Incubators for Emu Eggs

Welcome to the third issue of our guide to emu owning. This time around we’re going to be discussing the various options for incubators based on information collected from a variety of sources. We’ll walk through each incubator recommendation one by one, starting with what we use here at The Homesthed.

Dickey's Cabinet Incubators – Around $900.00

Here at The Homesthed we have opted to use the Dickey’s Cabinet Incubators and Hatchers. We selected these incubators for several reasons:

1. They are hand-made in America (Georgia) with high quality materials.

2. There are several customizations you can select; each incubator is made according to the purchasers’ specifications. You can request an incubator specifically meant for hatching ratite eggs.

3. They are cost effective and built to last with all machinery and electronics easy to replace.

4. They sell both an incubator with automatic turners and a hatcher with stationary shelves. You can also use these to hatch chickens, turkeys, ducks, quail, etc.

5. They can hold 36 eggs at a time.

There are some downsides to this incubator that we have found:

1. They are difficult to clean thoroughly.

2. We have found that we need to use a blanket to insulate and prevent fluctuating temperatures/humidity, even with the incubator inside our home.

3. The humidity must be manually adjusted.

4. Even with a blanket to insulate, I must check and adjust the humidity and temperature multiple times each day.

Link to Purchase: http://dickeyincubators.com/

Google Reviews: 4 stars

GQF Sportsman 1502 – Around $900.00

Some of the top breeders in the United States use this incubator with great success.

Julie at Emu Acres farms in Florida states:

“It holds 36-38 emu eggs [between] the three trays. I don’t use the bottom hatch box. When they pip, they get moved to one of my older GQF 1202s which act as the hatcheries […] Have tried other brands over the years, I will stick with the GQF Sportsman as it holds the temp perfectly. You may need to fenagle the humidity depending on where you live but I found the digital readouts perfect, never had a problem just an all-out perfect incubator for emu eggs. I bought their tray inserts for large eggs, quite honestly you could make your own for cheaper. But you definitely want to buy their trays – sturdy and well built. I like the digital board of the Sportsman 1502, offers you 1 or 2 hours turning and alerts you when the turning is happening which is nice because sometimes, I forget to turn the auto turner back on after moving eggs around.”

Here are some other reviews/comments for GQF incubators:

Mark Davis from Payson, UT: I’m a fan of the GQF, I’ve been lucky to find all of mine second hand and they work fantastic. I’ve had 2 of them for over 15 years and never had any major issues with them. I’ve heard from old timers that have used Dickey’s and they say it is basically a GQF. Best bang for your buck I would say is GQF.

Natalie Hampton Tegarden from Vancouver, WA: “I use an older model of the GQF Sportsman and I have a separate GQF cabinet hatcher. I cut a viewing window into the hatcher (installed plexiglass) and I use the bucket systems GQF sells that fills up the humidity tray so, less work. I’ve been very happy with the results, and it’s been reliable for many years.”

Link to Purchase: https://amzn.to/4cQVq12 (*we may earn a commission)

Egg Tray: https://amzn.to/4lXtVHu (*we may earn a commission)

Amazon Reviews: 4.2 Stars

NURTURE RIGHT 360

This incubator is great if you’re planning to hatch on a smaller scale. It is also affordable to purchase. You do need to make a few adjustments to the incubator to accommodate the emu eggs.

There isn’t a lot of feedback on these incubators as they are typically used on a small scale to hatch just a few eggs at a time.

I personally use one of these for chickens, turkeys, and quails and have had a lot of success with it. It is easy to manage humidity and temperature, and if you are able to buy additional turners for different sized eggs, it also has an auto-turner.

Link to Purchase: https://amzn.to/42Rddk1 (*we may earn a commission)

Risers: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1491574612/extender-with-slots-for-our-divider?ls=a&ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=nr+360+riser&ref=sc_gallery-1-7&frs=1&sts=1&search_preloaded_img=1&plkey=4b4468a5e15f2ff53784eba8826fefed2692c721%3A1491574612

Egg Turner: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1457195606/emu-rhea-nandu-etc-egg-turner-to-nurture?ref=items-pagination-1&frs=1&sts=1&logging_key=32be03a1bc4b19defb68e4c584260b24a76e7892%3A1457195606

Amazon Reviews: 4.5 Stars

MS Broedmachines MS50V – 574.99 euros

This incubator is made in Holland and may be difficult to get to the USA. This incubator will hold 6-9 emu eggs and offers automatic turning trays for emu eggs. They are said to hold temperature and humidity well while providing fresh air flow via a fan and large vents.

Link to Purchase: https://www.strangfordincubators.com/product/ms50v-incubator-automatic/

HOVA-BATOR

Model 2370

Genesis 1588

There are two Hova-Bator incubators that have been recommended for hatching emu eggs on a smaller scale:

The Genesis 1588 does not offer an automatic turner for larger eggs so you will be required to hand turn your eggs several times per day. It circulates the air, has a large viewing window, and shows humidity and temperature on a digital screen.

Link to Purchase: https://amzn.to/3YKw13x (*we may earn a commission)

The 2370 model has two smaller viewing windows, allows you to turn the air circulation fan on or off, and has a digital display for temperature and humidity.

Link to Purchase: https://amzn.to/44fyDtG (*we may earn a commission)

NATURAL HATCHING

Finally, you have the option of allowing your male emu to hatch his eggs naturally. This is going to provide you with the best temperature and humidity control. However, it can be less reliable as certain elements will be out of your control. If the male leaves the nest due to stress, you will lose the chicks. It also puts a lot of stress on the males as they will not eat or drink during the duration of their nesting. You also may limit the number of eggs your female is able to lay during the season. Once the male sits, he will no longer be breeding with his female.

FACEBOOK EMU OWNERS CLUB: https://www.facebook.com/groups/emuownersclub/

We highly recommend you join the Emu Owners Club on Facebook and read recommendations that have already been provided or ask questions of your own. This page hosts some of the top breeders in the United States as well as veterinarians and other emu lovers.