Does a broody stop turning eggs at day 18 ?

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Oh, and forget to tell you that this theory is not right for sure. In commercial hatcheries, an incubator and a hatcher are different machines, a chick is never "born" inside a incubator, so they could never be entangled in the turners because the hatcher don't have turners.
Check this video just to see an example http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vea2I7V-PnQ
or
this one
 
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Your incubator will not turn the eggs as the hen does, she do it randomly some times just 5 degrees. But your incubator will keep rolling them all at a defined angle and defined period, which will reduce the hatching percentage if you let it turn them after 18 day because the chick will always have his position completely scrambled.
Tell us the results of your experience.

If you were familiar with Brower or Lyon turners you would know they do not turn eggs "perfectly" mesuring in angles. They roll them unlike GQF type "swinging" turner or Sportsman bator which would "turn" all eggs at the same angle (90 degrees total).

You are saying hen turns the eggs just 5 degrees by some kind of instinct? She will turn them at random (agreed) and some of them would have their position "completely scrambled" and she still hatches sometimes 100% just as some quality bators do.
 
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What I mean was that sometimes the hen turns them 5º, sometimes 90º, sometimes 0º, sometimes 360º which is the same as 0º, sometimes 31.35235754º... they turn them at a random angle, and also never two eggs get the same angle.
I don't know how that specific incubator works. But for sure can be considered more regular than a brood hen? (being more regular will constantly scramble the chick position inside the eggs)
 
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Quote:
Oh, and forget to tell you that this theory is not right for sure. In commercial hatcheries, an incubator and a hatcher are different machines, a chick is never "born" inside a incubator, so they could never be entangled in the turners because the hatcher don't have turners.
Check this video just to see an example http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vea2I7V-PnQ
or
this one

Very impressive videos.
 
Quote:
Oh, and forget to tell you that this theory is not right for sure. In commercial hatcheries, an incubator and a hatcher are different machines, a chick is never "born" inside a incubator, so they could never be entangled in the turners because the hatcher don't have turners.
Check this video just to see an example http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vea2I7V-PnQ
or
this one

The fact commercial hatcheries switch to hatchers at day 18 does not negate my theory.

IT CONFIRMS IT!

Since eggs are switched to hatchers they are not turned anymore, but the broody hen turns them and moves them around until they hatch, weather anybody likes it or not.
 
Quote:
Oh, and forget to tell you that this theory is not right for sure. In commercial hatcheries, an incubator and a hatcher are different machines, a chick is never "born" inside a incubator, so they could never be entangled in the turners because the hatcher don't have turners.
Check this video just to see an example http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vea2I7V-PnQ
or
this one

The fact commercial hatcheries switch to hatchers at day 18 does not negate my theory.

IT CONFIRMS IT!

Since eggs are switched to hatchers they are not turned anymore, but the broody hen turns them and moves them around until they hatch, weather anybody likes it or not.

Knowing hatchery machinery may cost up to 500,000$ do you think they stop moving the eggs because the machine lacks capabilities? If there was any advantage in turning them until hatch day for sure hatcher machines will have turners to. The companies that make the machines didn't invent their own way of incubating, they mimic the natural way, although they may optimize it in way that may reduce costs, if reducing costs means stop turning the eggs, for sure they know that stopping turning them doesn't reduces hatch rate because reduced hatch rate is increasing costs.

Also, checking that marked eggs are not in the same positions than they were yesterday, after the 18 day(per example), doesn't means that the chicken moved the eggs on purpose, just sitting, get up, stretching a wing, making herself comfortable in the nest may move the eggs some degrees (which for an observer may look they have been turned periodically), and this movement observed is completely different than a periodic turning of the eggs as an incubator does!

Show us the results of your experiment.
 
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Hi! I don't know why I didn't mention this before, except it wasn't what you were asking initially.
I put a hygrometer under a hen and it read 50% - 55% through the entire incubation. The only time it read over 55% was when after the first chick hatched. The hen didn't do anything to raise humidity--- because she'd kept humidity PERFECT the entire time.
It's tough to replicate that in an incubator, without seeing drowned or shrinkwrapped chicks. *I think* that's why the 'dry incubation' method came along. Maybe?
smile.png

Lisa
 
I have a sportsman incubator. I generally have 3 trays of eggs with 3 different hatching dates. I keep the turner on auto until I hear chirping from 1 of the trays. I then manually turn the trays with the switch, making sure no chicks are under the metal bars.I don't have to open the incubator to do this. While they hatch, I only turn a couple times a day. If there is a chick that just won't move and would be crushed, I simply stop turning until they move or the hatch is done. Since I always do it this way, I cannot say if hatches would improve if I changed methods. Most of the chicks that develop end up hatching for me.I have some quitters at the end, but not that many...................
 
Quote:
The fact commercial hatcheries switch to hatchers at day 18 does not negate my theory.

IT CONFIRMS IT!

Since eggs are switched to hatchers they are not turned anymore, but the broody hen turns them and moves them around until they hatch, weather anybody likes it or not.

Knowing hatchery machinery may cost up to 500,000$ do you think they stop moving the eggs because the machine lacks capabilities? If there was any advantage in turning them until hatch day for sure hatcher machines will have turners to. The companies that make the machines didn't invent their own way of incubating, they mimic the natural way, although they may optimize it in way that may reduce costs, if reducing costs means stop turning the eggs, for sure they know that stopping turning them doesn't reduces hatch rate because reduced hatch rate is increasing costs.

Also, checking that marked eggs are not in the same positions than they were yesterday, after the 18 day(per example), doesn't means that the chicken moved the eggs on purpose, just sitting, get up, stretching a wing, making herself comfortable in the nest may move the eggs some degrees (which for an observer may look they have been turned periodically), and this movement observed is completely different than a periodic turning of the eggs as an incubator does!

Show us the results of your experiment.

You forgot about one important fact:

Hatcheries move the hatching eggs from incubators to hatchers.

So they have to move them at some point before day 20.
That,s what the "stop turning eggs mantra comes from".

You are acknowledging the fact that the eggs are not in the same position after day 18 under broody hen saying:

quote
"Also, checking that marked eggs are not in the same positions than they were yesterday, after the 18 day(per example), doesn't means that the chicken moved the eggs on purpose, just sitting, get up, stretching a wing, making herself comfortable in the nest may move the eggs some degrees (which for an observer may look they have been turned periodically), and this movement observed is completely different than a periodic turning of the eggs as an incubator does!
"unquote.

What a nonsence!

How turning eggs "accidentally" or "by purpose" by a broody hen or a bator makes a difference???

Either eggs are turned and moved or they are not turned being still in the same position.

Does a chick knows if the egg is being turned intentionally or unintentionally?


LOL
 

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