Did you know that around 80% of quails are farmed in China? Why not change this statistic and start hatching your own quail – we’ve made it easy with these five best quail incubators!
Quail eggs hatch in less than a month. Hatched chicks are very self-sufficient from the moment they hatch. In nature, they leave the nest straight after hatching to follow their parents around.
Quails only live for around three to five years and they mature when they’re only two months old, after which they’re ready to start mating.
Young quails are absolutely tiny, weighing only around 4 oz! That can make it difficult to find an incubator. However, we’re here to help!
- Best Quail Incubator Top 5
- 1. Best Budget Incubator: HBlife 9-12 Digital Automatic Incubator
- 2. Best Visibility: Harris Farms Nurture Right Incubator
- 3. Best Mid-Range: Farm Innovators 4250 Digital Circulated Air Incubator
- 4. Best Value: Kebonnixs 12 Egg Incubator
- 5. Best Quality: Brinsea Products Ovation 56 EX Automatic Incubator
- Final Thoughts
Best Quail Incubator Top 5
Read on for the best quail incubators, or check out our Complete Guide to Quail Farming for a ton of information about raising quail on your homestead!
1. Best Budget Incubator: HBlife 9-12 Digital Automatic Incubator
Despite its hilarious description (“has a good reputation from peasants in the rural area”), this is a great little incubator for your quail eggs. It holds nine chicken eggs and around 20 quail eggs.
This company offers a 100% money-back guarantee for the first 30 days and a year’s warranty. It’s easy to clean and easy to use and only takes up a very small space – you could hatch eggs on your kitchen bench!
The Pros
- Very easy to clean and use
- Great value for money
- Adjustable egg turner
The Cons
- Instructions can be a little hard to interpret
- Visibility is not as good as some of the other incubators
- Need to keep a close eye on the temperature – it may not be as consistent as it sounds
2. Best Visibility: Harris Farms Nurture Right Incubator
This incubator holds up to 22 chicken eggs, 12-18 duck eggs, and 22-24 pheasant eggs. It has excellent visibility, which is great for keeping an eye on your eggs, and kids will love it. It includes an automatic egg turner and stops turning the eggs three days before hatching day.
The downside with this incubator is that it isn’t specifically made for hatching quail eggs. Read some of the reviews about quail before you purchase – some users love it and some had issues with eggs cracking and chicks getting stuck in the bottom of the incubator.
Besides that, this is a high-quality incubator that you can use for many different types of eggs.
The Pros
- Fits 44-45 quail eggs
- High-quality construction
- Excellent visibility
The Cons
- For quail eggs, you need to be extra careful as this incubator is not specifically made for them. You may need to turn eggs by hand and allow extra space per egg or fit a quail rail
- Holes in the bottom are large, which can be dangerous for quail chicks
3. Best Mid-Range: Farm Innovators 4250 Digital Circulated Air Incubator
This incubator has excellent reviews and turns your eggs automatically every 4 hours. It’s easy to clean and has a built-in fan to circulate air and maintain the right temperature to improve your hatching rates.
It has space for 41 eggs, but small trays for quail eggs are sold separately.
The Pros
- Turns eggs automatically every 4 hours
- Easy to clean
- Includes egg candler
- Excellent value
The Cons
- Small quail egg tray is sold separately
4. Best Value: Kebonnixs 12 Egg Incubator
This incubator is easy to use and controls temperature and humidity automatically, updating every 3 seconds. Humidity is easy to control with an external water top-up point and humidity level display.
Includes an automatic egg turner with auto-stop before hatching day, as well as a built-in timer so you can track hatching time. LED egg candler is built-in as well so you can easily see your chick’s development.
This incubator is not built specifically for quail eggs but many people have successfully used it for quail. I recommend that you read their experiences before you buy, as you may need to buy a separate quail egg turner or turn by hand, as well as provide additional floor material so your tiny chicks don’t get stuck.
The Pros
- Great price
- Automatic egg turning as well as auto-stop before hatching day
- LED egg candler is awesome for tracking your chick’s development
The Cons
- Not built specifically for quail eggs
- You may need to buy a separate quail egg turner or turn by hand
- May need to cover the bottom to keep little chicks safe
5. Best Quality: Brinsea Products Ovation 56 EX Automatic Incubator
Brinsea’s incubator is fully automatic and includes its “Induced Dual Airflow” system, which helps it maintain exceptional temperature stability and excellent hatching conditions. This is the perfect incubator for the serious home breeder or anyone wanting the very best.
You have complete control over all the settings, and comprehensive alarms make sure you’re always on top of the whole process.
Brinsea offers a 3-year limited warranty and a wide range of accessories, such as different-sized egg trays for adjustability and versatility.
The Pros
- Exceptional quality
- Complete control over all the settings and alarms for reassurance
- Optional small/large egg carriers
- Standard egg carrier fits aprox 96 quail eggs, 96 pheasants, 56 chickens, 56 ducks
- Large egg carrier fits aprox 110 quail eggs, 95 pheasants, 35 chickens, 35 ducks, 15 geese
The Cons
- Pricey – but worth it
- Supplied with 8 standard egg carriers which can hold duck and chicken eggs. For goose eggs you need to purchase an optional large egg carrier (which is a set of 5)
Read More:
Final Thoughts
So, what are our top picks for the best quail incubator?
If you’re on a budget, we recommend either HBLife’s Digital Automatic Incubator, or Farm Innovators’ 4250 Incubator. Both of these would make an excellent choice but you will need to buy a separate quail trail for the Farm Innovators one.
Hatching your own eggs is a whole lot of fun, give it a go and let us know how you go. Or maybe you’ve hatched eggs before? Let us know your experiences!
