I keep bantam chickens in my backyard. I have been keeping them for something like 24 years now.
Recently, I just bought myself an incubator (Note: a Lazada Malaysia affiliate link ). It wasn't an easy decision - I've always preferred letting my hens hatch eggs the natural way. There's something deeply satisfying about watching a broody hen patiently tend to her clutch, the way nature intended. But after losing three hens in the past six months and seeing a steady decline in hatching success, I finally hit panic mode. The uneven rooster-to-hen ratio (around 2:1) didn't help either.
Gone are the days when a single hatch would give me four or five healthy chicks per hen. That was 15 or 20 years ago. These days, I'm lucky if I get two chicks out of five or six eggs. At first, I wondered if something was wrong with my flock - were my hens getting older? Was there a hidden disease? But the more I thought about it, the more I kept coming back to one glaring change: the heat.
Extreme high temperatures have become much more frequent here, and I can't help but blame that for my hatching woes. Eggs are sensitive; too much heat can kill developing embryos or prevent fertilization altogether. My hens still go broody, but the results just aren't the same.
So, I caved and bought an incubator. It feels like admitting defeat in a way - like I'm stepping in where nature should handle things. But if climate extremes are the new normal, maybe a little backup isn't such a bad idea.
My Incubator: Features and First Impressions
I bought my incubator from Lazada Malaysia (Note: a Lazada Malaysia affiliate link).
Here's what I've learned so far:
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Size & Capacity: 12" x 9" x 8" (fits 12 eggs, as advertised).
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Assembly: Required, but the included instructions made it straightforward.
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Temperature Control: Yes (essential!). Default is set to 37.8 degrees, so there is nothing to thinker with here with my chicken eggs.
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Humidity Control: Surprisingly missing. Thankfully, I had a spare hygrometer on hand.
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Automatic Water Device: Included, but I don't use it. It tends to flood the base, making humidity control tricky. Instead, I add water manually via the included water replenishment device.
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Small Spray bottle: Included but I don't use it. I don't want to contaminate the eggs with bacteria.
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Plastic netting: Included but hard to keep it flat in shape.
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Bonus Features:
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Automatic Egg Turner: Rotates eggs slowly every 2 hours (~90 degrees per turn). I put markers on the rollers to confirm that it is working. Also, by pressing the '+' will activate the egg turning motor, ideal for testing.
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LED Light for Candling: A handy addition for checking embryo development.
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Dual power supply 240V/12V (clips for 12V battery included)
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But ... the connectors to the egg turning motor comes of easily. Not too sure if I had a bad copy but I shim the connector with a piece of thick paper and it seems to hold. Because of this, I need to observe that the egg turning feature is working from time to time. It's not perfect, but for the price, it's a solid start.
I'll report back after my first hatch!
Final Thoughts & Questions for Readers
Has anyone else noticed a decline in natural hatching success? Do you think weather changes are affecting your flock, or have you found other factors at play? And for those who use incubators, any tips for a first-timer? I'd love to hear your experiences!
Buy chicken egg incubators from Amazon.com
(Note: An Amazon.com affiliate link)
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