Do I have to buy the egg turner?

[JulieZ]

Bought my 1st LG incubator a few hours ago. Do I "have too" buy the egg turner or can I turn the eggs 2-3 times a day on my own as they lay on the metal screen? Seems I should make some kind of something to hold the eggs?

I've read so much & thought I had it until the LG arrived home. Where it went after that ....

 

[kbeagle]

Quote:
You would need to turn the eggs 2-3 timea a day, but i would suggest to you to get a egg turner, and make your life easier. and with the egg turner, all u have to do is check on the water. trust me. GET A AUTO EGG TURNER.

 

[abooth]

I always turned by hand when I used an incubator. They say you should turn an odd number of times per day 3 or 5. This is so the eggs don't sit on the same side through the longer overnight period every night. I just laid the eggs on their sides and marked one side of each egg with an X and one side with an O to help keep track of the side.

 

[Sir Birdaholic]

You can, & I have turned the eggs by hand. If you buy the turner, you'll be glad you did. It gets tireing turning 3 times a day after a while, & every time you lift the lid to turn the eggs, your humidity is lost. Get the turner.

 

[JulieZ]

Is this insane or what? Spending $40 for one part of an incubator, then another $40 for the other & that's on the cheap end ... all for chickens?

I kind of like the personal side of turning the eggs myself B-U-T .............

 

[aprophet]

Quote:
Me too but the first coupla hatches I did there were only 30-40 eggs I work for myself and in between calls I turned the eggs the one hatch where I was turning 68 eggs that is what caused me to shoot the lock off my wallet and buy a auto turner. the last coupla hatches have been so uneventful the last 2 hatches I have had 100% hatches with a hova bator and homemade hatchers

good luck

 

[sonjab314]

It all depends. I tried to turn by hand first. I am too scatterbrained for this. I kept forgetting to turn them. I bought a turner and I couldnt be happier. I think it depends on how many irons you have in the fire and how well your memory works.

 

[Bedste]

I use card board egg cartons. I cut the tops off and place them in the bator with some space between them. I tilt them to one side and then the other side and then I lay them flat. That is how I turn my eggs 3 or 5 times a day.... I use a twig under the edge to tilt them. Very easy easy. and they hatch in the egg carton too.... WOW.... so much less mess

 

[zazouse]

I would recommend one ,especially with a LG they are so touchy that just taking off the lid can cause unwanted fluxuations and worries.

I even added water to mine threw a tube i keep in there so i did not have to open it to add water.

I mainly use mine for a hatcher, as i have a hovabator also.

Good luck,

 

[BirdLova]

ahhhhh! I am going crazy, trying to figure out the right way to hatch my expensive peacock eggs. This is my first batch, and yes I have already made the mistake of getting "good" eggs for my first run.

Although this website is a Great help, there seems to be So many inconsistantcies in the "right" way to do things.

-let mail order eggs settle 24 hours/ 6 hours/ and lady who sold me eggs says "get them in the bator asap!"
-humidity 30% / 90% and one lady who sold me eggs says just "keep the water tray full all the time" LOL
-turn eggs by hand 3 times a day Even with a auto turner/ use an auto turner and never open the bator unless it need water

I have a 1588 so it has a fan, but I am not sure if I should buy the auto turner,
I can remember to turn by hand, but probably not at the exact same time everyday;
if I do buy it, should I still hand turn eggs daily also?
And with or without the auto turner, hand turning the eggs 3 times a day will drop the temp and humidity, so will this be a problem?

It seems like some folks get great results just using a cardboard egg carton and twig to tilt it back and forth, but can it be that simple to get a good hatch rate with all birds?

Anybody reccomend a good reference book that list proven hatch rates and results for time tested methods for incubating and brooding peafoul?

Thanks!

ps- sorry I don't see a spell check tab here