should I hand turn??

[redneckgirl]

Hey! I'm doing some research & planning on hatching chicks for the first time this spring with my own eggs... any advice, or tips would be great!

I also have a quick question, have any of you found either hand turning or auto turning more successful? or are they about equal?

 

[Attack Chicken]

I'm on my first batch. I turned them by hand and hopefully 3 are going to hatch in about 6 more days. I put in 7 eggs that where in the fridge for about 14 days+ and had 4 that grew but sadly I lost one to a power outage, but for Christmas I got an egg turner so it will be less work

 

[panner123]

I have found the turner to be more reliable than hand turning. I am on call 24/7, so I may not be there to turn as needed. And they are turned correctly. When I have the bators in the schools, no one is there on the week ends to turn the eggs.

 

[swtangel321]

I hand turn 3X a day and have never had an issue doing it, It can be a pain in the butt if your out for the day but it's also nice to have contact and check the eggs out a few times a day. I would say a turner would be easier but I have no need to spend $60 on one when I can do it for free !!

 

[whitecra]

I have never had a turner. I always hand turn mine. I don't work so I can turn them when need be. I don't think I would want a turner because I am so use to turning them by hand.
Chris

 

[bullrider]

I bought a lg 9200 it came with a tunner i thought it would be better that way done have to be home all time.BUT if you are any think like me (first timer) you will find your self checking it about 20 times a day

. If it was me and i had one i would use it. best of luck

 

[magikchick]

I hand turn mine. Most days I can only turn them twice, morning and evening. I turn them more on the weekends. I have had great hatches doing this.

 

[UrbanMama]

I really like having the turner, but it's not a necessity.

Pros:

-Easier
-Less contamination (from your hands in the bator and on the eggs)
-Less temp fluctuations from having to open the bator several times a day. This could be a big deal in bators that struggle to get back up to temp.


Cons:

-Cost can be prohibitive to some.
-More electricity.
-Easier to forget about the eggs...some people then forget to keep an eye on the humidity and add water when needed.




Those are just some of the basics. I do have turners and I love them, but hand turning can be neat too.

Another thing you can do is put your eggs in cartons and just carefully tilt your whole bator side to side. That allows you to turn the eggs w/out having to open the bator....and it takes less time than turning them one-by-one. (Just use wet sponges for humidity so the water doesn't spill from the reservoirs.)

 

[redneckgirl]

Thanks!

especially for the pros & cons...

another newbie hatching question.. how many times a day do you have to turn if hand turning? If heard two... but could it be more?

 

[UrbanMama]

You want to turn an odd number (so it doesn't sit on the same side each night or for a long duration) For that reason, most people try to turn an odd number of times....usually a minimum of 3 times.