GQF 1588 Genesis Hova-Bator

Don't let the styrofoam fool you, this incubator works! i had a little giant (very cheap and did NOT work well for me) i like the fact that this keeps track of the humidity and temperature, it comes set to the correct temp and i never had to mess with it. I do have to add water about every day, the instructions say every 3 days or so, but its much more often than that..but i open it each day a couple times to turn the eggs anyhow. Today my Sebastopol Geese have pipped and will hatch this weekend right on schedule!! I would recomend this if you are a novice..super easy and you can see, it would be great for a classroom as well. LOVE this incubator! it's not as expensive as a Brinsea (which i also have and love) and works as well. worth the money.

I’ve had this unit setup for a little over 24hrs and it has held the temperature by .2 degrees. This has been verified by 3 calibrated thermometer/hydrometers but digital and analog. This unit is super easy to set up and get running. I first had a farm innovator and I got different readings from all over the incubator but this one has equal temp anywhere you put the thermometer. First hatch to go in within a couple days. For a styrofoam unit the quality is very good and it has a huge window for viewing. Looks great !!! As of now I would buy again a 100 times over.

Like most users of this device, I could tell as soon as I set it up that it was going to be a superior unit compared to the other incubators I have tried. Even in a relatively cool dining room averaging about 60 degreesF , this unit is maintaining a precise temp of 100F (and humidity currently holding at around 45%). Also like many others, my primary complaint has to do with the price for what you are getting. Now, I realize the people that manufacture and sell these things are just taking advantage of supply and demand in the current market of 'everybody and his brother' keeping chickens. However, for this price there are a couple simple additions to this unit that can and should be effected by the manufacturer: number one, PLEASE, Hova Bator people, install a small window on the lower front side of the unit designed such that water levels in the base can be easily viewed. For a factor as critical as humidity, monitoring and replenishing water reserves should be MUCH easier. The other annoying feature (again, as everyone who has any complaint seems to point out) is that this unit, being composed primarily of styrofoam, is impossible to completely sanitize! I can't imagine why a company would produce an item that is stated as being for long-term use yet, make it inherently difficult to keep clean. One dud egg exploding or leaking in this thing could ruin it seems to me. Otherwise, I am duly impressed with this unit and will report here on my hatch success as soon as my current clutch of 40 shows themselves. Jan 2015 hatch Update: I ended up with a bit of a "too much of a good thing" situation with my first hatch in this unit. Over a three-day period, I had 27 of 40 eggs successfully hatch which was Wonderful compared to previous attempts with other incubators HOWEVER, upon investigating why the rest of the eggs did not hatch, I found that 37 of the 40 eggs were essentially, full term but did not hatch out because (and I am nearly certain of this) the hatched chicks were SO healthy that they disrupted the unhatched eggs as they were motoring around drying off prior to removal to the brooder. As most experienced hatchers know, that last couple of days are critical for the proper positioning of the chick within the egg so as to emerge correctly and not drown in their own fluid. That is why it is so IMPERATIVE that rocking or movement of the egg be completely eliminated just prior to hatching. In my opinion, this unit should be able to be compartmentalized with a removable barrier so energetic newly hatched chicks can be immediately separated from unhatched eggs. My next hatch, I am going to jury-rig my own post-hatch barrier and probably reduce the number of eggs by about 25%. Pictured, are a portion of the hatch at about 8 weeks.

I can build an incubator for $20, especially after seeing how simple this is. Why pay $150? There are a few benefits. #1 Quality of the heating element and digital display is good. Set it and forget it. Building your own will require constant temperature adjustments which may lead to bad hatch rate. #2 Water tray. Humidity is all about surface area and the tray makes maintaining humidity very easy. Ultimately I think this incubator is still a little over priced, but what you get is a very solid performer. Mine has been running without stop for 4 months now. UPDATE: After running without stop for 5 months the control module failed. I lost 37 chicks just two days before hatch. It was a painful loss. I contact GQF about my problem, and they responded very quickly via email and mailed out a replacement the same day on warranty. Two days later (Wednesday) I had the new part installed and a fresh batch of chickens in the incubator. Fast quality service makes GQF a reliable company that im glad to do business with.

