Hatching in egg cartons v lying flat

[Chicken12367]

You can use any kind of substrate that will prevent rolling of eggs. The emerging chicks need good footing anyway to prevent slipped tendons so that's killing two birds with one stone - so to speak.

I do use a rubber mat which is used for shelves, it works well to prevent splayed leg but doesn’t stop other chicks from rolling around unhatched eggs. I just had a hatch and let them be, 18/20 hatched the two that didn’t one was on the wrong position and the other one I can’t seem to see too much detail. Rolling about doesn’t seem to affect them as much as I thought it would

 

[ChickenCanoe]

So true.