Hovobator review and MY MISTAKES!!!!??????? 

Mate you are doing a great job testing all these different brands of incubators, saving a lot of people's frustration.

Thanks for going through these incubators Zack and reviewing each.No one wants to start out making costly mistakes and losing all of his eggs.

I really appreciate you going through these incubators and reviewing each. I will be buying an incubator this year, so this is very timely. Thank you so much!

My first incubator was a Hovobator but with forced air circulation. My first hatch of chicken eggs was 100%.. beginner's luck. That turner thing can not handle large eggs because the motor isn't strong enough. Our motor burned out after a couple of hatches. The other thing I don't like is that you have to open the lid to add water. It recovers pretty quickly but I would rather not open it. I might use it for lock down, but not for the entire hatch process. I haven't tried quail eggs in it, and probably won't. I have 2 other incubators now but I have yet to find the perfect incubator. Thank you for all you do for us!

I started using the Hovabator since the mid 1980's. Have to admit the still air needs to be watched. But the models with a fan work great with very successful hatches of chickens, ducks, pheasant and quail.

I did have a still air incubator which was a nightmare and impossible to stop the humidity jumping around everywhere. First try 2 out of 24 eggs were a no go at lockdown but fluctuating humidity nothing hatched so the second try I drilled a vent hole in the lid and also sat it on one of my heater mats that I use for my little orphaned wildlife I care for. Not only could I finally control the humidity but I achieved a 100% hatch rate. After your review I purchased the Nurture Right 360 and because it's almost winter here now I used my heater mat again as it's rather chilly. I have just had a very successful 100% hatch rate with this incubator. The heating pad really does make a difference. Cheers from Tasmania 🌞

Thank you for these reviews. I think for myself the most difficult decision has been which incubator to get.

I have a brand new farm innovator incubator, a 20+ year old Little Giant, and a 10+ year old Little Giant incubator. The 20 year old Little Giant will probably retire this year. But the newer one and the brand new one does just fine. I get close to 80% hatch rates. You guys are great. Love what you do. Yah bless

I’m currently incubating some button quail and no one told me how addictive it is😅. I’ve now been binge watching all your videos for a little over an hour now.

I have the same gqf I take the red tabs off the top for air flow and cover the gqf with a large towel. It works great However I do mostly dry hatches.

Mysfire Farm, A year (?) has gone by since you did this review. Have you made another video with side by side of all the incubators that you tested? The Nurture Right has gone up a bit since you did the review on it, it's $182.99 now. That is almost twice as much as the Little Giant with Forced Air Fan Kit that can be found for $99.70. We're new to the idea of incubating eggs. Which one do you recommend? Many thanks for making and sharing your informative videos!

Thanks for reviewing these!

Still air might work well as a brooder for the first couple of days, if you can get the humidity adjusted to the correct level.

I had one given to me. The temp in the room is a big issue. Along with the water/humidity. I gave up on it.

Thank you zack I will be buying eggs from you this is all new to me don’t want to miss a video so I will know what to buy can’t wait I am running a little behind also recovering from Covid thanks again

Happy u are back from Illinois zack also my quail are on day 5 tommaorw

I just bought a Farm Innovators 4250 Heated Digital Circulated Air Incubator. My first hatch was 98 out of 104, so I’m really happy with it!

Perfect timing. I just dragged out my hova bator with forced air that I bought years ago. I’m experimenting with chicken eggs right now, but plan on quail eggs next My turners, are the cup trays. I think I had good success, but it has been many years.

I have a little giant still air with a egg tuner. I bought a cheap little computer fan that i hung from the top close to the heater to circulate the air. That seemed to help regulate the heat and humidity. I kept 2 other thermometers inside, one in the front and one in the back. We tested it out with 20 chicken eggs and 18 hatched out on day 21. Seemed to work pretty well.

Glad you are going to do another round. I think there were to many things that happened that didn't really give it a fair chance.

I have a couple of these and They work pretty well once you get used to them. I check the temps at least twice a day. The fan part isn't rocket science. I used old computer fans with old phone or computer chargers to power them. Just match the charger to the fan voltage. I have had 90+ % rates. with fertile eggs collected before they got chilled.

