I'm confused about egg postions

[Wise Woman]

I am considering getting into hatching chicks, but I am confused about something. Do you put the eggs in on their sides and turn them back and forth that way, or do you put them in a turner or egg carton and turn them from the pointy end to the big end? I can't seem to figure this out as I have seen various pics here of it done all sorts of different ways. I am very confused which way the eggs should go. It also seems that the last 3 days you should put them pointy end down in an egg carton? Any help with this matter will be greatly appreicated.

 

[colebarnhart]

You can do it many different ways, however, do not ever put small point up. If you have them in a turner or egg crate for the 1-18 days then you'll want to lay flat for the last 3 days during lock down. Think about how momma hen would do it. You can start them flat and leave them flat and yes you should still probably turn, however, some people don't and have successful hatches.

 

[Christie Rhae]

There is great info on this site that has helped answer tons of my questions. There is a sticky at the top of this category and here is a link raising chickens 101

 

[Gypsy07]

You don't ever turn from the pointy end to the big end, but any other type of turning/tilting/rolling is pretty much fine. Some incubators lie the eggs on their sides and roll them over side to side, some have the eggs sitting fat end up in little cups, which tilt 45 degrees each way side to side, some have the eggs sitting fat end up on trays and the whole tray tilts side to side. I don't think one way is any better than the others. If you're hand turning your eggs you can lie them on their sides and turn them over or you can sit them fat end up in egg cartons and tilt the whole carton. Some people sit them in egg cartons and simply tilt the whole incubator.

If you lie the eggs on their sides it's a good idea to mark an X on one side and an O on the other side of each egg, that way each time you're turning them you can check you've done every one. Oh, and you don't have to sit them in cartons for lockdown and hatching - they'll hatch out fine if you leave them on their sides too.

 

[wowmanacat]

I just put my in on there side and turn them left to right or right to left till day 18. I turn by hand and it only takes me a minute or so to do all of them.

 

[Wise Woman]

Thanks everyone. I did read the "sticky" at the top of the page, but it isn't very detailed and I just can't picture how this works. The egg turners look like the eggs are sitting straight up and down in them, not on their sides. Then I see pics of eggs laying down on their sides with no turners. Then I see pics of eggs in egg cartons and people are propping up one end of the incubator. It just all seems kind of confusing. With any luck, I will be visiting with a person who does this later this month and I am hoping she can shed some light on this whole situation.

 

[valley ranch]

If you put them in a turner, put them big end up. If one end is up it should be the big end then the egg can be rocked back and forth to 45degrees to one side then the other. If I didn't describe it clearly let me know.

 

[cmom]

If you are going to hand turn the eggs I would turn them around 6 am, 2pm and 10pm. Also I would put an X on one side of the egg and an O on the other side of the egg and always turn the eggs in the same direction so that at 6am all of the X's are up, at 2pm the O's are up and 10pm the X's are up. Then the opposite the next day. Just my suggestions. Here are a couple of pictures a friend of mine took to illustrate.