turning by hand

[flyweed]

Ok, this will be my first hatch, and I have my LG 9200 setup and stable temps and humidity now..and am expecting my button quail eggs to arrive today. I do NOT have an autoturner..so will have to turn this batch by hand.

My question is how do you guys do it? Take the cover off 3 times a day to turn all the eggs seems like it would really cause the temps and humidity to be fairly unstable for quite a bit of the day.

Any input or advice would be great.

Dan

 

[Pumpkinpup]

turning twice a day is quite sufficient

If you look at from the point of a hen sitting eggs, she has to eat, drink and poo so she leaves her eggs a couple times per day and they get cooler and the humidity drops naturally. So, this is really no different.

 

[jvls1942]

Quote:
why not just set a block under one side of the bator and switch the block from side to side two or three times a day?

that argument about the chicken leaving the nest does not hold up.

You are going to break more than one egg turning them by hand, trust me...

been doing this for over 35 years.

 

[FarmGirl01]

I have always turned my own eggs. One time I turned 100 quail eggs. I usually do it twice a day. I use both my hands and turn two at a time. Its real easy and I like the hands on approach. Hens do get off the clutch a few times a day with no problem. Everyone has their own way of doing this. Its just the matter of what is best in you situtation. Good luck.

 

[flyweed]

Could a put the quail eggs in a chicken egg container and tilt the entire container one way or the other? Will the quail eggs stand up correctly in a chicken egg container....could I use styrofoam or the paper kind??

Dan

 

[jvls1942]

that is fine and ok for you. but I am a clumsy man and I break quail eggs just putting them into the bator..

but I still maintain that bator hatching and using clucks are two different ball games..

most people have trouble maintaining humidity levels ( just read all the threads about it) so why open your bator and just add to the problem??

 

[chubbydog811]

flyweed- Using the cartons and turning them like that should be fine. The only thing you will have to think about is humidity - the water will leak out if you have it in the wells on the bottom...

I have the same bator...How do you keep your humidity stable? Im having a horrible time with it! I finally just gave up on the wells underneath and started using a washcloth...but it can only ever be at 30% or 80%!

 

[macnugget]

Ok I just did this and had a great hatch tilt the whole bator using block of wood 2x4 piece is fine I got my eggs shipped to me in plastic quail cartons and just took the top off and hatched them in the carton . Just like I do with the chicken eggs works everytime

 

[pamperedpoultry]

I Also Have a LG and I dont have a turner. I Turn mine at least 2 times a day and try to turn 3 times. I've not had any problems with the humidity getting off by opening. I've never tried just moving the bator I'd be afraid I break the eggs as they roll , and spill my water out. Its kinda a trial and error. You learn from you mistakes, until you find a system that works for you. Good Luck!

 

[flyweed]

Chubbydog....I do not have a problem with my humidity. I've been running my LG 9200 now for a week, empty. Just so I could get my humidity and temps accurate BEFORE I put any eggs in. I have my temp sitting at a rock solid 99.7F..and for the 1st 16 days I am going to keep the humidity at 30%. I can do this simply by filling all the water trays that are built into my bator in the bottom. It holds at 30% nicely with all of them full. