Breeding Chickens: Commercial Incubators for Chickens

Chickens are usually quite good at hatching and brooding their own eggs. However, when it becomes necessary to hatch the eggs artificially there are a multitude of different types of ready made incubators for chickens on the market.

An incubator can be defined as a device designed to provide controlled simulated avian conditions in which incubation can occur. i.e by providing optimum temperature and humidity levels and turning the eggs as necessary.

Check out our incubator review page to compare the latest models

Artificial incubators for chickens fall into three main types

• Still air incubators
• Forced air or fan assisted incubators
• Contact incubators

Still air incubators

Still air incubators are used less commonly nowadays. They are the most basic type of incubators for chickens and consist of a box with a thermostat to control the heat source. The heat source is switched on and off by the thermostat to control the temperature and humidity is controlled by varying the amount of water and by manual control of the ventilation.

Forced air incubators

Forced air incubators offer more accurate control than still air and they are the type most commonly used by people keeping chickens as a hobby. Temperature is again controlled by a thermostat but the addition of a fan to circulate the air throughout the incubator means that conditions are controlled more evenly and accurately.

Contact incubators 

Contact incubators provide the heat source through a heated pad which makes direct contact with the top of the egg. 
This type of incubation more closely simulates the natural environment of the nest as the application of heat through contact to one side of the egg resembles the hen sitting on the eggs. 

Humidity control and egg turning is also provided electronically as in most modern incubators.
Incubators of this type are usually used in commercial applications or for eggs of high value poultry.
The cost of these machines can often run into thousands of dollars.

Choosing an incubator

When choosing an incubator you will need to consider some of the following points-

• Purpose- are you considering hatching eggs occasionally as a hobby or do you plan on producing regular, large hatches.
• Cost- The most basic models are the cheapest but also the ones that require more attention and input from you. They may also have a lower success rate depending on the amount of time you can spare to maintain them during the hatching period
• Ease of use- Again, consider how much time and input you can spare during the hatching period. If you are not there to turn the eggs manually then you will at least need an incubator with an automatic turning facility. If you are new to the hobby or your using the incubator as an educational project for children then you probably don't want to get too technical at this stage.
• Size- How many eggs do you plan to hatch at a given time. You will need to choose an incubator that will accommodate all the eggs you plan to hatch together.

When choosing incubators for chickens, the key to finding the right model is to consider all of these points and pick the one that is most suited to your hatching needs.

You will also need to consider any other equipment you might need once the chicks are hatched such as a brooder, heat lamp and additional feeders drinkers and coop space so keep this in mind when you are budgeting for your new project hatching chicken eggs. Before you decide you should check out our incubator review page