Do broody hens turn eggs

[jay873]

Do broody hens really turn eggs?
I don't think so I candled my broody hens eggs and they stay on the same side all day never are turned and I know because all the development is on only one side and in a Turner it's usually in the middle

Does not turning them really matter ?

 

[Chickassan]

She turns them.

 

[bobbi-j]

She turns them. How do you think chickens have managed to repopulate for thousands of years without human intervention? Trust your broody - she instinctively knows far more about incubating than we humans ever will.

 

[jay873]

I never turn eggs in my incubator and they hatch fine my egg Turner broke and i still have great hatched and that's what sparked this question

 

[R2elk]

I never turn eggs in my incubator and they hatch fine my egg Turner broke and i still have great hatched and that's what sparked this question

Then you have been really lucky. There are many studies done that prove that the more frequently the eggs are turned that the better the chicks do. The most important time for turning is early in the incubation period.

 

[microchick]

Hen turns them when she shifts position in the nest. Her feet slide over the eggs and that motion turns them.

I agree. You really need to turn your eggs at least 3 times a day. I turn mine 5 times in the incubator. What I do is write 1-2-3-4 on four sides of the egg to keep track of how they need to be turned and keep a log. What I read in my Brinsea hand book was to turn them so that you never are back on the first number at the end of the day. If you google 'why turn eggs in an incubator' you will find some pretty interesting articles about how turning the eggs aids in the embryo's development.

 

[17 chickens]

Trust in the birdie!!!