How close to pack eggs safely when hand turn incubating?

[HomesteadNowhere]

I got a "farm innovators 2250" styrofoam incubator. I know they aren't known to be the best but it was reasonable enough price for me to start. I've hatched coturnix in an old cooking skillet hot plate that I DIYed up so I think I can tinker a bit and work it out.

I did not buy the turner, which would hold 41 eggs. My question is if there are dangers to putting alot of eggs in? I would leave enough that they would be able to rock a bit for hatching. But I'd like to maximize it as much as possible. I've seen some places that people even stack eggs up the whole way and don't turn and have fair hatches. I'm not that desperate but I'd really like to know how many or how close is safe? Or how much is more likely to cause problems? Is it fine as long as there is a bit of wiggle room for hatching time?

Thanks!

 

[Chicken poppy]

I got a "farm innovators 2250" styrofoam incubator. I know they aren't known to be the best but it was reasonable enough price for me to start. I've hatched coturnix in an old cooking skillet hot plate that I DIYed up so I think I can tinker a bit and work it out.

I did not buy the turner, which would hold 41 eggs. My question is if there are dangers to putting alot of eggs in? I would leave enough that they would be able to rock a bit for hatching. But I'd like to maximize it as much as possible. I've seen some places that people even stack eggs up the whole way and don't turn and have fair hatches. I'm not that desperate but I'd really like to know how many or how close is safe? Or how much is more likely to cause problems? Is it fine as long as there is a bit of wiggle room for hatching time?

Thanks!

Heres my thoughts on it;

the more eggs you have, the more chances you have of them exploding. infertile/dead eggs are probably going to be there, if you continue the incubator on, leaving them in, the bad eggs going to cook snd explode, causing the germs to be on the others. This can kill a lot of the eggs fast. this is why its important to do a candling period, and right before the 17 day mark to candle and take out infertile/dead eggs. It is good to not cram it to close, you want them to hatch properly. But a bit crammed is fine

 

[Kiki]

The eggs can be touching each other.
I purposely take mine out of the turning tray and put them right up against each other at hatch time.