How to turn eggs for hatching.

[jrose1970]

Hey everyone! I have a quick question. My incubator has a hatching cage at the bottom. I just lay the eggs in there on there side on day 19. Is there a special way that you are supposed to position them for hatching? Someone mentioned the air sack orientation.
Thanks! ( My record is about 35-40%, so I'm all ears.)

 

[SunHwaKwon]

Yes, look at the air sac and where it goes lowest (toward the pointy end) mark that with a pencil and that is what you want to have facing up.

 

[jrose1970]

So laying them on their side is not the best way. I have some egg holders. I guess I could just turn them over 180 couldn't I? I always set them pointed end down.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

It will be on its side. The air sac dips lower on one long side, and that is the long side that will be facing up. Its sort of hard to explain.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

See the side that is lowest? That will be facing up. Where it says "18 days" in the image is what you would mark and have facing up toward the ceiling.

 

[jrose1970]

Oh, okay. That's a good illustration. So if you lay them on their side. Gravity should pull the heaviest side of the egg down which would leave the air sac up. I'm basically doing that. My hatch percentages is about 30-40% and I'm trying to eliminate mistakes. Thanks for your advice!

 

[SunHwaKwon]

You would think so but it really doesn't. I have had them pip "face down" before (that low point is where they pip) and had to turn it over. That is before I knew about this positioning suggestion. The reason for it is so that any fluid in the egg does not leak into the air sac after internal pipping and drown the chick. Just now I set some in the hatcher, with that point up, and some of them rolled over the other way right away and I had to reposition them again. They aren't going to automatically set that way, or there would be no reason to recommend it.

 

[jrose1970]

That makes sense. So, candling is the way to see where the sac is? Then, mark it and face that up. I'm assuming a pencil is the safest material to write with?
Thanks very much. That will put me over 50% I think.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

Yup, mark it with a pencil when you do your final candling. What are your temps and humidity like throughout, and are you using an auto turner or hand turning?

 

[jrose1970]

My Temp is very constant in the Georgia Quail Farm incubator. It is right below 100. Maybe 99-99.5. I don't know the humidity, I just keep a pan of water. (I think that's another opportunity for improvement. LOL)
I do have an automatic turner.
If I candle 60 eggs and mark them while moving them to the hatch tray. Will they get too cold? Is there a trick to that? Thanks!