Poultry
Choosing the right egg incubator for your poultry farm
Capacity, turning, temperature control and power backup — what to look for so you get high hatch rates.
· 2 min read
An incubator is one of the best investments a poultry farmer can make — but only if it matches how many chicks you want to hatch and the conditions on your farm. Here is what to check before you buy.
1. Start with capacity
Work backwards from your target: how many chicks do you want per batch, and how often? Remember that not every egg is fertile and not every fertile egg hatches, so plan for more eggs than the number of chicks you need.
- Up to ~100 eggs: kienyeji farmers, hobbyists and farmers testing the market.
- 200–600 eggs: growing farms hatching for their own flock and selling day-old chicks locally.
- 1,000+ eggs: commercial hatcheries with a steady egg supply.
Buying far bigger than you can fill wastes power — an incubator uses roughly the same electricity whether it is full or half empty.
2. Automatic turning is essential
Eggs must be turned several times a day during incubation. Manual turning is easy to forget and opening the door often causes temperature swings. Choose a machine with automatic turning and check that the trays suit the eggs you hatch (chicken, duck, quail, guinea fowl).
3. Accurate temperature and humidity control
Most chicken eggs are incubated at about 37.5 °C for 21 days. Humidity is kept moderate for most of the cycle and raised for the last few days (the "lockdown") to help chicks break out of the shell. Look for:
- a digital controller with a clear display,
- a humidity reading, not just temperature,
- an alarm for high or low temperature.
4. Plan for power cuts
Power interruptions are a leading cause of poor hatches in Kenya. Before you buy, decide how you will keep the incubator running during an outage: a battery/inverter backup, a solar kit or a generator. Some incubators support dual power (AC and 12 V DC) — ask us which models do.
5. Ventilation, cleaning and candling
Developing embryos need fresh air, so the incubator should have proper vents and a fan. Removable trays make cleaning and disinfection between batches easy. Candle eggs around day 7 and day 18 to remove infertile or dead eggs.
6. After-sales support matters
Ask about the warranty, spare parts (heating elements, fans, controllers) and who will help you set up your first batch. A cheap machine without support can cost more in failed hatches.
Not sure which size to get? Tell us how many chicks you want per month and your power situation, and we'll recommend a model — chat with us on WhatsApp.