Hatch A Long

[Duckie doodle]

So i dont have a automatic turner and i did some reading about turning by hand so I have been turning at 6am, 2pm, 6pm and then agian at 10pm and I also read that the x spot should be at the bottom at the last time turned so at 6am the x is up then 2pm it is down, 6pm it is up and 10pm it is down overnight.

 

[shawluvsbirds]

That little fact about the turning is interesting. I had so many malpositioned with this hatch. I was turning every 90 minutes as that was the default setting.

I do not know this to be 100% fact .. But I've been told a few times duck eggs do better being hand turned 3× a day vs. Using a Turner.
I also candled my broody eggs a lot in the beginning and I believe it May have caused one of them to turn her eggs excessively. . I lost her entire hatch that particular time. Almost all of them mal positioned.

 

[Duckie doodle]

So then 4x a day is too much?

 

[shawluvsbirds]

So then 4x a day is too much?

I would say 4× is ok, considering like the user above said auto turners turn them every hour. I can usually only manage to get mine turned 3×

 

[Duckie doodle]

How would you know if the duckling is in the wrong position?

 

[shawluvsbirds]

How would you know if the duckling is in the wrong position?

You won't until hatch time. Sometimes you'll see a bruise on the egg where they have tried to pip outside the air cell. Or Sometimes when you go in for an assist you will be able to see their feet are over their head. . etc.
Let me grab a link for you in a second.
Here was my broody excessively turning. This was also during hatch time. .so that is when you would normally stop turning all together if you were incubating.

 

[Magnolia Ducks]

You don't always know. But pipping outside the air cell is a sure sign. After I lost some I started making a safety hole and I could see leg over head. I really don't recommend that big of safety hole but I had 3 pip and die so I really wanted to know what was going on. Little Barbra Lewis in my Avatar had both legs over her head.

 

[shawluvsbirds]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/guide-to-assisted-hatching-for-all-poultry.72886/?page=2

Here is an article on assisted hatching by @Pyxis
That has some info on mal positions. Hopefully you won't need to worry about any of this.. I've mostly hatched calls so I've done some assisting.

 

[Duckie doodle]

Oh wow your rouen is moving them like crazy and they are hatching. @shawluvsbirds.

 

[Duckie doodle]

@Magnolia Ducks when that happens do you have to pull the duckling out?