IncuView™ 3 Pro All-In-One Automatic Egg Incubator

This is our favorite countertop incubator to date. In fact, we were so satisfied that we ordered a second. Chicks are hatching as I write this review. The second is full of duck eggs and counting down the days.

The unit is solid and built quite well. Easy to assemble and start up. Automatic egg turner works flawlessly, smoothly rotating the eggs during incubation and stopping function during lockdown. The fact that it is a flat tray style and we didn’t have to remove it before hatch is great. Temperature and humidity gauges have been spot on. Easy to add and regulate water levels with the multi-tier reservoirs. We purchased the optional water tank that reduces the need to frequently monitor and add water. Awesome view of what’s going on inside.

Two things I would note:

First: The light function has variable timer settings, but it does limit to 30 seconds. I feel like this should be increased or even just the option to turn on/off manually would be better.

Secondly, and truly the only “negative” opinion: The little red wire probe just dangles inside. Works fine during incubation, but immediately after hatch the chicks really, really want to peck at the small red ball on the end. Which does cause the digital readings to jump around a bit. We ended up deciding to quickly open and start removing chicks as they become attracted to it. I think this could be easily corrected by adding a self adhesive clasp to the inside of the cover. (Which I intend to do before we start our next batch.)

All in all, these units are absolutely great so far and one of the simplest to operate. I recommend for new/novice hatchers that are looking for a simple, efficient and accurate incubator. As well as for seasoned folks that are looking to really automate and enjoy the ease of use.

The only thing I can’t speak to is longevity, as this is our first hatch using this incubator. However, given our experience up to this point, I think these are excellent units and have no reason to suspect that they wouldn’t hold up over time.

I purchased this incubator after fretting over the decision and spending way too many hours of reading and watching the chicken internet (there’s a lot of info and incubators out there!). Don’t know how the others compare, as this is my first bator, but I can attest to the ease and effectiveness of this one. It was super straight forward, easy to set up, easy to operate and worked well. I currently have 20 of 23 eggs hatched and at least one more working on it, maybe the other two. It’s pretty quiet for running 24/7 and didn’t wake me, the wife or 2 year old despite being ten feet from our bed. Kept temp really well. Humidity was pretty simple to adjust, though it took a few test runs to feel confident I could meddle with the caps/vents and achieve my desired outcome. I didn’t calibrate or use an external thermometer or hygrometer, which I’ve heard is extremely risky, bordering stupid. Worked out for me I guess, but I think I’ll invest in a thermo/hygrometer next time, as the humidity reading seemed spotty. It read consistently around 65% but the windows started steaming (condensation) and the humidity was still approx. the same. I started monitoring by the moister on the plastic viewing cover, and that worked for me. Too much and I’d open event, too little and I close them down. One thing to take particular note of: before going into lockdown, unplug the wire that connects the egg turning motor to the power. I woke up to one of my chicks with his head caught in it like a noose. Gave me a bit of a scare, but I was able to get it out quickly by unplugging it. If you do that beforehand, it wouldn’t be an issue. Also, I wasn’t totally thrilled with the countdown timer, as it didn’t really seem to change days on the 24 hour mark. In fact, it was 12 hours late on changing so I manually did myself to avoid confusion. In the end, that was just for peace of mind as I had all of my dates marked on a calendar for when to candle and go into lockdown, but the timer issue had me recounting and double checking my math on multiple occasions (all of which confirmed the timer was faulty, not my math). If I had let that go on automatic, I’m not sure it would have stopped turning on the actual day 18. All in all, this thing worked out phenomenally and I would highly recommend it to anyone wanting an easy to use incubator.

After about five years of nearly constant use, this incubator is still working very well!!
Pros:
1. Other incu-engines took me through a handful of hatch cycles and then would not turn on -- this little motor is still in tip-top shape!
2. Plastic is sturdy, the machine is well put together, light but not cheap. Aesthetically pleasing.
3. Convenient dome light turn on by pressing any button so you can see the eggs and see what you are doing.
4. Easy to check turn function.
5. Control panel is easy to operate. Every function is customizable. Hygrometer is built in. -- BUT the tiered filling system does not allow for perfect control of humidity.
6. Not perfect, but machine is a lot less reactive to surrounding temperature. I keep it covered in its shipping box to provide stable temperature for the eggs.
7. Seals well.
8. Water grooves are deeper, do not wet the eggs, as happened with previous models of the IncuView.
9. Water is added externally, preventing both overfilling and the need to disturb the eggs. There is a small reservoir visible on the outside to make certain the IncuView does not run out of water.
10. Room for lots of eggs!
11. Hatch rate is great every time.

Cons:
1. The egg rollers are rather wide. All but my largest eggs tend to rotate 75-90°, and not reach a full rotation, not even head over heels. Over the years, I have preferred to rotate the eggs by hand and have lost track of the rotating tray.
2. Water chamber caps fit loosely and can get knocked off if not careful. This does not disturb the function, but has resulted in lost parts over time.
3. Cleaning the IncuView3 is a chore because of the maze-like bottom on which the plastic grid rests, and the difficulty getting around the corners, especially under the reservoir. Paying more attention to my cleaning supplies would have helped some, but there are sharp rather than tapered corners, and I found it difficult to clean around everything.

I have two of the previous model and there are some things that I feel are good improvements over that model. 1) it seems to hold moisture better. I also like the side inlets for adding water. Previously, if the moisture got too low, I would be adding it in with an eye dropper and through the vent and the vent was very close to the motor. 2) the attached lid. I both like and dislike the lid being attached. I don’t have to worry about it sliding off when I am doing a chick grab, but it also makes it more difficult to clean 3) the extra vent is nice especially because I was using the one and only vent for the humidity pump. Now there is one for air and one for the pump. 4) the light. I used to use a bright flashlight to see inside, but it would often reflect back on the plastic. Now I can see better. Things I am not a fan of: 1) cleaning. The attached lid means I have to be more careful about how I clean it because the lid is attached and creaky. I also hate having to clean the channels. There are so many channels and it is difficult to clean them properly. 2) the display is dark and difficult to read unless you press the light button 3) minor, but I liked how the former model had written right on the top what the ideal humidity was for incubation and hatching.

So far the incubator is working great ; started with a clutch of goose eggs ; should hatch in another week . Easy set up ; holds temp. Humidity is pretty easy to keep up with . Really like it .