I have 2 of these Genesis 1588 incubators and IMO they are the best incubator you can buy before stepping into the $500+ range. The digital readout and electronic thermostat control are a must have. I always double check the incubator readouts against a thermometer/hygrometer and the Genesis is always a steady 100*f. Its also very easy to regulate the humidity inside, just add small amounts of water at a time. If you are busy like me and don't have time to babysit a 'bator all day, this is a great way to hatch eggs without all the fuss. I also bought the GQF auto turners so I can pretty much set and forget :) I would definitely recommend the Genesis 1588 to beginners and experienced hatchers alike, its a great machine to learn the ropes in and its not complicated at all. Some of you may wonder, is a hunk of styrofoam really worth that cost when I can get one for fifty bucks at the farm store? The answer is YES , you get what you pay for and this incubator is SO much easier to work with than one of those cheapo bators. Reasons: 1-Heating The cheapo has a turn knob thermostat, meaning you have to run it for hours then adjust hotter/cooler, then wait hours again to see if you need to adjust it again. If you run it in an air conditioned room, the temp inside the bator will rise and fall with the room temp meaning you can breach the two degrees too high mark and kill all the embryos in the bator. The 1588 has an electronic control that can be set to different temperatures, 100*f for chicken eggs, and your temp won't get above the set temp because the heat will auto turn off, so no dead embryos. 2-Humidity The cheapo is SO hard to add water to if you are incubating with a turner, the turner sits right over top of the water reservoir so you actually are pouring water right over the eggs. The 1588 has the turner stationed to the side of the reservoir, so you wont splash the eggs when adding water. There are also multiple water channels so bumping up the humidity at hatch time is very easy. So if you are looking for a great incubator on a budget, I definitely recommend the GQF Genesis 1588. You won't be sorry you spent the extra $ to get the good stuff.

Worked great no problems. Had great hatch rate!👍

This is probably the best Mid level Incubator you can purchase. It is very easy to use and set up. Is also easy to store. You will need to manually control humidity in this unit unlike some more expensive incubators. I would highly suggest investing in an automatic egg turner. Other than that we have had very good luck with this model. Parts are also available if needed.

First the positive. The heating fan is excellent. It updates ever few seconds so can see it update live. The temp is in tenths and appears very accurate. The humidity read out also updates every few seconds and also appears accurate. The negative. The thing is just a styrofoam box. For such a high cost I would expect to at least have a plastic shell to protect it. As it is, it's very delicate and if you don't spend even more for automatic the egg turner you'll find that constant opening and closing will take it's toll on the styrofoam. To keep the humidity were you want it, you pour water into the the tray underneath the eggs, which means your humidity will be fine and and then drop dramatically when the tray is dry. (Depending on how long the heating element needs to be running.) This also means more wear and tear on the styrofoam. In conclusion, while the heating fan is great, I don't believe it justifies the price tag, since the body is just styrofoam. Also, alarms would be nice. That way if temp or humidity aren't were you want them it could beep or something.

It works great so far.. I have eggs in right now, the temperature and humidity is stable, and I have great confidence that I will ihave good result. It closes tight and much more solid that my previous incubator.

Easy to use and holds the temperature evenly. Have only had it in use for a few days so can not speak for a full time incubation and hatch.

I love my new incubator... its seems made well and the lid fits snuggly.. its quiet while running and has a large window for viewing my eggs... I'm very pleased with it so far.

I love the big window. I used the temperature & humidity & it worked with the one hatch that I did. 95% hatch so I’m happy!!

Edit to add: The company sent me a new lid to replace the broken one. I’ve now been using this incubator for years and have never had a single issue. The 1588 is my favourite incubator and always will be. I’m on a farm and have 12 incubators running at a time and my Hovabators are all the best, most reliable incubators. I have always loved this incubator and recommend it to anyone but this time it showed up damaged. I have a few of them full and was so happy when this one finally arrived so I can get all my eggs in it and the plastic is broken and has chunks all stuck between the glass. Not too impressed this time around!