Question about turning eggs..

[magicpigeon]

Hi,
I'm completely new to this thing, and I have a few questions about turning eggs:

1. Do you set time intervals to turn the eggs? eg. 8:00AM, 12:00PM, 4:00PM? What kind of interval would you recommend, if so?
2. When they say, turn the egg, do you turn it the whole way?

3.(bonus question) If your incubator doesn't happen to have a window you can look through, how the heck do you tell the eggs have hatched?

magicpigeon/cursedincubator

 

[Gypsy07]

1. I have an incubator that automatically turns the eggs every hour but if you're doing it by by hand I *think* the minimum should be twice a day, and thrice would probably be better. As far as I understand, it's to stop the yolk (and embryo) adhering to the inside of the shell. Setting intervals would be sensible just so that you know it's done and you don't forget it but I don't think the actual time intervals themselves are too important...

2. You don't turn the egg all the way round. The idea is to have a different bit of the shell facing upwards so the contents of the egg will move around and not stick. I usually draw an X on one side of the shells and an O on the opposite side so I can check my incubator is turning all the eggs correctly. The automatic turner I've got only moves the eggs about a third of the way round and that seems to work fine, but if you're hand turning I'd say turn them 180 degrees each time. If you put an X and an O on opposite sides of the shells then it's easy to keep track of the turning.

3. I don't know!

 

[Baralak]

Well.. When I hand turn, I turn when I get up... If I'm at home for lunch I turn them then... I turn them when I get home from work, then right before bed... I generally miss the lunch.
I don't have any set time.

Mark with a number 2 pencil an X on one part of the egg. Then rotate it 180 degrees and mark a O on that side... Starting from the Set... Put your X's all up, then first turn, turn them till all of the O's are up... Repeat...repeat....repeat... and so on. Till lockdown

Oh you will know when they hatch ... You will hear that little thing in there playing chicken soccer... and making a lot of noise.

 

[HEChicken]

It is a good idea to turn an "odd" number of times a day so that they are not in the same position every night (hope that makes sense).

 

[mommyofthreewithchicks]

I was told a good book under the incubator is a nice idea on how to turn... So what I am doing (still new at this so...) Book put on one side in the morning, at noon no book and then on the book other side for night time.

I just marked the eggs I can really see something happening

And I am hoping that I get something out of this hatch!!!

 

[Ridgerunner]

1. Do you set time intervals to turn the eggs? eg. 8:00AM, 12:00PM, 4:00PM? What kind of interval would you recommend, if so?
Do it any way you can remember. Specific time intervals seems like a great way to do it. I'd suggest setting up about five a day, reasonably well spaced out.

2. When they say, turn the egg, do you turn it the whole way?
Pointy end down. Lean it 45 degrees one way, then lean it 45 degrees the other way so you go through a 90 degree turn each time. Mark one side with an x and the other side with an o so you know which way you have turned them.

3.(bonus question) If your incubator doesn't happen to have a window you can look through, how the heck do you tell the eggs have hatched?
You can tell some have hatched by the peeping. No idea how you know if all have hatched.

 

[HEChicken]

Quote:
I must admit, I would hate not being able to see in. Is there any way you can add a window? I made my own incubator and am on day 3 of my first time setting eggs (so take any advice with a grain of salt - I'm still learning and reading everything I can myself

) but when constructing the 'bator, I made almost the whole top into a window. It is a styrofoam cooler type of incubator. I went to the thrift store and bought a 10x13 empty photo frame. Obviously the frame didn't matter - I was just after the glass. I then set the glass on the cooler lid and marked around it, then cut about a half inch inside my line. Having done that, I carefully chiseled out from the opening back to the line about 1/4" down so that the glass sits inside, just like it originally did in the photo frame. Hope that description makes sense. If not, let me know and I'll try to take some pics that make it clearer. Anyway, I would go nuts if I couldn't see in because although I have one thermometer that has a remote sensor, I felt more comfortable putting in three thermometers at different spots to get a better idea of the temp all over the 'bator. Plus, my hygrometer does not have a remote so the only way to know what its reading is to look at it. With the window I can check temps/humidity multiple times a day without opening the 'bator at all. Plus, although I don't have an auto turner, rather than turn each egg individually, I just prop the whole incubator on one end, then the other multiple times each day. Since setting the eggs on Sunday evening I've only had to open the incubator once - to add a little water when the humidity was getting low. The rest of the time I can check my settings without opening it up. And this is at the stage where there isn't that much to see. Once they start pipping and hatching (assuming I get that far), I will definitely want to be able to watch and know when they are all hatched and dry enough to pull out.