?? point down / or pont up ??

[gaz131]

I would just like to see what the rest of you think about this one?.

When it comes to the storing of eggs, due to set for incubation many say point down and many say point up, it all seems to be misleading to my self.

I have heard many people talking about it and read many a subjects about it and still find it hard to understand.

We all collect our eggs and take them indoors to store them at room temp in a safe dry place, normally in a egg carton, then the time comes to place them in what know as the right position, (POINT DOWN /POINT UP ) Then each day turning the eggs to keep them from sticking to one side.

Well here is our idea, and this certain someone has a lot more experiences than I as well.

We still take the egg away and still bring them in doors / or to the place you store your eggs at home, but here is what (she) thinks we should do, and what I agree with, the storing of the egg should all ways be on its side as mother nature intended, after all every bird out there does it and have a very good hatch rate, and for some reason we take them away and put them point down or up.

Seems to me like we are all doing it wrong don't you think ?.

After all we don't find them point up or down, if we let are birds sit a batch they never ask for an egg carton or pop them in, (point down or up) they never lay them point up or down,

they know what they are doing, and have been doing it right for a lot longer than we have, so we think its on there side, and still turn them as the bird would, till you have the right amount of eggs to set.

Just an idea we had, me and mother nature, what do you all think

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[ducklover101202]

well, I thought it was point down and the larger end up when storing them in egg cartons. I guess you can be right but when the duck lays her eggs she doesn't store them she starts incubating right away but when she incubates the eggs does she keep the larger ends up? Is that what your saying?

 

[gaz131]

no what am saying is any bird sits on there eggs and they are always on there side, never point up or down, they lay them on there side, then the next till a full batch, then start incubation, no duck lays and sits from the start if that was the case she would have chicks hatching on different days, which they don't they all hatch together, just because she sitting on them does not mean she started incubation.

 

[3forfree]

Now you've got me confused. I found my 4 eggs laying on their sides, stored them in an egg carton big side up, and now they are in the incubator on their side again. I candled them on day 8, and had spider webs in all 4 of them, so I guess I'm doing ok. this is my first time incubating anything, and it looks like things are going well. Good Luck.

 

[gaz131]

lol sorry if I have caused you any confusion am glad your eggs are doing well fingers crossed you have a good hatch rate good luck

 

[esthermgr]

When eggs lay on their sides, the big end naturally points up a little bit. When incubating eggs on their sides, one should allow this natural slight tilt to occur. You can also incubate in a turner with the big end up. This is so that the air bubble forms and grows in the big end, where it is supposed to be. Otherwise the chick may have problems pipping. Hope this helps.

 

[gaz131]

does any one ever read the the topic b4 they reply on this site not talking or asking how to incubate eggs ive been doing it for 9 year never had a problem I was talking about the storing of egg b4 incubation

 

[ducklover101202]

Ya that is true. When the hen lays the eggs it is never point up or down because i guess well the hen doesn't pay attention to that. I agree with esthermgr. When the egg is on its side the larger end is up a little higher anyway. This question is also confusing me. When I stored my duck eggs I had them in a carton with large end up and now they are in the incubator day 11 and doing fine. I hope they hatch! I also have a question. When I candled the eggs on day 9 I saw a lot of veins but no embryo. Is that a bad thing? I would think veins means it is developing.If it died at that early age,there would be a blood ring,right? And also do you mist your eggs? But anyway,can you explain your question a little more? You said that the hen doesn't start incubation until all the eggs are out and ya that is true because like you said if she started after the first egg all the eggs would hatch different days. I think it is cool how the birds know to turn the eggs and stop the last three days and that they know how long it takes. I wonder how they provide the humidity for the eggs and raise the humidity? Do you know?

 

[rancher hicks]

Here's my 2 cents. I have read store them pointy end down. Practical Poultry magazine says store the pointy end up.
Now as far as a broody hen is concerned she starts to hatch them right away and chicks don't all hatch on the same day as some believe. They hatch on a succession of days and when she's tire of waiting she'll get off the nest and that's that. Any unhatched egg stay unhatched. I expect she can feel the vibrations of the chicks, but I can't say.

Now as far as storing them is concerned. Some suggest turning them while they are in storage also, not storing them forever. 55* I believe. The point is to keep the yolk from settleing on one side. So which way to store them?

At this time I have 23 eggs in the incu due to hatch Thurs. or Fri. Some I stored pointy end up and some pointy end down. I x'd the ones pointy end up. So we shall see if it makes any difference.

I do know this. 4 of the eggs were bantam friz/del crosses. One was clear and tossed. One I'm not sure of. Of the other two, one is beginning to pip. Today would be day 19. I don't know why. The temps have been on the low side.

Practical Poultry is a Britsh magazine and there too, it's recommended to have a temp of 102* . Now whether that has to do with "sea level" which can affect the pressure I don't know. If you take a look at a "cake mix" box it give instructions for temps at different sea levels, or at least it used to.

Stay tuned and I'll let you know how this hatch goes. The ups and the downs.

 

[Akane]

Broody hens do not immediately incubate their eggs. They wait until there are several eggs and then sit on them. All eggs do hatch at the same time. Often if an egg is more than a day off from the rest the hen will abandon it/them. The only time this doesn't work out is when you are collecting the eggs every day so the hen doesn't have a chance to store any up before sitting on them and then people allow other chickens/ducks to lay in the nest the hen is using. A broody does not continue to lay eggs so at the time they go broody and start sitting they cannot add to the eggs they are sitting on. They have to have stored them up.

As for humans storing eggs the reason to store pointy end down is because the air sac then floats at the top and is least likely to get knocked loose. Sure you can store eggs on their sides and roll them around like would happen outside, sometimes that's what I do cause I don't have enough cartons, but people have found for maximum hatch rates storing pointy end down works best because of the air sac. An egg is also less likely to get accidentally damaged when stored that way in a carton. That's why cartons were designed in the first place. They keep eggs safe and in place so no harm comes to them. A hen just doesn't have the capacity to stick an egg upright in a carton. They don't really have a choice.

I have never heard to store an egg large end down. That goes against what pretty much everyone on here does and the reasons for it.


102F is the recommended temp for still air incubators. Incubators with fans are generally run at 100F.