Here at Brookfield Poultry Equipment we are always getting asked which is the best egg incubator to buy? Well that definitely depends on your needs. Whether you’re a serious poultry keeper or just dabbling in incubation for the first time we have an incubator perfect for you. It also depends on your budget as there is also quite a range in prices.
Either way, we have an incubator that will suit your needs and below i’ll give you a bit of an idea of our incubators so you can determine which might be the best one to buy.
We are the official Australian distributor of two main brands of incubators. The GQF is made in the USA and the Borotto range of incubators, which is Italian designed and constructed.
Our philosophy is to only stock quality brands and so we think these two companies, from opposite sides of the world, are two of the best out there!
Some of our models are fully automatic, some are semi automatic and some are manual. The good news is that all of them will hatch your eggs!
Our Quail & Chicken Egg Incubator Range
We are the Australian distributors of all the GQF products but particularly their incubators and brooders. GQF are Georgia Quail Farm in Savannah, GA, USA. They have been farming quail since 1957 so they definitely know a thing or two about hatching eggs! And with that experience comes great products. They have two types of incubator we stock, there’s the digital “Sportsman” incubator & the world famous “Hova-Bator”.
The “Sportsman”
The GQF “Sportsman” is definitely for the serious breeder! It holds up to 270 chicken eggs or 1368 Quail eggs at a time and is fully automatic. With 3 levels of trays that gently rock the eggs every 2 hrs. Each level holds 2 plastic egg trays that can be interchanged to suit a variety of breeds. This means that you can be incubating goose eggs on one level and quail on another. Perfect for someone who has a variety of breeds they’re wanting to hatch! And due to the egg capacity, the output of these incubators is a popular choice for incubation on a pretty large scale. Some people run a few of these machines at once and have the “Sportsman” hatcher running alongside a couple of the incubators for maximum output!
There is a digital control panel that monitors the egg temperature and humidity which makes getting the settings perfect really easy.
Hova-Bator
The hova-bator really is a reliable little machine. Invented by the McGehee family at Georgia Quail Farm they estimate that over 1 million of these incubators have been sold worldwide which would have to make it the world’s most popular incubator!
Here at Brookfield Poultry Equipment we stock 4 of the hova-bator models. The 1622 thermal air is the base model. Ideal for those just starting out as it is also our entry level model for price. They have a manually controlled brass wafer thermostat which, once set to the required temperature is very reliable at holding its heat.
The thermal air is very popular with reptile breeders also so not just chickens are hatched in the Hova-Bators but lizards and snakes as well!
The top of the range Hova-Bator is the 1588 Genesis. It is pre-set for chicken eggs. Simply plug it in, then add water for humidity and eggs. While the thermostat set temperature can easily be fine tuned, most users won’t find it necessary. The LCD will display set temp, actual temp and humidity percentage in both Fahrenheit and Celsius. The pre-set microprocessor based thermostat digitally regulates itself. The digital technology in this thermostat means the command setting is never affected by changes in humidity, temperature or dust.
There is an automatic turner that will fit all the Hova-Bator models which can be purchased right from the start or added later when funds allow.
Borotto
Borotto incubators are the newest addition to the Brookfield Poultry Equipment range which we are really excited about!
Designed and constructed in Italy the Borotto range really is at the cutting edge of new technology for egg incubators.
The two main models in the Borotto range are the REAL incubators of which there are quite a few, and the LUMIA 8 which is a smaller 12V model which holds up to 8 chicken or duck eggs and up to 32 quail eggs. Perfect for schools or families who are only wanting to try hatching out a few eggs at a time.
As with all the Borotto range the racks can hold different types of (and sized) eggs at the same time.
The REAL incubators come in 7 different models all based on the egg capacity of each unit. Starting at the REAL 12 then the REAL 24 and finally the REAL 49. Each of these models has an automatic and a semi automatic version.
The REAL 49 also has a premium model known as the REAL 49 Plus with all the technology of a professional machine small enough for the backyard breeder.
All the Borotto range have digital display and settings and can be fully adjusted for hatching chicken, pheasant, guinea fowl, quail, grey partridge, partridge, duck, duck, goose, turkey, peacock, pigeon, partridge, parrots and predator birds eggs.
The racks in the Borotto incubators also have a patented design that allows a variety of eggs to be put into the same racks without the need to change them!
Another great feature of these machines is the ability to top up the water levels from the outside plugs so that the temperature and humidity is not disturbed during this process.
And don’t forget all our incubators and brooders are wired and certified for use in Australia to give you extra piece of mind. We are ERAC & ESS responsible suppliers so we have ensured each product is fully compliant.
So that's just a bit of a snapshot of the incubators we sell here at Brookfield Poultry Equipment. Which incubator will be the perfect one for you?
Happy hatching!!
I bought a brooder for my guinea fowls and chickens and it is great. The chickens and keets put themselves to bed when it is dark under the brooder and you dont hear a sound from them. It is great that I can adjust it to different levels as the chickens and keets grow. Thank you Johnny for the feeders as well.
I like the Lumia .filling the water from the outside is a real plus. Thank you for the blog as well..Andrew.