we are on day 16 here i have an automatic turner in my bator. i have read that after day 18 you dont turn them anymore. so do i unplug the turner at day 18? also how long after the 21 days is up do you throw out any unhatched? at what day should i see pipping? sorry for all the questions. this is my first time hatching! TIA
I think most take them out of the turner and either lay them on their sides, with the big end higher, or set them pointy (small) end down in cartons. You might be able to leave them IN the turner... but they may get tangled in it as they hatch. Pips for me have started LATE on day 18 but mostly late on day 19. I candle mine before deciding to turn the bator off. If I see movement in one, I leave them longer... some are slow hatchers and some develop a bit slower than others. When I do finally decide to end the hatch, I candle and then carefully check inside each egg just in case, by poking a small hole in the top of the shell. I do this ONLY after 2 days or so and everyone else has hatched and candling shows NO movement.
I think you can remove the turner if you want or just unplug it. My chickens pipped on different days, some as early as day 19, some not until day 24, so I would say keep the eggs in until day 24 or 25 unless they smell bad. Best of luck to you on your hatch! I was a newbie back in May, now I've done 3 hatches of chickens and I'm on my first hatch of ducks ( 1 out today, 2 more halfway out) First times hatches are so exciting!!