Incubator Specifications

Incubators are used for hatching a variety of different types of eggs. Typical incubators have the ability to maintain a specified temperature along with controlled humidity and ventilation. If you can consistently maintain the inside of the incubator at the correct levels for the species being hatched, you will be ensured the greatest chance of a successful hatch.

  1. Temperature

    • A good hatch depends on maintaining a consistent temperature. Determined by the temperature control accuracy, or how much variation the thermostat allows between turning on and off, temperature range is also an important consideration since different species of eggs have different optimal temperatures. The optimal chick hatching range is 100 to 101 degrees but 99 to 102 is acceptable.

    Humidity

    • Maintaining the optimal humidity is second only to temperature in ensuring a good hatch. Relative humidity can be measured by a combination of a "wet-bulb" thermometer and a dry bulb thermometer. Modern digital equipment can also measure humidity. Optimal chick hatching humidity is 50 to 55 percent with an increase to 65 percent during the last three days of the hatch.

    Capacity

    • Commercial incubators hatch large quantities of eggs at a time. One of the key measurements a commercial purchaser looks for is the number of eggs an incubator holds. Commercial chicken incubators often have a series of trays holding 150 eggs or more and from six to 128 trays per incubator. This provides capacities of 1,200 eggs per incubator to over 23,000 eggs per incubator.

    Alarms

    • With massive egg quantities at stake, a key component of a commercial incubator is an alarm which would sound if the temperature or humidity gets out of the optimal range.

    Stackable and Display

    • Whether incubators are stackable might be a consideration for future expansion needs and ease of placement. Some incubators have digital numerical displays providing fast accurate monitoring of the key environment variables inside the incubator. Others have analog meters such as a dial type thermometer or even a series of indicator lights.

    Heat

    • An important factor in an incubator is the insulation around the outside, which helps maintain the proper temperature in the event of a power failure and the type of heat used. The simplest incubator operates on direct heat which is circulated via convection throughout the egg chamber. Other versions include an air jacket, which is simply forced air heat, which returns to optimal temperature quicker after the door is opened. The water jacket incubator circulates hot water through the walls to maintain the temperature.

    Heat