HELP, egg turner stopped turning, motor running but gets stuck

[opihiman911]

I have been getting set up for a new batch of egg that are due in anytime now. I have been able to get the everything settled down nicely with nice any steady temps and humidity, until last night.
My Little Giant egg turner had been doing it job nicely for the last several days. Everytime I check on it, the baskets are turned a different direction, until last night. I noticed the baskets weren't turning. when I checked on things, the unit seems stuck. The motor was running and felt very hot to the touch, like it would burn me after touching for 1-2 seconds.
I removed the motor from the bracket, then its motor arm would spin and it didn't seem as hot, ran fine for a couple hours. I reinstall the motor and it would only make a 1/4 turn, then stick and not move and the motor would get hot to touch. Remove it and the motor would spin. The trays seems fine, no binding, would swing back and forth freely, not catch on anything, able to make fully swings back and forth.
What should I do? My eggs are due in today or tomorrow. I can't get a new turner anywhere close by, I have to order one and will take over a week. Is there something I'm missing or can do to fix this? I was thinking that I would put the eggs in the holders, remove the motor, then I can turn them by hand by cracking open the bator and pushing the bar back and forth to turn all the eggs at once, should only take 5 seconds of the bator open. In the mean time order a new one and replace it when it comes in a week or so. Or would I be better off rolling them around on the floor of the bator. If I just roll them on the floor what can I use to mark the side of the egg? permentant sharpie marker? crayon? I've never rolled them by hand, always used a turner.

Thanks for the help.

Cory

 

[arlee453]

Can't answer the issue with turning the turner by hand...it makes sense that you could just turn it manually to move the trays around a few times per day until you can get a replacement motor or turner, but I'm not an expert on that.

I can answer the issue about marking the eggs. Use a regular #2 pencil and write gently. I just wrote an X on one side of the eggs so I know when to stop while turning them.

Oh, and you can order just a replacement motor - prehaps the motor is 'going south' and so it can work when it has no load to turn, but with any sort of load it's not able to work. I know www.meyerhatchery.com has replacement parts for egg turners.

Good luck with your hatch!!

 

[silkiechicken]

Use pencil on them and roll them by hand, it should be fine, you just have to remember to do it. As for turner.. it's hard to fix what you can't play with so maybe if you play with it more you can find the problem. Maybe the turning radius is too small?