I ordered this incubator to hatch eggs to support our brood of girls this spring. We try to keep our hen count around 80 but they totally free range our 20 acre property and over the last year we have lost several to predators and some heath issues. We have been replenishing our group with chicks from the local chain feed store but have not had great success with them and it gets very expensive. So, we decided to try and incubator. We plan to try it in like March when spring comes to increase our chances of success. This incubator is very large and can hold up to 24 eggs which is better than many on the market plus it has room under the large dome for the birds to hatch and free themselves from their egg. The machine comes with directions but I feel like they could be a bit more thorough for people new to using incubators. There are so many features like very smooth operation, nice temperature monitoring, and humidity control. You have to add a bottle of water to the machine to add humidity and the bottle is not included but any 8 to 12 oz water bottle will work. The buttons and settings seem very straight forward to understand and use. The machine has some weight to it and seems very sturdy and well built. A very quality purchase. I can’t wait for spring to get here and to raise our own baby chicks!