Egg Incubator for Sale in South Africa

What an egg incubator does

An egg incubator replaces the broody hen. It keeps fertile eggs at a steady temperature (about 37.5 °C for chicken eggs), holds humidity in the right band and turns the eggs several times a day so the embryo does not stick to the shell. Get those three things right for 21 days and a good batch of fertile eggs will hatch well.

A digital egg incubator machine does all three automatically. You set it once, top up the water and check the display. That is the difference between a hatch rate you can plan a business around and one that changes every batch.

Incubator for chicken eggs and other poultry

Most of our customers hatch chicken eggs: broilers, layers and indigenous breeds such as Potchefstroom Koekoek and Boschveld. The same machines also hatch duck, quail, guinea fowl and turkey eggs. Capacities on this page are given for chicken-size eggs; you fit fewer duck eggs and more quail eggs per batch.

How to choose the right size

Pick the size you can fill with fertile eggs every batch. A half-empty incubator costs the same power to run as a full one.

• 360 to 720 eggs: backyard breeders and small farms hatching their own replacement birds or selling a few hundred day-old chicks.
• 1,056 to 2,000 eggs: growing farms selling chicks every three weeks.
• 2,900 to 6,000 eggs: commercial broiler, layer and indigenous-chicken farms.
• 10,000 to 20,000 eggs: hatcheries supplying other farmers.

Not sure? Tell us how many chicks you want per month and we will suggest a size.

Egg incubator settings for every type of egg

One egg incubator hatches chicken, duck, quail, guinea fowl and turkey eggs. You change the settings and the number of days:

These are starting points for a forced-air egg incubator; follow your machine's manual where it differs. More detail: egg incubator temperature and humidity chart · how long eggs take to hatch.

How to use an egg incubator in 5 steps

1. Set up and stabilise. Place the incubator in a room without draughts or direct sun, add water and run it empty for 24 hours until temperature and humidity are steady.
2. Set fertile eggs. Use clean eggs no more than about 7 days old, stored cool. Let them reach room temperature first.
3. Let it turn and check daily. The incubator turns the eggs; you top up water and glance at the display.
4. Candle the eggs. Around day 7 and day 14, shine a light through the eggs and remove clear or stopped ones (how to candle eggs).
5. Lockdown and hatch. Three days before hatch day, stop turning, raise humidity and keep the door shut until the chicks are dry.

Full guide: how to use an egg incubator. Hatch rate disappointing? See why eggs don't hatch.

Egg incubator features that make a difference

• Automatic egg turning on a timer, so you never miss a turn. Why turning matters.
• Digital temperature and humidity control with a display you read without opening the door.
• A fan (forced air) so every tray stays at the same temperature. Forced air vs still air.
• Low running cost and a plan for power cuts: electricity use · load shedding.
• Local warranty and support: 2 years, with help by phone and WhatsApp.

Why buy your egg incubator from IncubatorPro

We are based in Gauteng and deliver nationwide. Every egg incubator for sale on this page comes with a 2-year warranty and setup training, and you can pay cash on delivery if you would rather see the machine before you pay. See the full incubator price list or compare our small incubators and hatchery machines.