Does a broody stop turning eggs at day 18 ?

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pascopol

pascopol

Songster
11 Years
Jan 6, 2009
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Tampa Bay
Here is a question for those who like to think, not just follow (talking chicken eggs ). If she keeps turning them until hatch why it is recommended to take eggs off the egg turner or stop turning them (manually) at day 18?

If she does not (stop turning them) why bother to stop turning them (at day 18) ?

Also does the broody increases humidity at day 18? I am sure this one will raise some ayebrows.

I just like to think out of the box ....

sometimes.

smile.png
 
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What the hen does with eggs is the NATURAL way..she doesn't have to turn them 4 times a day..or stop turning them. Whatever she does..she does it right.
When you incubate an egg..you are doing it by artificial means. Trying to duplicate humidity, and all the other things that a hen can provide naturally.
So..whatever she does always seems to work..with an incubator the slightest change will mess up a hatch. Guess we should leave it all to nature..they know best...lol.
 
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I do appreciate your take , at least you are one of the few who realize that "we just do not know".

So why we should quit turning them at day 18?

There is lots of questionable "widely followed general opinions" about proper hatching and raising birds in general.
 
Along these same lines is the advise to not open the incubator too frequently lest the eggs chill. I had a broody get back on the wrong nest and 11 Ameraucana eggs were ice cold when I found them at 9:00 at night. That was 10 days ago and last night when I candled them all 11 were right on schedule to hatch next week.
 
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Here we go!

I had one coturnix egg hatched 24hrs AFTER I took it from my bator (giving up on remaining eggs) this egg was covered with other dead eggs but it hatched, surfaced and survived.

Amazing exemple of a victorious LIFE and wiil to live ! ! !
 
I asked the other day if a hen went into lockdown, my eggs are due to hatch friday, I have 2 broodies that get off the nest daily they are on 1 nest sharing the eggs they are getting plenty of turning because they are going from 1 nest hole to the other, think they will hatch dizzy someone said a hen knows when the eggs are going to hatch the last few days and will sit the nest without moving I think if a hen does that the humidity will automatically go up (only a guess) but I'll let you know if they actually go into lockdown and I'll try to get the humidity under at least 1 of them, just have to wait till my quail eggs hatch out of the incubator on monday to get the thermometer out lol.
 
If the mother hen didn't turn her eggs multiple times a day, then the embryos would stick to the shells and have deformed development. So yes, they do turn them; it's part of the brooding instinct. Also the purpose of stopping the turning at day 18 is to give the chicks a chance to position themselves to pip through the shell. A hen can hear the chicks peeping in the egg too and clucks to encourage them to hatch.
 

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