First three days of no turning in new incubator - should I be worried?

[loopycoops]

Hello everyone!
First time chicken owner and first post
I'm in Australia, and purchased a breeding trio of Australorp chickens.
Skipping a lot of details, I'm giving my first go with incubating eggs, and using a newly purchased Borotto Lumia 16 incubator (which has an automatic egg turner built in).
I put eggs in on the 16th and today is the 19th.
I had wondered why the position of the egg trays didn't seem to move, but assumed it was moving without me noticing. I was wrong- I had a close look at the four egg trays, and it turns out that a metal tab which is meant to rotate the trays right and left wasn't clipped in properly. Instead of the metal tab turning the four trays, it was scratching the plastic of one tray.
Long story short, the eggs have been in the incubator from the 16th until the 19th (or about 75 hours approximately) without being properly turned.
Should I be worried?
Thanks for your help!

 

[MysteryChicken]

Hello everyone!
First time chicken owner and first post
I'm in Australia, and purchased a breeding trio of Australorp chickens.
Skipping a lot of details, I'm giving my first go with incubating eggs, and using a newly purchased Borotto Lumia 16 incubator (which has an automatic egg turner built in).
I put eggs in on the 16th and today is the 19th.
I had wondered why the position of the egg trays didn't seem to move, but assumed it was moving without me noticing. I was wrong- I had a close look at the four egg trays, and it turns out that a metal tab which is meant to rotate the trays right and left wasn't clipped in properly. Instead of the metal tab turning the four trays, it was scratching the plastic of one tray.
Long story short, the eggs have been in the incubator from the 16th until the 19th (or about 75 hours approximately) without being properly turned.
Should I be worried?
Thanks for your help!

I wouldn't worry, it's only been a few days of not turning. Once they start getting turned, it'll help keep the embryos from sticking.

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

Hi! !
Your eggs should be fine! Sometimes I don't turn my eggs in the incubator for a whole day on purpose. I was thinking that the first day the hen starts sitting on eggs she doesn't turn them either. (At least I haven't noticed it)
I sometimes don't turn eggs up to 5 days when they've been shipped.
You might want to mark your eggs anyway to make sure. I mark mine D and N or O and X.
I hope you have a great hatch! You could join the hatch-a-long for March!
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/march-2022-hatch-a-long.1510667/

 

[Pierre duck drake]

Hello everyone!
First time chicken owner and first post
I'm in Australia, and purchased a breeding trio of Australorp chickens.
Skipping a lot of details, I'm giving my first go with incubating eggs, and using a newly purchased Borotto Lumia 16 incubator (which has an automatic egg turner built in).
I put eggs in on the 16th and today is the 19th.
I had wondered why the position of the egg trays didn't seem to move, but assumed it was moving without me noticing. I was wrong- I had a close look at the four egg trays, and it turns out that a metal tab which is meant to rotate the trays right and left wasn't clipped in properly. Instead of the metal tab turning the four trays, it was scratching the plastic of one tray.
Long story short, the eggs have been in the incubator from the 16th until the 19th (or about 75 hours approximately) without being properly turned.
Should I be worried?
Thanks for your help!

!! Your eggs wil be fine if it was only a few days of no turning!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Hi, welcome to the forum, glad you joined.

Should I be worried?

I would not be. Turning the eggs accomplished a few different things. One has been mentioned, it helps keep the yolk or developing embryo from settling and coming into contact with the porous shell. If the yolk or embryo touches the inside of the shell it may become stuck and be unable to hatch. The chalazae are like springs in the egg attached to the yolk that keeps it from settling at first but they can stretch over time. Turning helps keep them from stretching. It's highly unlikely they will stretch that much in three days. Highly unlikely.

Turning helps the body parts form in the right places. It's not that the body parts will be scrambled if you don't turn them, but turning improves your odds a bit. In three days body parts are just beginning to form. You are not in trouble yet.

Turning helps move some embryonic fluids around. Again you are early enough that it's not a big issue. I think you caught it in plenty of time.

After two weeks of development a membrane has formed around the embryo to protect it from touching the inside of the shell. a good thing too because it will soon fill the inside of the egg and have to touch. Body parts have finished forming. The embryonic fluids don't need turning to move them. It doesn't hurt to turn the eggs after two weeks but it's not important. Earlier on it is important.

Good luck and let us knowhow it goes.

 

[loopycoops]

Thanks everyone! Sounds like I can stop worrying

 

[closipov]

How did your chicks turn out? My eggs are on day 15 and I just found out that weren't being turned for 36 hours. Should I be worried?

 

[mrsp523]

Please keep us posted, and I hope it “turns” out ok. I’m on day 3 and a 1/2 and just had an “oh sh*t” moment, egg turner didn’t get plugged in!!! I’m soo worried. Our last hatch didn’t go well as we had a hard time with temp and only got 6 that were late hatchers. This time we have temp and humidity going perfect, and we forget to plug the turner in. I’m soo disappointed, and feel bad.