List Price: $256.19
Sale Price: $139.95
Today's Bonus: 45% Off
I'm a licensed poultry technician with many years of incubation & hatching experience, with units large and small. I am often asked for advice on which table top unit is best. I'm happy to endorse this particular design.
There is also a video demonstration of this unit available on YouTube if you care to search it out. Step by step, including all optional components. I do not have any part in selling this unit, only endorse it as the best hobby level table top unit available today, for the money.
You will see many table top incubators, all appearing very similar in style and composition. So what makes one better than another?
The Genesis Hova-Bator Model # 1588 is my number one choice when recommending a unit to teachers, pre-school directors or other small scale hatching projects.
Things which make this unit a "stand-out"
First, the basic design...
The top inverts and nests neatly into the bottom for storage, requiring less space when not in use. When the top is in the operating position, this incubator has plenty of space for larger eggs, without the extension ring offered by some other manufacturers/models. It's not sharply squared.. this appears cosmetic, but actually, allows air to circulate more efficiently than sharp cornered units do.
Efficiency, this unit has the heating coil neatly wrapped on the fan unit, rather than spread out over the interior top surface like others. This is a plus when it comes to cleaning between hatches.
There is a large viewing area. This is a great advantage when you are explaining the hatching process to lots of little people who "want to see"... other units often have two smaller viewing windows. The top window is very clear, without distortion.
Another strong feature is, the digital thermostat does not have an external adjustment for little fingers to fiddle with. It comes pre-set from the factory and is ready for chicken egg incubation, right out of the box. You unpack the unit, put the elements together, plug it in and you're off and running. 24 hours later (after temps stabilize) you put in the fertile hatching eggs and incubation begins... it's THAT simple.
I tested the interior temperature (factory set) with a certified/calibrated digital thermometer and found the unit I received to operate at 99.8 deg. F. this is a very good temperature for forced air incubators. This temperature was held to a "T". No further adjustment was necessary.
IF you are hatching something other than chicken eggs, you can indeed adjust the digital thermostat from inside the unit top. There are very detailed instructions on how to do this, with the unit.
One of the strongest features this incubator offers, and why I am so enthusiastic about it, it the fact that it runs on 12V DC current. The plug goes through an adapter for your 110v wall socket. Why is this important? Well, because if there is a power loss, due to a spring storm, you no longer have to worry about losing all your developing embryos. GQF offers a 12V DC adapter with the unit, which can be clipped onto a battery... car batteries, for example, are 12V DC. This allows the unit to keep running, warming and circulating air, in the event of an outage. When power comes back on, simply plug it back into the regular plug in adapter. This is a BIG advantage over other units.
Accessories I recommend with this unit are:
1The automatic egg turner... you don't have to worry about weekends, or forgetting to turn your eggs. It runs on a 4 hour cycle.
2Definitely get the optional 12V battery adapter, because you just never know when your power may go out.
If you are a teacher, about to begin an incubation unit in your class... this is the one I would use for the class room. You don't have to worry about little Johnny touch-touch, altering the temperature when you are not looking.
For the hobbyist or home school educator, this is a sort of sure shot incubator. 42 chicken egg capacity.... if you are into quail, then quail cups come with the automatic turner kit.. with a capacity of 120 quail per hatch.
The owner's manual is detailed and well presented, complete with photos and illustrations. Get the entire kit, you won't be sorry.
There is also an optional goose egg set for the automatic turner, holds fewer than the chicken egg set up, but the unit is more than large enough to accommodate goose or swan eggs.
One of the Sponsored links for this listing is for this is where I obtained my unit as reviewed, with all the mentioned accessories. A flawless transaction.
Enjoy... Fred, Fred's Fine Fowl
Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>
The Genesis is a great, inexpensive table top incubator. It is pretty much a turn on and forget about it item if you include a turner. I have two, and my hatch rates are about 94%. The eggs are visable thru the large pic window, and the temps stay very constant. The only variable I have is the humidity. It does range a bit, and is often too dry. I think this is because of the small size and the fan. I highly recommend this product for those wishing to hatch a few or even several eggs for it's ease of use and succes.Best Deals on GQF 1588 Genesis Hova-Bator Incubator
I needed 2 incubators, 1 to hold the turner, 1 to put the 20 day old eggs into for hatching. They cannot hatch in the turner, yet I did have more eggs in the turner, so, they hatched in the controlled enviorment of this incubator and THRIVED!! I managed to hatch all my chicks and didn't loose any with the incubator's warmth!!Honest reviews on GQF 1588 Genesis Hova-Bator Incubator
First the positive.The heating fan is excellent. It updates ever few seconds so can see it update live. The temp is in tenths and appears very accurate. The humidity read out also updates every few seconds and also appears accurate.
The negative.
The thing is just a styrofoam box. For such a high cost I would expect to at least have a plastic shell to protect it. As it is, it's very delicate and if you don't spend even more for automatic the egg turner you'll find that constant opening and closing will take it's toll on the styrofoam.
To keep the humidity were you want it, you pour water into the the tray underneath the eggs, which means your humidity will be fine and and then drop dramatically when the tray is dry. (Depending on how long the heating element needs to be running.) This also means more wear and tear on the styrofoam.
In conclusion, while the heating fan is great, I don't believe it justifies the price tag, since the body is just styrofoam. Also, alarms would be nice. That way if temp or humidity aren't were you want them it could beep or something.
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for GQF 1588 Genesis Hova-Bator Incubator
I previously had a lower end still-air styrofoam incubator that I purchased at a chain store for about $50...and also had the $50 egg turner. After about 6 months of use, I was typically lucky to hatch 2 or 3 chicks (if any) out of the 40 something eggs I would initially put in. My issues were due to the heating element it was impossible to regulate and stabalize. It was impossible to keep the thing anywhere near adequate temps, and if you were so lucky to get close it would jump either higher or lower when you least expected. I tried installing a fan as well as different thermometers (hoping that was the issue) without luck.After losing 3 dozen eggs a few days befor hatch because the temp jumped to 122 overnight and fried the chicks, I knew I needed a better incubator. My step-father surprised me with a brand new Hova-Bator Genesis he's such a great dad!!
Since he bought this for me, I have used it 3 times, and have become overwhelmed with chicks!! I have typically been getting about an 80% or better hatch rate!!
Pros:
-Easy, easy to use. No guess work involved, it's all digital
-Heat temperature is consistant/fairly stable through out
-Has a thermostat built in
-Heating elements are covered enough so that chicks can not get burned
-Heats quickly
-Quiet
-Holds a lot of eggs 42 standard chicken eggs in a turner
Cons:
-Styrofoam cheap material for cost
-Can be a pain in the butt to clean
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