Some incubators do not come with a thermometer, so if you would rather not purchase one separately, pay close attention when buying your incubator.
Another area you obviously know is cost. The incubators with more whistles and bells come at a higher price, but they might save you some energy and time.
On the other hand, some people prefer to do things by hand so that they remain more involved in the process (or they just want their bank accounts to be fatter).
Either way, pick what you think is best for your commitment level and circumstances.
Finally, if you want to learn how to hatch chicken eggs properly, read this article:
5 Best Rated Chicken Egg Incubators We Reviewed
Now, let’s check out some best-selling chicken egg incubators on the market and walk you on selecting the best one that fits your needs.
1602N Hova-Bator Incubator
Rated #1 on this best chicken egg incubator review, this unit holds 50 chicken eggs and the inside is heated with a radiant heat tube.
Hot air runs through the exhaust vents and fresh air comes in to cool. The air ventilation also helps in drying the chicks after they hatch.
It comes with a thermostat but the egg turner is sold separately.
What we like:
- Styrofoam frame is dependable and sturdy
- Double viewing windows make watching the hatching process entertaining and easier
- Features a water tray for humidity
What we don’t like:
- Screw on the top of the lid can get super hot.
- The room temperature can influence the brooder temperature
- It lacks Fan (which helps maintain consistent temperature)
Features:
- Double small windows for top viewing
- Accurate thermostat with accuracy between 72ºF to 110ºF
- Sturdy sidewalls with rounded corners to encourage better airflow
Specifications:
- Weight–3.6 pounds
- Dimensions–5.51″ x 19.38″ x 20.06”
Brinsea Mini Advance Hatching Egg Incubator
This is a 7 egg incubator, but its features and hatching ability seem to make up for the size quite well.
It’s rotating disc sits on an automatic turner, which has an autostop that kicks in two days before hatching, improving embryo health.
With a microcontroller taking care of every single incubator function (thermometer, turning status, thermometer alarm, and days left until hatching), the operator can uniquely program nearly everything.
The airflow is aided by a fan an there is a central reservoir that maintains humidity levels. The dome-shaped window walls make viewing the process easy.
What we like:
- Automatic turner added
- Dome-shaped window for better viewing experience
- The alarm system helps keep you on the correct schedule
What we don’t like:
- For a small incubator, the price is on the high side.
- If Central water reservoir dries out, humidity will drop
- Thermometer has been known to be inaccurate
Features:
- Microcontroller to manage incubator functions through digital display
- Clear chamber for checking eggs
- Fan-assisted airflow to heat eggs evenly.
Specifications:
- Weight–2.6 pounds
- Dimensions–9.5″ x 9.5″ x 7.3″
Magicfly Digital Mini Fully Automatic Egg Incubator
This top chicken egg incubator is also available in a semi-automatic 10-egg model, holds 12 eggs and comes with an automatic egg turner.
Want to know why we included it in this rating of the best chicken egg incubators for sale?
Easy! It has a thermometer, a humidity alarm, temperature control, and an alarm system. The smaller size makes it more portable and the LED display is also an added benefit.
What we like:
- It is almost quiet
- Automatic turner and Climate control added
- It’s smaller size makes it more portable
What we don’t like:
- Does not have windows so viewing the process is impossible
- Built-in thermometer only measures in Celsius and has been known to be unreliable
- Possible low hatch rate
Features:
- Has a LED display
- Features an Automatic egg turner
- Humidity alarm and auto thermometer
Specifications:
- Weight–6.61 pounds
- Dimensions–13.97″ x 7.4″ x 6.88″
IncuViewTM All-In-One Automatic Egg Incubator
This is basically the most transparent on the list of best chicken egg incubator. It can hold up to 27 eggs and features an automatic turner.
Its clear top allows easy viewing of the whole process from start to finish, and it comes with an automatic temperature control and humidity gauge.
Made of plastic, cleaning is easy.
What we like:
- Designed to be simple so assembling is easy!
- Climate control and Automatic turner simplifies the process
- Clear top makes watching the process more enjoyable
What we don’t like:
- The turner might not be gentle with eggs
- Price is costlier than some consider “great!”
- Humidity gauge has been known to be inaccurate
Features:
- Boasts of an Automatic temperature control
- Clear top for simple viewing
- Humidity gauge and automatic turner
Specifications:
- Weight–5 pounds
- Dimensions–12″ x 14″ x 6″
Brinsea Products Manual Egg Incubator
This is the last on our best chicken egg incubators list and it has a 24 egg capacity but claims to be ideal for various egg sizes.
It has a large viewing window.
It has a liquid in glass thermometer with a flashing temperature indicator, and the rocking frame turns the eggs hourly.
What we like:
- Climate control and thermometer makes controlling the process easier.
- Plastic frame is simpler to clean than the Styrofoam models
- Manual turner makes for a more hands-on experience
What we don’t like:
- Temperature control can prove tricky to use
- Humidity levels can be hard to maintain, especially during hatching
- Price is more compared to some models
Features:
- Humidity control and Manual turner
- Thermometer and temperature control
- Its frame is plastic for easy cleaning
Specifications:
- Dimensions–13″ x 9.5″ x 10″
- Weight–8 pounds
Our Pick for the Best Egg Incubator
Brinsea offers a range of both automatic and manual egg turning products, and the manual won in the end. While the small incubator (also by Brinsea) boasts of more features that simplify the process, its price tag is the same with large model, which is a possible deal breaker.
SO, the Brinsea Products Manual Egg Incubator takes first place in our review.
Brinsea Products Manual Egg Incubator
With this model, you can hatch a decent amount of eggs at a go! It is easy to clean and isn’t too large.
Although it features a manual turn, its shape and size will make it simple.
The only con here compared to other products is the price, but you are partly buying the quality of the product alongside the brand name.
The other incubators reviewed here are also excellent options. Brinsea walked away with #1 is because of the viewing experience combined with the thermometer and plastic frame.
While the styrofoam model is a great deal price-wise, it has very little space for you to actually watch the eggs turn and hatch, which for me is a no-no.
Magicfly has loads of positive ratings and features in its technology, but I can’t get past the lack of windows.
If you can’t see what is happening to your eggs, it is very much a sit-and-wait-and-see game.
IncuView pulls ahead of the rest in the viewing department, but it doesn’t have the kick it needs electronically and the climate control reviews are less than exciting.
Egg Incubator Tricks and Tips
It doesn’t matter the incubator type you end up selecting, you will still need to perform some manual works.
However, some models are simply more automated than others. Assuming you purchase an auto model, these tips will prove useful:
- Place your egg incubator in the correct place. Ensure that there is heat, sunlight, and airflow. If possible, in a room that has consistent temperature.
- Frequently clean your incubator when the chicks have hatched. Read the manual to know the right way to clean your egg incubator.
Note: Not all cleaning products are good for incubators.
- Different breeds of eggs will require different level of humidity temperature levels. Ensure that you know the exact breed you want to hatch.
- Always contact the manufacturer if you have a problem turning your egg controller, controlling temperature, or humidity.
Conclusion
We all here love chicken, and if you do too, you might want to own the best chicken egg incubator. Good news for ya! As we have reviewed the top-rated poultry egg hatcher models on the market today to help you get an idea of how the ideal incubator for eggs should look like.