I had similar struggles with a few of these when I started our with quail 20 years ago. The first attempt a quail after getting it worked out with chickens had bad humidity issues (80% fertility but everything died at pip). I switched to a genesis and was much happier with that (worth the extra 80-100$ in my opinion especially if you are new and don't want to have to mess with stuff to get it to work).

Found you from the interview with Heartway farms. Did you end up doing a review of the forced air havo bator??

When you get done testing all the different incubators you should do a side by side by side by........ Alot can be different with exterior temps and humidity, egg viability, ect.

I was given two old raggedy incubators to start out with when I first got chickens. And old Farm Innovators (STILL AIR) and a forced air ancient Hovabator. I despise the FI with a passion I don't even want to contemplate. Won't keep the right temp, hot spots, cold spots, cracks easily and just generally sucks; I gave up and started using it only as a lockdown. The Hova has been so reliable... even in the face of winter time power outages, it held temps much longer and gave me babies, though as ancient as it is, they weren't as fantastic as they could be. No fancy wafer heater this, and key turning that, or weird but fancy turner. The thing has a knob, you turn the OPPOSITE way to increase heat as you would think, and a standard, plastic turner with rails which sucks for tiny quail eggs but I couldn't afford quail rails. As my first incubator and one that has given me MANY beautiful chicks, I have a soft spot for it, old as it may be. I hate the tiny windows in it however, and you do NOT need to open the lid to add water; a simple container of water with a cotton shoestring going in through the carbon dioxide vent hole works amazing. That said, my friend built me a DIY Cabinet incubator from Terry's instructions (Coturnix Corner) and I will admit I do NOT yet have a seperate thermo/Hygro in it because it's all new and fancy and digital and I was dazzled into thinking that meant better. 2 Turkey eggs and 19 chicken and everything in it has bright blood rings in them. I'll be emptying it tomorrow, setting up seperate monitors and seeing if I can try again before I have valuable quail eggs in there I can't afford to lose. 0% hatch rate. Hova, even at 40-50-60% is better than 0%.

My Hovabator has air circulation and a different turner and heating element. I would not have bought that one, as I don't like still air either. It works a heck of a lot better than that one does.

Great review thank you for doing this…I have a Farm Innovators 4250. I can’t wait to see that review and any tips you may have in holding the temperature correctly. I’m currently using a blanket for mine and it seems to be holding the temp so far👍 Thanks Ps …I’m also using 2 Govees to monitor the temp and humidity.

wow... i have hovabators and LOVE them. All forced air with turners... I even have one over 40 years old that works perfectly! on my own eggs, I usually have 100% hatch or darn close to it. I DO use a govee, always no matter what kind of bator I am using- because as you say incubators always lie. I do have them sitting on a table in a spare room on a thick carpet and as brooders are always there the room is heated. I just fill the first channel on day 1, never ever open the lid even if it gets a little dry until day 15 when i candle, fill it to the gills channel 1 and 2 with water and take out the turner and vent plugs. 40 years on, never ever had problems. I am so sorry to hear this review, maybe try the forced air version?

Thanks for your sharing

Those wafer thermostats have been used as far back as the BUCKEYE coal brooder stoves. I have one that is now just a decoration , I even have the hover for it. I have a L G with the fan mounted in it and I get average of 65% hatch on Barred Rock eggs . The biggest problem I have is keeping the humidity up , especially at hatch time . I will be waiting for your test results of the forced air ones. Thanks.

My nova bator has a fan and have had great success. I do not have that weird egg turner .I turn my eggs by hand. Thanks for tests.

That's the incubator I started with... With a little giant turner.after a learning curve you can keep a 50% hatch. Biggest problem is kids. That little lever for the thermostat looks like a handle or twist knob... Kids see that hanging out of a styrofoam cooler and the next check will be hot, cold, or the eggs get moved out thinking they found a long lost stash.

Me: that's a weirrrrrd turner. 2 secs later Zach: kind of a weird turner. 🤣😂

Which small incubator is best for someone starting out?

The only thing I hate worse more than plastic is styrofoam... That was my first incubator, never looking back.

I've got the Hova-bator genesis 1588, it's my first hatch but it's been a rock steady machine. Temp is off a little using the Govee, but with the winter temp swing in the house (about 5-8degrees F) it stays within .5 degrees of 99.5'f. humidity reading is spot on. Don't have a hatch rate yet only about a week in

Have you ever heard of Watson's Law? It says that Murphy was an optimist.

