Hen turning her eggs

[Bosque]

When a hen is sitting on her eggs, how often does she turn them? Does she kick them around her nest? How does she know that she has turned all of the eggs?
Thanks,
Bosque

 

[Year of the Rooster]

Not sure how many times but I believe she turns them with her beak.

 

[CindyS]

she shuffles and rolls, pulling front eggs back and the eggs are rearranged by displacement. I doubt she is aware if she is turning each egg each time more than likely not.

 

[roberto487]

The hen will intentionally turn the eggs every so often. Also, when the chicks are hatching, the hen will help in the process. I saw this numerous of times when I was young. Sometimes, I helped the chicks be born when I got impatient. I was a kid then.

 

[chickenshagg]

My mother in law has some just hatched chicks and some eggs that are still being sat upon. she tells me that the mother hen will turn the eggs at least twice a day. I have seen her roll and turn the eggs with her beak and feet.

 

[dancingbear]

They also use their feet to turn them. If you pick up a broody, rearrange her eggs a little, and put her back, you'll often see her scooching around on the eggs, and you can hear the eggs being moved under her, "scritch, scritch, scritch, scritch, scritch, scritch..." I think they turn them whenever they move around a little. If they have any poking out from under, they'll tuck them back in with their beaks.

 

[Bosque]

Thanks! I was just wondering. I have my first group of eggs in the bator and was thinking how the hen moves her own eggs around. In my bator, I have been turning the eggs at least 4 times per day and changing the location of the eggs inside the bator every two days. My thinking is to have a constant temperature for all of the eggs. Keeping the eggs moving will keep an egg out of a hot, cold or moist area in the bator. Just my thinking (;

 

[dancingbear]

When I used a still air 'bator, and no turner, I turned 5 times a day, and re-arranged the eggs every time I turned them. If an egg is in a cool spot, 2 days is a long time to be too cool without a chance to warm up. Likewise if they're in a too warm spot, they need to move more often, to cool a little. A hen shuffles them around frequently, she'd never leave an egg in one spot for two days.

The reason for 5 times a day rather than 4, is so the eggs are not on the same side every night, when they won't be turned all night long. Any odd number over 3 will do, as long a it's an odd number of turns.

 

[Bosque]

Thanks Jenny. I will move them one more time per day to get the odd number and move them around the bator before I hit the sheets at night. I did install a computer fan on an angle to curculate the air.

 

[dancingbear]

Oh, with the fan, hot and cold spots are less of an issue, so re-arranging once a day is probably enough, as long as the fan isn't blowing on any of the eggs.