I’d separate this into two questions: do you enjoy building things, and do you want the incubator itself to become part of the hobby?
A homemade cabinet can work very well if you like tinkering and you’re willing to test it empty for a while before trusting eggs to it. The hard parts aren’t really the box. The hard parts are steady temp, air circulation, turning, humidity, and cleaning. People say “it’s just a warm box,” and technically that’s true, but a warm box that drifts a few degrees or has dead spots can ruin a hatch pretty fast.
If you want to buy instead of build, I’d stay away from the super cheap plastic/eBay style units for anything you actually care about hatching. They can work until they don’t, and then the money you “saved” disappears with the eggs.
For a smaller dependable setup, I’d look at something like the Hatching Time Pro24. It’s not a big cabinet incubator, but it’s a more serious tabletop option than the bargain models, with automatic turning and external water access so you’re not opening the lid every time humidity needs attention. That last part matters more than people think.
If you’re planning to hatch larger batches of turkeys/chickens every year, then I’d eventually look at a cabinet-style unit. But if you’re still in that middle zone where you want something reliable without turning the whole project into a build, I’d rather buy a solid smaller incubator and learn on that than gamble on another cheap one.
Whatever you choose, I’d run it empty for a few days with a separate thermometer/hygrometer before setting eggs. Don’t trust the built-in readings blindly.
