Incubators Anonymous

[Lacrystol]

You have no issues with them getting stuck with the minimal turning? I'm not throwing shade, I'm impressed! I'm hatching with broodies outside and have eggs going in the house. I'm trying dry hatch, seems way more reasonable and "natural"

LOL, I was thinking the same thing on the turning..... I do the dry method but NOT once a day turning?

 

[DMRippy]

 
People hatch eggs with a table top lamp.... so anything can work.  I do think people do FUSS too much.   I have a huge incubator.  I don't add water ever and my turner broke so I turn by hand once a day. I have GREAT hatches with no fuss....... Eggs are also lucky to get candled 2 times before they hatch.

Once a DAY???

Well I tried 3 times a day but could never remember the 3rd time. So twice a day puts them in the same position so once a day is all they get and do just fine.

 

[Lacrystol]

Well I tried 3 times a day but could never remember the 3rd time. So twice a day puts them in the same position so once a day is all they get and do just fine.

Once a day you risk them getting stuck to the side of the shell, I don't think I would want to take that risk, I mean sitting on the same position for 12 hours or more,... plus could cause some hatching issues, like deformity, I have seen chicks born with missing eyes, missing beaks, one leg shorter than the other, over grown heads, crooked beaks all because they were not turned properly the number of times. Good to hear that your not having any of these issues.

 

[sssharon]

I got my first baby last night out of 15 eggs. The chick was two days early and so far so so good. I have never had any that came two days early, usually one. This one is fine. She's on the hygrometer like she's a queen, and making lots of noise.
My incubator has been running steady at 100 degrees and 60 humidity. I usually have humidity at 65. That is just for those of you who wonder what a good temperature is for humidity. I see a lot of people asking that. 65 is what my last batch hatched out at 11 out of 12.

 

[DMRippy]

Quote: I would think those are ALL GENETIC issues not turning issues. Considering how many I hatch at a time, if that was true I would have a lot of issues. I set anywhere from 90-330 eggs at a time, my bator is ALWAYS full and hold 540 eggs, sometimes the hatcher is full too. So after hatching about 2500-3000 chicks a year.....I would see a problem because I don't do anything special to keep them from sticking. The point was people fuss too much over eggs. OH another example..... I picked up some birds from Jerry Foley. While I was there he offered me a couple of chicks... BOTH hatched in a bucket of eggs he left in the barn. No turning, not even regular temps during incubation.... both were fine. The data suggests no issues are caused by turning only once a day. I also think I read a vet who posted it is not a sticking issue it is more circulating oxygen is why we turn them.

I had one pen that produced some chicks with sever cross beaks, missing eyes maybe something else. It was genetic. Not sure why but the birds were unrelated and the their genes just didn't mix. I moved the hens to another pen and never saw that issue again. Not a turning issue.... isolated to one pen so GENETIC.

I AM NOT ADVOCATING ANYONE CHANGE THEIR TURNING METHODS. IF I HAD A FUNCTIONING TURNER I WOULD TURN THEM 6 TIMES A DAY. I DON'T AND ONCE A DAY IS WORKING FOR ME.

 

[Lacrystol]

I would think those are ALL GENETIC issues not turning issues. Considering how many I hatch at a time, if that was true I would have a lot of issues. I set anywhere from 90-330 eggs at a time, my bator is ALWAYS full and hold 540 eggs, sometimes the hatcher is full too. So after hatching about 2500-3000 chicks a year.....I would see a problem because I don't do anything special to keep them from sticking. The point was people fuss too much over eggs. OH another example..... I picked up some birds from Jerry Foley. While I was there he offered me a couple of chicks... BOTH hatched in a bucket of eggs he left in the barn. No turning, not even regular temps during incubation.... both were fine. The data suggests no issues are caused by turning only once a day. I also think I read a vet who posted it is not a sticking issue it is more circulating oxygen is why we turn them.

I had one pen that produced some chicks with sever cross beaks, missing eyes maybe something else. It was genetic. Not sure why but the birds were unrelated and the their genes just didn't mix. I moved the hens to another pen and never saw that issue again. Not a turning issue.... isolated to one pen so GENETIC.

I AM NOT ADVOCATING ANYONE CHANGE THEIR TURNING METHODS. IF I HAD A FUNCTIONING TURNER I WOULD TURN THEM 6 TIMES A DAY. I DON'T AND ONCE A DAY IS WORKING FOR ME.

NO, it's not a GENETIC ISSUE, different breeds with Different People.

HAY, if it works for you GREAT HANDS UP, I'm not trying to KNOCK your system, I just know from my Experience, turning once a day, is NOT in the game for me. I have come across WAY to many issues and have SEEN WAY to many problems with sometime like that..

So if your system works GREAT, I just don't want anyone to get the impression that it will work for everyone..

 

[Lacrystol]

And the embryo stuck to the side of the shell, is and will never be a genetic issue.

 

[DMRippy]

And the embryo stuck to the side of the shell, is and will never be a genetic issue. 

The issues you listed missing eyes cross beaks those ARE GENETIC.

 

[ladycat]

Once a day you risk them getting stuck to the side of the shell, I don't think I would want to take that risk, I mean sitting on the same position for 12 hours or more,... plus could cause some hatching issues, like deformity, I have seen chicks born with missing eyes, missing beaks, one leg shorter than the other, over grown heads, crooked beaks all because they were not turned properly the number of times. Good to hear that your not having any of these issues.

Let me tell you a true story.

I once filled a still air Styrofoam incubator with eggs and then forgot all about it. I mean COMPLETELY forgot about it for 21 days! No temperature adjustment, no water in the well, no turning of eggs.

I remembered it when I started hearing some mysterious peeping in the house and followed the noise to it's source. OOPS! How did I forget I set an incubator full of eggs????

That was one of the best hatches I ever got (almost 100% hatch rate!), and the chicks were all vigorous and healthy!

Of course I wouldn't want to repeat that incident, and I do make sure there's water in the wells and that the eggs get turned. Normally when I don't add enough water, I get shrink wrapped chicks. I figure that one time was a fluke and the ambient conditions happened to be right with the temp and humidity. The no-turning part of it mystifies me, though, unless I had elves in the house doing me a good turn (pun intended haha).

 

[sssharon]

This is my new chick, she was two days early. I think that's what I'll name her, early bird.