Chicken egg incubator provides the perfect environment for eggs to develop and hatch healthy chicks. The best chicken egg incubators have automatic settings to ensure that eggs are at the optimal temperature for hatching. You can use incubators for chicken eggs to look after eggs your hens lay. Or you can buy eggs ready for hatching and place them in your egg incubator.
Buying the best chicken egg incubators can be challenging, especially if you are starting out keeping poultry. The two types of egg incubators are automatic incubators and manual incubators. Automatic incubators are the easiest ones to use. They have controls to regulate temperature and humidity automatically and turn eggs.
Before choosing the perfect incubator for your poultry eggs, it’s also vital to consider some other factors. For example, how many eggs do you want to hatch? How much space do you have? Do you also need to incubate other poultry bird eggs—quail, duck, goose, or turkey? And, of course, your budget is always a factor to consider.
There are many types of egg incubators to choose from. We have reviewed the top five egg incubators that are currently for sale online. Our unbiased review examines the best egg incubators’ features, including the pros and cons of each unit. This egg incubator review helps you to make an informed decision when it comes to buying the best incubator for hatching chicken eggs.
Top 5 Egg Incubators with Automatic Turner
1. KEBONNIXS Automatic Egg Incubator with Humidity Display and 12 Egg Capacity
The KEBONNIXS egg incubator is one of the best choices for hatching eggs. The easy-to-use unit has an induced airflow system that keeps the eggs at an even temperature with no cold spots in the unit. Also, you can top up water without opening the lid, thus reducing temperature fluctuations. One excellent feature is the digital display that shows temperature and humidity levels.
This high-quality egg incubator also has an egg candler to observe the development of eggs. Additionally, the automatic egg turner ensures healthy embryo development. To make sure that eggs hatch correctly, the automatic turner stops turning three days before hatching.
Pros:
- Digital humidity level display
- Automatic stop for turning eggs
- Built-in egg candler
- Suitable for up to 12 eggs
Cons:
- Not ideal for small eggs such as quail
2. Magicfly Digital Mini Fully Automatic Chicken Egg Incubator
Magicfly automatic egg incubator is a popular choice for breeding chickens because the compact unit is easy to use. The chicken egg incubator has all the features you expect from a high-quality incubator. The unit features a digital display, automatic egg turner, and temperature control. An added advantage is that the incubator is suitable for many types of eggs.
One of the best features of the Magicfly egg incubator is its small, compact size. The unit is made from durable ABS and PP materials. It’s ideal if you don’t have much space and need a high-quality incubator.
Pros:
- Small and compact size
- Suitable for up to 12 eggs
- Automatic thermostat and LED display
- Automatic egg turning function
Cons:
- No humidity setting, so you’ll need a temperature hygrometer
- You need to stop the turner manually a few days before hatching
- No candler
3. ESTINL Mini Egg Incubator for Chicken Eggs
The ESTINL egg incubator is an ideal choice if you want a good quality unit but are on a budget. This compact, low-cost chicken egg incubator is suitable for up to seven eggs. The automatic temperature control ensures that eggs are always at the ideal temperature for hatching. Thanks to its excellent design, the ESTINL incubator ensures uniform heat and humidity.
As with all the best incubators for chicken eggs, this unit has a digital display to monitor temperature and humidity. Also, the transparent lid feature makes it easy to observe hatching.
Pros:
- Low cost and excellent value for money
- Designed to ensure uniform humidity to improve hatchability
- Suitable for up to 7 eggs
- Ideal for any size of poultry egg
- Easy to observe the hatching process
Cons:
- No automatic egg turning function
4. SAFEGO Automatic Hatching Egg Incubator
The SAFEGO egg incubator for chicken and poultry eggs is an excellent choice for hatching healthy chicks. The incubator has everything you need from an egg incubator. The unit has a digital display, candler, automatic egg turning feature, and electronic temperature control. The egg incubator is perfect for hatching different types of eggs.
The high-power fan ensures that even temperature and humidity levels are constant in the whole incubator. The rollers for the egg turn are adjustable for turning small or large eggs. The excellent incubator is suitable for hatching up to 16 eggs.
