Hand Turning VS Automatic Turner

[Cimmaron]

Do you all turn by hand or use an automatic turner, and what kind of hatch rates do you typically get?

I've been having very low hatch rates, even though most of the chicks are definitely alive if I candle at day 18. For some reason they are failing to pip or failing to hatch. Doing some troubleshooting and wondering if the automatic turner just doesn't turn them well enough. It just gently rocks them side to side a bit.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

https://www.hubbardbreeders.com/media/incubation_guideen__053407700_1525_26062017.pdf

Page 52 is about where hatch diagnosis starts. Hope this helps.

I did get my best hatch rates hand turning. But my upright turner seems to work okay. I think I MIGHT like the side rolling turners better... but not sure since I haven't got one.

Happy hatching!

Please note I move my eggs to a new location in the turner daily to combat any temp difference near the turner motor.

 

[Cimmaron]

Thanks for the help!

 

[Mosey2003]

If they're fine until lockdown and then failing to hatch, I wouldn't assume it's a turning problem. More likely humidity or something else. I've gotten 90% plus hatches from an auto turner.

 

[Cimmaron]

I have been experimenting with the humidity, trying something different each time. I actually had the best hatch rate with a "dry incubation" with the humidity at about 30. I was also hand-turning most of that hatch since my turner wasn't working right. I'd have to go back and and check, but I think I had around a 55% hatch rate with that one. This latest hatch I did a more typical 60% humidity, 70% during lockdown, and had 8 out of 48 hatch... I'm having the same problem with ducks and with purchased hatching eggs, so not a genetic problem...

 

[Mosey2003]

I tried repeatedly to get 60%+ to work well and it was ALWAYS dismal. They'd die at or right before hatch, every time.

Personally, I'm going with 50-55% now and MUCH better. That 10% made all the difference.

Honestly, you really have to know for sure what is going on in order to effectively troubleshoot. How are you measuring humidity? Readout on an incubator? A digital hygrometer? Wet and dry bulbs? Thermometers calibrated well?

The eggs also play a part. Are they very porous? Are they very dense?

There are a lot of factors.

 

[Cimmaron]

I'm just going by the readout on the incubator. I've tried 40-45% and 50-55%, and still with low hatch rates. I've tried everything between 30-65%, so I think even if that reading was off I should have hit the right humidity in one of my hatches! I don't think humidity is the problem. The duck eggs I've incubated seem quite dense and have the worst hatch rate (1 out of 25 hatched last time!), but the chicken eggs are more porous.

 

[AquaDuck]

What sort of incubator do you have? How often and at what angle does it turn?

I had one small auto turner that I didn't like because it didn't seem to turn the eggs enough. Especially bigger eggs were problematic. I turned the eggs manually once a day in addition to the auto turner, just to be sure. The big Brinsea cabinet incubator I have now turns them at a wider angle, and I'm very happy with it.
If you got the best hatch when you manually turned the eggs, I'd continue doing that if I were you.

 

[Cimmaron]

I just have one of those cheapo plastic Chinese made incubators. The turner is set to go every 2 hours, but barely rocks them back and forth. It doesn't seem like very efficient turning to me. Yes, I know a better incubator would be easier to use, but it's not in the budget so I need to figure out how to work with what I have! I started a new batch of eggs yesterday (duck this time). I am turning by hand and going with a 50-55% humidity this time around, so we'll see what happens!