Can you hatch duck eggs without turning them?

[duck15]

Is that possbible? Can an egg hatch if it was in a standing position?

 

[greenfamilyfarms]

I suppose it could, but you run the risk of the yolk becoming stuck to the side of the shell.

You can incubate them in a standing position - that's the premise behind automatic egg turners. If you don't have an auto turner, you can make a turner out of an egg carton. Cut the top off of the carton, punch a hole in the bottom of each cup to allow the cup to drain in case water gets in, and place the eggs pointy end down in the egg cups. Place something under one side of the egg carton so it will tilt to one side. At least once during the day, move the wedge so the egg carton will tilt towards the opposite direction.

Now, if you decide not to do the egg carton approach (which most of the time results in a higher hatch rate), you can lay them down flat in the bottom of the incubator. Place an "X" and an "O" on opposite sides of the egg and hand turn them at least twice a day, with 3-4 times being ideal.

 

[duck15]

Ok thanks but how do i tilt the egg carton? I put something below it? On one side?

 

[aubreynoramarie]

I get a couple of books and just put them under the entire bator. That way you don't have to touch the eggs. Just alternate sides under the bator

 

[ingasmile]

What do you do for lock down? Just leave them in the cartons?

Thanks, Inga

 

[MommaBugg]

Quote:
the egg carton idea is interesting. I set my eggs last night on the bottom(no turner) couple questions

* is it too late to put them into a home made turner?

*how much of an incline is needed? is 45 deg angle ok?

* Also it says to take the turner out with 3 days till hatch date... do they still need to be turned after the turner is taken out?

*not quite sure what you mean by "move the wedge so the egg carton will tilt towards the opposite direction" do you mean to tilt it so its laying the oppisite direction, like up-ending it? like a see-saw.If thats the case will a paper towel tube work under the egg turner?

sorry for all the questions!

 

[Farmer_Dan]

you don't need to turn them during lock down so you can leave them in the cartons or lay them flat down on the wire. I like to lay them down flat. This guy uses cartons to hatch and it seems to work well but he has a tall hatcher that can handle it, mine is so short the poor babies can hardly stand up after they hatch.

http://cmfarm.us/cartonhatch.html


In fact, that guy has TONS of good info on his site.

 

[MommaBugg]

OK now the pointy side down may be a problem for my BO eggs, which seem to be perfectly round. I candled to look for an air sack but theyre too dark to see anything.

Also I set last night, is it too late to switch them to a home made turner?

 

[greenfamilyfarms]

Quote:
the egg carton idea is interesting. I set my eggs last night on the bottom(no turner) couple questions

* is it too late to put them into a home made turner?

*how much of an incline is needed? is 45 deg angle ok?

* Also it says to take the turner out with 3 days till hatch date... do they still need to be turned after the turner is taken out?

*not quite sure what you mean by "move the wedge so the egg carton will tilt towards the opposite direction" do you mean to tilt it so its laying the oppisite direction, like up-ending it? like a see-saw.If thats the case will a paper towel tube work under the egg turner?

sorry for all the questions!

It's not too late to put them in the carton, in my opinion. You'll need just enough incline (30-45 degrees) to keep the yolk moving around inside the egg.

About the wedge issue - It's hard to explain, but yes, like a see-saw. Tilt one side up, then the other. Or you could do what somebody else suggested and just tilt the entire incubator so you don't have to open up the incubator.

We have an auto turner, but we just turn it off at the 3 day mark and let them hatch upright in the turner. No issues with that so far. Plus, it keeps the eggs from rolling around in the bottom during the hatch.

 

[MommaBugg]

Any ideas on round eggs? Should I just leave those on their side for now(which I still have on their side) Maybe I shouldnt worry about them being in the turner? I just don want to end up putting them wrong side down!

Can round BO eggs be viable? I tried candeling them to no avail. I will try marking and taking pics, maybe looking at them from a diff point of veiw will help?