Just because ostrich eggs are bigger, simply scaling up hen egg incubators is not the way to go. Looking at large incubators may not be the answer; consider the advantages of using smaller incubators with excellent humidity, temperature and airflow characteristics and control. Ostrich eggs need slightly lower temperatures than most species, around 36oC instead of 37 to 37.5oC. They also require lower humidity as their shell porosity is lower and so lose water less quickly. Another important difference is the wide variability of shell porosity from one ostrich egg to another. It makes sense to incubate them at medium humidity for about 10 of the 42 days, then separate into batches according to weight loss and place them in incubators with their humidity regulated to the appropriate regime.

The Brinsea Octagon 100 and 250 taking 6 and 12 ostrich eggs (equivalent to 180 and 360 hen eggs) respectively provide the well controlled environment necessary. Their all round OmnithermTM heating coupled with its unique cylindrical shape provides a gentle vortex of air creating excellent thermal stability. The sophisticated proportional control maintains stability to within +/-0.2oC and the H100 Humidity Module can maintain constant levels between 20 to 80%RH. Three or four Octagon 100s or 250s, fitted with H100 Humidity Modules, would create the best range of environments for incubating ostriches in batches.