-How should the eggs sit in the incubator? (vertical or horizontal)
Some incubators are made to hold the eggs vertical, fat side up, skinny side down. This keeps the air cell where it is supposed to be. If you incubate them skinny side up the air cell can move and these eggs usually don’t hatch. Remember, skinny side down. Some incubators are made to just lay the eggs flat, much like they are in a hen’s nest. These work fine too.
-How much should the eggs turn, is rocking back and forth once every 2 hours enough?
There are different reasons you turn the eggs. It helps keep the yolk or developing chick from touching the inside of the egg shell where it can stick and dry out through the porous shell before a protective membrane forms. Eventually a membrane will form around the developing chick to protect it from sticking to inside of the shell if it does touch. Eventually it will get so big it touches. Turning also helps the body parts form in the right places. It probably has other beneficial effects.
Some people turn as few as three times a day and do OK, but studies have shown that more is a little better. Every two hours would be tremendous.
-We are after a larger incubator (24 eggs) do you have any suggestions of incubators that aren't too expensive (around the $100-$200 mark)?
I’m not at all familiar with that incubator. I have no idea what country you are in or what incubators may be available for you. Modifying your profile to show general location can help with a lot of questions. Different incubators have different features. Some are easier to use but these are generally more expensive. A lot of chicks are hatched in the inexpensive ones but you generally have to work harder and may (or may not) have more issues. One thing I’d consider is how often you are going to use it. If you hatch a lot I’d suggest spending the money and getting one that takes less work and may be more dependable.
There is a lot of personal preference in this and we all have different preferences, but the features I like are an automatic turner, a fan for forced air, and one that is fairly easy to adjust the temperature. Never rely on factory settings, sometimes you have to fine tune the temperature. Some are easier to adjust than others. You want a good window so you can see what is going on in there during hatch. Some are easier to adjust the humidity than others. You don’t have to be as precise in keeping the humidity perfect like you do with temperature, but being able to adjust humidity easily is certainly a nice to have. To me it’s not a deal-breaker. But a lot of chicks are hatched in the inexpensive still air incubators where you have to fiddle to get the humidity right. They work.
