So on around day 18, I don't always count right but I'm getting better now that I put lock down on my phone calendar I carefully transfer my eggs to a regular old egg carton with the top torn off, air cell up. The same way they were in the turner. I've used both the Styrofoam cartons and the pulp variety. I've not had any problem with either but I favor the foam. The pulp needs to be watched a tad more since the wet chicks can get stuck to the pulp ones as they dry. No biggie and usually they don't need any help.
So anyways I carefully transfer the eggs out of the vertical turner. If possible I will try to let an empty cell on either side. When the chicks hatch many times they will just flip into the empty cell and dry there. They have no problem scrambling out of the upright egg but they can't play pin ball with the other eggs.
The theory that has been shared with me is that because the eggs have been rocking back and forth in the vertical turner, the chicks are pretty much oriented correctly. By just laying them horizontally to hatch the little buggers that hatch first bounce off of the ones that haven't hatched and may cause them to internally pip in a way that they will drown.
So that's the theory. I don't know if it is a fact. What I do know that is since I've been doing it this way every egg that was externally pipped was done so in the air cell. I've had few that quit during lock down for some reason but if they pipped, either internally and/or externally it was always at the top of the egg in the air cell.
