The "Accidental" no turn hatch experiment.

[gimmie birdies]

I have had better luck with turning, than not.

My gray egg chick just hatched.

 

[HumbleHen207]

So does this mean that turning eggs is optional? This is one study, but surely there must be more research that indicates turning is necessary, or it wouldn't be such a mainstream practice.

Wouldnt say its optional, if you truly want the best possible hatch. More or less, if you forget to turn, or lack the time to turn, its not the end of the world. I set 130 eggs, and got 50 to hatch. 3 had bad leg deformities and had to be euthanized. Other than that though the chicks are doing great, they are almost full grown, healthy birds.

 

[JJSS89]

It's optional. Kind of like changing the oil in your car every 6,000 miles instead of every 3,000.

It's not the best choice but the car will still drive...for now.

 

[HumbleHen207]

These are my no turn babies at approximately 3 weeks old.

 

[bluchaney]

Our eggs went unturned for 14 days best hatch rate we ever had !!!

 

[TnBigdog]

I believe that the mfg push a lot of things including egg turners so you will buy them. I have one in mine because that's the way it came but i also know if it were to fail it would not be so bad because i have hatched without turning I would say this is for your information

Bigdog

 

[WalnutHill]

The manufacturers push turners because many people spend a lot of time on a new activity for a couple of days, then lose interest and walk away. An auto turner helps. Is it necessary? No. But I work full time plus, and I built my new cabinet incubator with 4 auto turners just so I could go to work and not worry that the eggs were not getting turned at least three times a day. The trays are synchronized, so that if one motor fails, that tray will be out of sync with the others.

My humidity is digitally controlled too, so I really could set and forget and would probably get better hatch rates, but I have too many "mother hen" tendencies without the skills of the real mother hen. A broody will walk away, happy with whatever hatches. I have my regrets over those that don't.

 

[gimmie birdies]

I tell my self if I have some that don't hatch they were roosters.

 

[WalnutHill]

I tell my self if I have some that don't hatch they were roosters.

LOL I like that. But it would be my luck that the survivors would be roos.

 

[Skyfeathers]

I have a question for those of you who understand egg coloring, I'm just learning. I bred a FBC Marans rooster to two Ameraucauna hens. One hen lays pale peach color eggs, the other laid bright blue eggs, both with smooth shells. Out of 6 eggs (3 from each hen) I got two cockerels and four pullets. Two of the pullets lay olive green eggs, the other two lay a dark rose/brown. The shells on the olive eggs are rough, the shells on the rose/brown ones are smooth. I put the two that lay olive eggs in 'time out' in wire kennels for a day and a half because they were ferociously tormenting one of my gentle, older hens and some of the others. I have also spent time holding them and hand feeding them to try to encourage submission and calmness.Last evening they both laid smaller eggs than usual, one was very pale, almost the peach color, the other was mottled olive with blue, which is the one in the two photos. I'm thinking the stress of being penned may have caused the difference in size and color. Also, I've noticed the color of the inside of the olive eggs is the same blue as their mother's eggs, and the inside of the rose/brown eggs is the color of their mothers eggs. Any thoughts?