Monday, July 22, 2024
As Recommended by our Metzer Farms Customers
In our last newsletter issue we asked our Metzer Farms community for home incubator recommendations for successfully hatching fertilized duck eggs in your house or on the farm. Because we use large incubators that hatch thousands of eggs at a time, we did not know of reliable brands of incubators for personal use. We needed brand recommendations we could share with our customers.
We asked and boy, did we get some great suggestions! Our customers once again came through for us. Thank you to everyone who submitted suggestions. Below is a brief listing of some incubators recommended for home use. These incubators are listed in no particular order.
GQF HOVA-BATOR INCUBATORS
In our last newsletter issue we asked our Metzer Farms community for home incubator recommendations for successfully hatching fertilized duck eggs in your house or on the farm. Because we use large incubators that hatch thousands of eggs at a time, we did not know of reliable brands of incubators for personal use. We needed brand recommendations we could share with our customers.
We asked and boy, did we get some great suggestions! Our customers once again came through for us. Thank you to everyone who submitted suggestions. Below is a brief listing of some incubators recommended for home use. These incubators are listed in no particular order.
GQF HOVA-BATOR INCUBATORS
Approximate Price: Anywhere from $80 to $127+ depending on the model
Incubator Qualities:
* Easy to use
* Very economical for its price
* Good airflow
* Can be used for a variety of poultry and reptiles
* Different models have different sizes depending on how many eggs you wish to incubate. Different models also have varying quality of features for egg rotation, humidity, and temperature control.
What Customers Like About this Brand: “GQF stands behind their product with easily obtainable replacement parts. Before you buy any incubator, check to see if/where you can buy replacement turner motors, heater/fan assemblies, thermostats, etc. We learned this the hard way by purchasing another very popular, but unsupported, incubator. When the turner motor died after 3 uses, the company told us it was out of warranty, they didn't have any replacement motors we could buy, and there were no after-market alternatives.”
INCUVIEW ALL-IN-ONE AUTOMATIC EGG INCUBATOR
Incubator Qualities:
* Easy to use
* Very economical for its price
* Good airflow
* Can be used for a variety of poultry and reptiles
* Different models have different sizes depending on how many eggs you wish to incubate. Different models also have varying quality of features for egg rotation, humidity, and temperature control.
What Customers Like About this Brand: “GQF stands behind their product with easily obtainable replacement parts. Before you buy any incubator, check to see if/where you can buy replacement turner motors, heater/fan assemblies, thermostats, etc. We learned this the hard way by purchasing another very popular, but unsupported, incubator. When the turner motor died after 3 uses, the company told us it was out of warranty, they didn't have any replacement motors we could buy, and there were no after-market alternatives.”
INCUVIEW ALL-IN-ONE AUTOMATIC EGG INCUBATOR
Approximate Price: $160
Incubator Qualities:
* Automatic egg turner
* Maintains 99.5 F in almost any environment
* Detailed display with temperature, humidity, and hatch time information
* Automatic shutoff 3 days before hatch
* AquaTank feature so you do not have to worry about your incubator running out of water
* AquaMist feature for precise automatic humidity control
* Can be used for a variety of poultry
What Customers Like About this Brand: “I like that the temperature and humidity level can be easily be seen and checked by glancing at the top of the incubator. You can set up the incubator by programming the hatch date into the system and the incubator will then stop turning automatically a few days before hatch day. This makes things so easy! I’ve really good hatch rates with this brand, and I do recommend it. Also, the IncuView 3 also seems less prone to breakage if you are transporting this incubator between different locations.”
MANNA PRO HARRIS FARM NUTURE RIGHT 360 EGG INCUBATOR
Incubator Qualities:
* Automatic egg turner
* Maintains 99.5 F in almost any environment
* Detailed display with temperature, humidity, and hatch time information
* Automatic shutoff 3 days before hatch
* AquaTank feature so you do not have to worry about your incubator running out of water
* AquaMist feature for precise automatic humidity control
* Can be used for a variety of poultry
What Customers Like About this Brand: “I like that the temperature and humidity level can be easily be seen and checked by glancing at the top of the incubator. You can set up the incubator by programming the hatch date into the system and the incubator will then stop turning automatically a few days before hatch day. This makes things so easy! I’ve really good hatch rates with this brand, and I do recommend it. Also, the IncuView 3 also seems less prone to breakage if you are transporting this incubator between different locations.”
MANNA PRO HARRIS FARM NUTURE RIGHT 360 EGG INCUBATOR
Approximate Price: $180
Incubator Qualities:
* Easy to use
* Has an auto-stop feature so eggs automatically stop turning 3 days before hatch day.
* Automatic egg turner
* Good visibility for educational purposes
* Optimal air circulation and temperature stability
* Egg capacity depends on the type and size of eggs used. 12-18 duck eggs can fit in this model.
What Customers Like About this Brand: This incubator is definitely the number one suggestion by Metzer Farms customers. More customers recommended this table-top incubator over any other brand. Customers liked its ease of use and its reliable climate control. “It works well, has good hatch rates, and is not made of Styrofoam” says one happy customer.
BRINSEA MINI II ADVANCE AUTOMATIC 7 EGG INCUBATOR
Incubator Qualities:
* Easy to use
* Has an auto-stop feature so eggs automatically stop turning 3 days before hatch day.
* Automatic egg turner
* Good visibility for educational purposes
* Optimal air circulation and temperature stability
* Egg capacity depends on the type and size of eggs used. 12-18 duck eggs can fit in this model.
What Customers Like About this Brand: This incubator is definitely the number one suggestion by Metzer Farms customers. More customers recommended this table-top incubator over any other brand. Customers liked its ease of use and its reliable climate control. “It works well, has good hatch rates, and is not made of Styrofoam” says one happy customer.
BRINSEA MINI II ADVANCE AUTOMATIC 7 EGG INCUBATOR
Approximate Price: $280
Incubator Qualities:
* Automatic egg turning with programable egg turning interval and programable egg turning angle
* Temperature preset at 99.5 F but temperature is fully adjustable
* Detailed display with temperature, humidity, and hatch time information
* High / Low alarms when something is wrong
* Periodic egg cooling feature and fan assisted air circulation
* Great visibility for observation
* Countdown to hatch day
* Comes with a 3 year warranty
What Customers Like About this Brand: “Although more expensive than most, this incubator is sturdy and reliable and a high quality incubator. I have had this incubator for well over 10+ years and I’ve been hatching eggs in it each year with zero maintenance problems and great hatch rates. I like the small size and I like the good visibility so I can see exactly what is going on in the incubator. I can see when the humidity is low and when the eggs turn. I can also see when a duck pips and I can notice the eggs move at hatch time. I can also hear the duckling peeping within the shell.”
Incubator Qualities:
* Automatic egg turning with programable egg turning interval and programable egg turning angle
* Temperature preset at 99.5 F but temperature is fully adjustable
* Detailed display with temperature, humidity, and hatch time information
* High / Low alarms when something is wrong
* Periodic egg cooling feature and fan assisted air circulation
* Great visibility for observation
* Countdown to hatch day
* Comes with a 3 year warranty
What Customers Like About this Brand: “Although more expensive than most, this incubator is sturdy and reliable and a high quality incubator. I have had this incubator for well over 10+ years and I’ve been hatching eggs in it each year with zero maintenance problems and great hatch rates. I like the small size and I like the good visibility so I can see exactly what is going on in the incubator. I can see when the humidity is low and when the eggs turn. I can also see when a duck pips and I can notice the eggs move at hatch time. I can also hear the duckling peeping within the shell.”