Thanks Zach. I had been using Lil Giant with fan installed, that was lòaned to me # years ago. I just placed 72 eggs into a Lil Giant Still Air, ,WITHOUT a fan, I did get the Govee & it's inside . I just set them today, so we'll see?

Hello! I keep searching your videos and I’m not finding any where you discuss a comparison of all you tested. Is there one? Thanks!

Maybe I'm missing something obvious, but why candle eggs prior to lockdown? Why not leave them in and see what hatches and pitch the rest? I'm not sure what is being accomplished.

I didn't even know Hovabator made a still air incubator! I have never had success with still air incubators, not even with chicken eggs. The Genesis 1588 Hovabator is the one I use. It works a lot better than the comparable Little Giant brand! I think if you were going to give Hovabator a fair test you should have used either each brand's still air incubators, or their circulated air versions.

Hi, new hear, I have a question about incubators, I know is way more expensive that the ones that you are testing, but what do you think about the Brinsea Products USAG47C Ovation 56 for 100 jumbo egg (or standard)?, also will be awesome a video telling the differences about jumbo and standard maths (if is better 1 jumbo or 2 standard for a meal, cost of feeding jumbo vs standard, etc.)Thanks for your hard work I am learning a hell of a lot with you guys before I step into quail breading to change it for the unhealthy chicken that we buy at the store. Thank you very much.

I think you should do the experiment again with the other turner and higher temp. not really a fare comparison. with user era.

Our temperature is similar to yours during this trial, as we don’t heat house during the night so even the other two you already did can’t keep steady temps for us. I didn’t bother to use the ones we borrowed as it was obvious they couldn’t hold temps in our set up. The brinsea holds temp perfectly when set up on a cardboard sheet on most surfaces even with these temp variations. As the humidity in our brinsea is computer controlled, From a separate container outside the incubator, that worked to keep perfect humidity levels. Also as the brinsea has alarms you can set, you don’t have to baby it along. Yes, these other incubators will hatch at least some chicks. As well and as easily as my brinsea? No. I stay with brinsea.

I have an other model of hovabator but its a force air one with egg turner like the little giant one. And i usually have only 2-4 death in shell total for 72 egg + the infirtile egg that varie. But i had issue with chicks not drying but my humidity was high.

I'm surprised you went with the still air model. The Genesis model is much more similar to the NR360.

Did you hatch them on the egg roller? Did you remove it and just not show it or did you just unplug it?

Zack, you said this was a nightmare getting it set up. Can you elaborate on what you had to do any why? Thanks.

Hi you keep mentioning “lockdown “ in your videos, what does it mean in the incubation world?

Where are you located? Do you also regulate the temperature of your grown quail room or just the incubator/brooding area?

So which incubator is the best for quail?

Definitely went wrong with the still air model, works great for hatching reptile eggs but not chickens or quail. Plus that egg turner isn't great. Don't use that egg turner on your next test, use the little giant one, you'll get better results. I also use my forced air hovabator indoors and have no issue with temperature or humidity issues.

I noticed that the eggs in the front mostly didn't survive. Am I wrong?

My 1588 hovabator temp is a consistent 105+ Something's wrong. Any idea?

Is there a egg turner available for quail with the Hova bator? I have the same egg turner in mine and am practicing with chicken eggs before I buy quail eggs.

Hova Bator 1588 is the best bang for the buck. Tells temp and humidity also can be calibrated. Temperature is very very consistent even compared to my Brinsea units. I think the humidity is more easily controlled in the Hova though. Unless you’re spending real money on the all gadgets they offer. Thanks for all the videos Zach man.

I have this with proper egg turner and fan and I'll be shocked if 1 egg hatches. To be fair, these are my first bird eggs but I've been working with reptiles for years and hatched out several species of lizards in a rock solid incubator with digital controls. This wafer thing is 110% absolute unadulterated grade A trash! Seriously though, where's my hammer?

I used the wafer temp controller for years and they are dead on accurate but........ They will fail in time dues to the metal flexing. Go digital gang.

Had one and hated it. I bought with fan and turner.

I don't think you can take responsibility. Once you set them, they should be good until they hatch. That's the point of reviews. I thought I do better too. But I thought it had a fan. I'd never use still air.