*Hatching Now!* Air cell in wrong place

[Horsefly]

I'm hatching eggs for the first time. I have a thread in the ducks section but thouht I should post here for more results. I was originally trying to hatch duck eggs and threw some chicken eggs in too, I have 2 duck eggs and 5 chicken eggs developing well now. Well the chicken eggs go in lockdown tomorrow morning and the duck eggs get put in an auto turner till the chicks are done. Question 1 is I put the duck eggs pointy side down in the turner, right? Question 2 is about the airsac of one of the chicken eggs. It's not at the end of the egg like the rest, it's to the side of the egg not on the tip. So will this chick hatch okay? Will I need to do anything special for it like place it airsac side up or something? I noticed it like that about halfway through incubation but hadn't really checked the airsac so it could of been like that when it went in. Like I said it's my first hatch so I'm really eggsited about these chicks and ducklings.

 

[duckyfromoz]

I have actually found that duck eggs do better lying down than standing up in a turner- But I gather you are putting them into the turner as you dont want to have to open the incubator while the chicken eggs are in lockdown. Having a turning in while eggs are hatching is dangerous as the little ones can easily become trapped as the turner moves. Keep a VERY close eye on things- and it may pay to remove the chicks from the incubator and put them into the brooder as soon as possible after hatching to avoid them getting caught under the turner. But to answer your question - yes pointy side down.

AS for the egg with the air sac not in the normal position - just lay it flat like the others- the chick will still be able to pip even if it is off centre. They can still make it out of the egg ok even when they are back to front in the egg and pip at the wrong end.

Good luck with your eggs..

 

[Horsefly]

Thanks so much for the reply. I'm just putting the duck eggs in the turner till I can open the incubator again to turn them. I'll be sure to keep a close watch to make sure nothing gets stuck around the turner. 3 more days and I'll have babies!! Thanks

 

[Horsefly]

Okay so I go to put the turner in this morning and... It won't fit. I'm like great, now what. I jammed it in but the bottom didn't touch the bottom of the incubator so the eggs were like suspended on the paper towel I put in. So I took the turner out and layed everything flat with my duck eggs on the edge. How bad will it be to crack the edge of the bator and turn the two duck eggs 3x a day? Of course in this whole process it totally cooled and it took 30min-1hr to get back to temp.

 

[Horsefly]

I have a wiggly egg this morning! I wonder if he will hatch early?

 

[Horsefly]

I haven't seen any movement today but I have a pip!!!! It's on the side of the eggs though more towards the pointy end of the egg. I don't thing this is the egg with the air sac in the wrong place. Is it going to hatch okay? I can hardly wait but am not going to open the incubator. How long should I expect it to be before I see any progress? I noticed it around 11:15 this morning. Also I have to turn the duck eggs in there, should I add a wet sponge or something since I have to open it? This is so stressful.

 

[secuono]

What incubator do you have and what kind of turner?

 

[Horsefly]

The incubator is an old styrofoam little giant still air. I'm not sure what brand the turner is, it's the usual yellow square turner. I thought it should fit but it was a really tight fit and wouldn't go all the way to the bottom of the incubator so I took it out.
Another egg pipped and I have seen movement in another.

 

[secuono]

I have a 9200 LG and the turner for the LG is white not yellow. It might not be a turner designed for the LG. Maybe you can trim the foam carefully.
Since the turner tilts the eggs, maybe you can just put a block under the bator itself.
I'm thinking I should of just done that instead of paying $40 for the darned thing.

congrats on the hatches!
I'm still waiting on my eggs to get their act together, lol.

 

[Horsefly]

Im actually borrowing the turner and incubator from two different people so I can't cut anything. Maybe the turner is a hovabator brand? I'm not sure, I always see the yellow ones so I thought they were all yellow and standardized. I hand turned the eggs till now and was going to use the turner for my duck eggs while the chicks hatched. But now I'm stuck opening the bator 3x a day to turn them, I just crack it and go fast so maybe it won't be that bad.
I can hear cheeps now so I hope something goes beyond pip stage soon. How long does it usually take after the first pip? I've never done this before.
I hope your hatch goes well for you, when are they due?