Call duck eggs & turners

[MuranoFarms]

I just ordered some call duck eggs and I'm trying to learn as much as I can about incubating them. I read somewhere not to put them in the turner. Is there a reason why? Or is that not true?

Thanks!

 

[duckluck]

I have had several people tell me this is so...I don't know so much about *not* having them in an automatic turner, but that they do need to be turned by hand. A person who has not hatched call eggs specifically but who has hatched goose eggs says that the likely reason for this is that they require a more complete turn than what you can get with an automatic turner so that they don't stick to the shells. He said that geese need a full 180 turn. I can tell you that thus far, despite having great fertility right now, my call embryos are not hatching, they're not even pipping, so the next batch I set will be strictly hand turned and we'll see how that goes.

 

[TennesseeTruly]

I have a turner but I don't use it for Call duck eggs. I have a 100% hatch rate with Call duck eggs right now, hand turning them. Why change when I have such an excellent hatch rate? I have 24 eggs in the incubator right now and as of yesterday it looks like I may have 20 that are fertile. But they've only been in the incubator since the 6th.

Good luck!

Laurie

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

You should handturn, unless you have a type of incubator the the brinseas where the whole incubator sits on a turning cradle. I have always have had great hatches by turning them that way, but once I tried the yellow hovabator turner, I got horrible results.

 

[duckluck]

Does anybody know *why* they are hand turning them, though? I mean, besides the fact that you are getting good hatches that way...what is the actual physiological reason, do you think, why this is so? The same reason I stated above that I was told, or something else?

 

[MuranoFarms]

I have an LG. Should I use cartons, or lay them on their sides?

Or...use a turner, but make sure I turn them the full 180 every day?

 

[destinduck]

for me i used a forced air hovabator with auto turning tray great hatch rate BTW I always misted the eggs about 3 to 5 times a day plus water always in bottum full works great and if when ya mist em hand turn too wont hurt may help best of both GOOD LUCK

 

[swheat]

Has anyone use the goose dividers for the GQF/Dickey egg trays? I was wondering it they were any better than using a egg tray, this separator allows you to lay the eggs on their sides..and they gently roll just a bit. Egg are placed on the outside and middle rows, not in the middle of the V.