Pros:
- Insulated incubator to keep eggs at the right temperature and reduce costs
- Suitable for any size of eggs—from quail to duck and goose eggs
- Hatch up to 16 eggs
- The transparent design allows you to monitor egg development
- Built-in candler
- Digital temperature display for easy monitoring
Cons:
- Need to buy a hygrometer separately
5.Little Giant Chicken Egg Incubator with Automatic Turner
The Little Giant chicken egg incubator is suitable for beginners and professionals alike. The high-quality incubator has a built-in thermometer and digital hygrometer for optimum temperature and humidity for hatching eggs. The unit has a function to top up water without opening the lid. The LCD digital display helps you to monitor hatching conditions correctly.
The deluxe chicken egg incubator is suitable for up to 41 eggs. While the unit may be too large for some chicken breeders, it is a perfect choice if you hatch many chicks throughout the year. The automated control adjusts the environment for the type of eggs and the number of eggs.
Pros:
- Large capacity chicken egg incubator for up to 41 eggs
- Fully automatic
- Includes an automatic egg turner
- Built-in hygrometer
- Insulated panels keep eggs warm without increasing energy costs
Cons:
- Too large for some chicken owners
How to Use an Egg Incubator
Egg incubators are useful to hatch eggs without using mother hens. The incubator mimics the environment of brooding hens to keep humidity, temperature, and ventilation levels perfect. You only need to put fertile eggs into the egg incubator and switch it on. The best egg incubators are fully automated and reduce work to a minimum.
It’s vital to set up your incubator in a room where there are no temperature fluctuations. Ideally, room temperature should be an even 70°F to 75°F (21°C – 23°C). It’s also advisable to set your incubator away from direct sunlight or cold drafts.
When setting up an egg incubator, it’s crucial to set the temperature right. Chicken embryos develop and hatch when the temperature is between 99°F and 102°F (37° – 39°C). Also, you’ll need to fill the water container to ensure adequate humidity levels in the incubator. Before putting eggs in the incubator, switch it on for 24 hours to reach the right temperature.
How to Make Sure Eggs Hatch
Chicken eggs usually take 21 days to hatch. During this time, you’ll need to check eggs regularly to ensure that healthy chicks hatch from the eggs. Here are a few daily checks to make sure to get healthy chickens:
- Turn the eggs three times a day if you don’t have an incubator with an automatic turning feature.
- Ensure that the temperature is between 99°F and 102°F (37° – 39°C) and humidity is at 45 percent.
- Check every day to see if eggs are cracked or spoiled.
- Use a candler to monitor embryo development after ten days in the incubator.
- Stop turning the eggs three days before hatching and increase humidity to 65 percent.
What to Consider When Choosing an Egg Incubator
Buying the right chicken egg incubator is crucial to hatching healthy chicks that will develop into chickens. However, there are a few things to think about before you buy an egg incubator.
Here are essential factors to consider when choosing an egg incubator:
- The number of eggs—A mini egg incubator holding between seven and twelve eggs is ideal if you only intend to hatch eggs once or twice a year. However, if you plan on starting a small poultry business, then a larger incubator is necessary.
- Safety—Making sure the incubator works safely is essential. The egg incubator should have an automatic thermostat to regulate temperature. This prevents developing eggs from getting too cold or too hot.
- Cleaning—There is a lot of mess to clean up when chicks hatch. So, check out that the incubator you plan on buying is made from easy-clean materials. You need to clean and sterilize incubators between hatches.
- Incubator size—Consider where you will put your egg incubator. If you plan on hatching a few chicks twice a year, then a small table-top incubator is ideal. You should also consider storage when you are not using the unit.
- Ease of use—Another factor is how involved you want to be with hatching. The best chicken egg incubators are fully automatic and turn eggs daily. All you need to do is check occasionally with a candler that the embryos are developing properly.
- Temperature control—Only buy an egg incubator with digital temperature control that keeps the environment at an even temperature.
The Different Stages of the Egg Developing into a Chicken
Fertilized eggs only start developing when they are incubated. Either a brooding hen sits on the eggs to incubate them, or you can use artificial methods with an egg incubator. The development of the embryo in the egg takes 21 days.
Here are the different stages of how an egg develops into a chicken:
- Day 1 to day 4 — The chick embryo starts to develop, and the head, eyes, heart, ears, nose, legs, and wings begin to appear.
- Day 5 to day 12 — Reproductive organs develop, and the sex is determined. During this stage, the beak and feathers develop.
- Day 13 to day 18 — Scales and claws appear, and the embryo gets ready to break out from its shell.
- Day 19 and 20 — The yolk sac begins to enter the body cavity, and the embryo now fills the entire egg, apart from the air sac.
- Day 21 — The chick hatches.
