Does anyone NOT turn their eggs?

[JacksonPearce]

I’ve had some really lousy incubation rates, even for shipped eggs, and as I'm new to incubating, have been hurriedly trying to troubleshoot. I had some pretty dramatic improvement when I used the dry hatch method, only adding water during lock down, but I still seem to have a significant percentage of babies make it to lock down but not to hatch. I also had two babies with serious leg issues in my last two hatches.
I'm wondering if I should turn the eggs less. Right now I've got them in a Brinsea Octagon, and have been turning it side to side a few times daily (which is more or less what the auto turner made for the Octagon does, though my method might be a slightly steeper turn). For what it's worth, I have also hatched in a Brinsea Mini with auto turn, and my hatchrates were the same as they are in the octagon.

So...has anyone tried no turning at all? I wonder of perhaps my ambient humidity-- I'm in GA-- combined with shipping means they've already been jostled enough, and would do better left at rest.

 

[BantyChooks]

@Wickedchicken6 doesn't turn hers at all.

Don't turn for the first two days if they have damaged air cells.

 

[EarthboundEiniosaurus]

I wouldn't recommend not turning them at all, and while Iv'e never done it myself I can't imagine it's good for the developing embryo. If you're worried about the eggs settling you could always let them rest at room temperature for 12-24 hours, that's what I do.

 

[Pyxis]

No turning isn't a good idea. The turning is necessary to both facilitate the growth of the chorio-allantoic membrane and also ensure that the embryo does not end up stuck to the shell of the egg, which would cause deformities on that side.

Since you're dealing with shipped eggs, a certain amount of them will get damaged enough in shipping so that they just won't hatch. That's why it's said that you should expect about 50% of shipped eggs to hatch, and even that's pretty good.

For detached air cells, I won't turn the first couple of days to give the air cells time to settle and see if they will reattach, but everything else gets turned.

With your ones that make it almost to hatch and then quit, have you been doing eggtopsies on them to try to determine why they didn't make it?

 

[BantyChooks]

hat's why it's said that you should expect about 50% of shipped eggs to hatch, and even that's pretty good.

x2... I count anything I get from shipped eggs as a success. I'm happy with 10--20% hatches though higher is always nice.

CAM issues are a quite probable reason for quitting at lockdown in shipped. I struggle with it in my hatches.

 

[CMbirds17]

I usually get a hatch rate of about 80-90% and I leave eggs to settle for 24 hrs. Then into the incubator, turned once in the morning and once in the evening until 4 days before hatch date. This seems to work for me.
Hope I’ve helped!
Cain

 

[R2elk]

I’ve had some really lousy incubation rates, even for shipped eggs, and as I'm new to incubating, have been hurriedly trying to troubleshoot. I had some pretty dramatic improvement when I used the dry hatch method, only adding water during lock down, but I still seem to have a significant percentage of babies make it to lock down but not to hatch. I also had two babies with serious leg issues in my last two hatches.
I'm wondering if I should turn the eggs less. Right now I've got them in a Brinsea Octagon, and have been turning it side to side a few times daily (which is more or less what the auto turner made for the Octagon does, though my method might be a slightly steeper turn). For what it's worth, I have also hatched in a Brinsea Mini with auto turn, and my hatchrates were the same as they are in the octagon.

So...has anyone tried no turning at all? I wonder of perhaps my ambient humidity-- I'm in GA-- combined with shipping means they've already been jostled enough, and would do better left at rest.

There have been studies done that prove that the more often eggs are turned the better the hatch is. There have also been studies done that show that turning the eggs is more important early in the incubation cycle than it is during the last week.

Many advise different procedures for shipped eggs. I have tried the no turning for the first few days, the letting the eggs set for several days before incubating, etc. For me I unpack shipped eggs and allow them to come to room temperature. My next step is to put the eggs in the preheated incubator. Mine is a GQF 1202 cabinet incubator and the eggs are set vertical rather than horizontal so I cannot comment on the ones suggesting better hatch rates for eggs set vertical than those laid horizontal. After loading the incubator, I turn on the turner. My incubator is an older version so it turns the eggs every 3 hours while the newer cabinet models turn the eggs every hour. For me I have had slightly better hatch rates using my method than the methods that suggest doing otherwise.

I am hatching at one mile high elevation which makes it even more difficult to hatch shipped eggs.

Use what works for you and don't worry about what the rest of us recommend.

 

[Wickedchicken6]

@Wickedchicken6 doesn't turn hers at all.

Don't turn for the first two days if they have damaged air cells.

Yes, I've hatched some last year in the fall that were turned only when I candled. I didn't write it down but I usually candle about day 3-5, day 10ish and day 18.

I was expecting not many to hatch but more hatched than I expected. Those that hatched were healthy and were correct.



HOWEVER, these are my own eggs, not shipped eggs. Shipped eggs are an anomaly unto themselves. I don't have a turner; I hand turn my eggs. I definitely turn purchased eggs I acquire. I do let them rest for the first few days even when the egg is in excellent shape.

With my eggs, my methods are not for those wanting high percentages as I set old eggs and don't turn eggs...and there can be die off of some embryos.

 

[JeanR]

Ask a hen (which is what incubators are imitating). I have carried eggs by air, on my lap, not in baggage, across the country, through Xrays twice-(once 4X with change of planes)-100% hatch placed under hens when back home. I will not mail hatching eggs, as the shipping shaking can ruin even the best packaged beautiful, fertile eggs. I do not want my eggs that can produce Top Show birds, to be wasted by damage in shipping. Those who have great results--go for it! Those who do not, consider the expense of "no hatch"; is it worth it??. Choice is there...... Sometimes it may be the only way to try to obtain birds that you WANT!

 

[pennyJo1960]

shipped eggs can sit for like a few days before starting them in the incubator