Do I have to buy the egg turner?

[JulieZ]

BirdLova,
I am sure someone else can lend their advice on what has worked for them. I'm in the same learning boat as you with incubation.

I lean fast that what is good for the goose, is not always good for the gander in bird situations. For example ... one photograph here on BYC is the mack daddy of chicken coops. The guy placed metal skirting on the bottom of his coop to keep out predators. Well, look at that ... I have old metal pool lining; I'll do the same thing. Guess what? I had ventilation issues. There was no inconsistency in his way of building the coop; it just didn't work for me. We have to wade through the advice ... better known as help ... to find a solution for our problems/issues/concerns. Sometimes it takes elbow grease & tears.

Welcome to BYC ...

 

[Ridgerunner]

Obviously whether you hand turn or get an auto turner is a personal choice. I chose an auto turner because:

1. I can leave the house for a day and even a night if I want to. Just make sure the water well is full.

2. The humidity issues

3. Every time you handle the eggs, you take a chance on getting oil/grime/bacteria on them or accidentally dropping an egg or the carton and cracking them. My arthritis doesn't make it any safer for me to handle fragile things, either individually or in cartons. I know you can wash your hands and be careful to take care of these potential problems, but I just like to keep it simple and not give myself the opportunity to mess up.

Other than the cost, the only downside to having a turner I can think of is that they move so slowly you might not notice it has quit working. I do try to pay attention to the positions of the turner when I check on it. I think the odds of me messing up trying to hand turn them is tremendously greater than the turner stopping working, but I'll mention it anyway.

If you connect to the eggs more by hand turning them, that is your choice. Have fun.