I'll be getting some Mandarin duck eggs soon and have some questions about incubating them. I have a Hovabator with turner. I also have a homemade incubator that holds humidity and temps much more consistently. So, I'll probably use that one to incubate the eggs. I've hatched chicken and rouen duck eggs before so I kind of know what to do. One question I have is regarding using the turner versus hand turning. Which would you experienced hatchers recommend? These will be shipped eggs so I know I already have a strike against me. My concern with hand turning is the number of times I'll be able to turn them. I leave my house at 7:15 am and don't get home until about 4:45pm. Hubby gets home about 4pm so he could turn them then. So here's an approximate schedule of turning them...4-5 am, 7 am, 4pm, 8pm and 10-10:30 pm....and then the cycle would repeat..........does that sound adequate? Also, how do you mark them so you know which way to turn them? Do you lay them on their sides? Sorry about all the questions, but as you all know, these are very expensive eggs and I don't want to mess it up. I've always used the automatic turner so this will be a brand new experience if ya'll suggest hand turning. Any advice/help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks!! Shannon
