Hiring incubators

[nigel]

Does anyone know where to hire incubators? We only want one for a couple of times a year for about 25 eggs, the outlay to buy is a bit extreme.

[organic]

I know nada about hiring such things, but this might be useful...

Styrofoam Forced Air Egg Incubator v 2.0
Classroom Incubators | Incubation Information: Build Egg Incubator | Homemade Egg Incubator

And some links I've poached (fnar!) from another forum...
Guerrilla Incubator
How to HATCH CHICKS in a Homemade Incubator
Large Homemade Incubators

Commercial vs Home-Made Incubators
http://www.usc.edu/CSSF/History/2002/Projects/S1908.pdf

[di]

Where do you live Nigel?(you can pop it onto your profile)
I know there's at least one person in my area that hires them out & it could be that someone knows of someone local to you...if they know where you are!

When are you planning on hatching?

[Bramble-Poultry]

I was just thinking same Di - where are you nigel - we loan ours out from time to time but only locally. You can buy incubators from arounf �40 so work out how much hiring is gonna cost you first - novital covutto incubators are the cheapest new ones

[nigel]

Sorry everyone, I have now added location, East Yorkshire, 12 miles east of York at base of Wolds. Work in Leeds every day though. Want to incubate once in Spring and once early summer each year.

[moola]

The thing with incy's is that it can take a couple of goes sometimes to get it right. The instructions are worth reading but the amount of water that you add in daily (if any) and when you actually do this can vary immensely dependent on where you are actually incubating the eggs and when.

Sorry to put a downer on things but if you after a reliable good hatch rate then maybe actually buying one then working out exactly how you must use it...in your conditions...make be the best way forward.

Some of the cheaper ones are actually quite good - they just require more manual input.

[nigel]

Thanks for that, we are willing to try anything..... we don't want to get into massive production, just keep ticking over to add to the flock.

There are 2 COVATUTTO 16 NOVITAL INCUBATORS on ebay at the moment, anyone with experience of them. They seem quite basic.

[Suechooks]

There are 2 COVATUTTO 16 NOVITAL INCUBATORS on ebay at the moment, anyone with experience of them. They seem quite basic.

I have one but have yet to use it. It's cheap and cheerful - manual turning, has a thermometer built in and a well in the bottom to put water in. I've test run it a couple of times and seems quite ok. I paid �54 at Ascotts for mine. I think Bramble Poultry have one too and use theirs! Planning to use mine early next year.

[Bramble-Poultry]

Got one - used it loads - very sucessful - our first ever hatch way back when was in a covatutto.

Obviously now progressed on to bigger and less user input types but we still have it and use it whenever we only have a few to hatch.

They are exceptionally easy to use with the lift off base water checking is easy so you only have to open the incubator when you turn the eggs. The only suggestion I will make is that you buy and use a seperate thermometer and set it to this one as its own is a little inaccurate - but then thats only another �1.50 on top of the buy price, or if you are clever get a combined thermometer and hygrometer (I got ours off ebay for about a fiver). It runs off an ordinary pygmy light bulb so very low tech - less to go wrong!!

Careful buying them off ebay I have seen them go much more expensive than they are to buy new, you have to factor in the fact that most ebay sellers charge around �15 postage and the online suppliers charge much less - look at them on Ascott smallholders website. And with second hand its buyer beware - if its was a significant saving like our large auto turn Brinsea we got it for about an eigthr of the price so we chanced second hand but with something as cheap as a novital the savings you make on second hand are not significant enough in my opinion to chance!

[nigel]

Bramble Poultry et al. Thank you for that advice, we agree that for the small proportion that you can save for such a low priced item, it is probably better buying new as you cannot be certain it works or that it is clean.

I think we will buy one and give it a try, plus the dual thermometer and hygrometer.

When you turn the eggs, do you mark the shells so you know you have turned them.

[RichmondHens]

Have you not considered using a broody hen? If you only want to hatch a couple of times a year to get a few youngsters to replace your oldsters on a season by season basis, you might consider getting a Silkie or similar reliable breed known for broodiness. That way she would also rear the chicks, saving you money investing in heat lamp, brooder box etc. You would just need a separate broody coop, that's all.

[nigel]

We have considered a broody hen, but due to time/work constariants we have only a short time opportunity - school holidays - to be sure of success, we think a brooby would be too much of a gamble. Plus we want to watch the process.

[Bramble-Poultry]

Thats the other beauty of a novital incubator the top section is all clear plastic so you can see every little bit of the action without taking the lid off and affecting the humidity.

As for marking the eggs - you put a X on one side and a O on the other, that way you can see when you have turned them and you always turn an odd number of times a day - nearer the time I will be very happy to offer and help and advice I can with incubating and hatching.

As for post hatch, we'll cross that bridge when we get there!!!

Broody hens are great but you have to be ready when they are at least with an incubator you do it on your timescale!! Pkus for kids its a great experience - if a tad on the stressful side!

[di]

I'm not going to try and change your mind...OK maybe just a little...we did our first hatchings this year & used both an incubator & a Broody Hen.If you can possibly manage both I'd highly reccomend it!The incubator was great for the kids to watch every stage of hatching but watching Mummy hen looking after her chicks was a great experience for both us & the kids that I'd not miss having!

[Bramble-Poultry]

we generally always use an incubator as we need to be able to plan who hatches what and when - however - as some of you know, despite our best efforts in hatching turkeys (we have increased the rare breed ones by nearly 14 alone) the hen went and slid off with a few eggs and did it herself!

she sat on 6 in total, one was infertile and the rest hatched. two died soon after hatching, one died a day later due to the cold manky weather (at least we dont get that issue with incubators) but the other two are going strong. Mum AND Dad are looking after the young ones, the stag even took it in turns to sit on the eggs.

Andi&Di, you are right, for predictability and surity of hatch, then its artificial incubation all the way, for educational and observation reasons, then leaving the hen with the chicks is something else altogether.

The Turkey may have only reared two chicks out of 6, but she is showing great promised as a mother and i will definately let her go broody again. Never had a bronze go broody, perhaps being an old traditional breed rather than commercial she still has some instincts left???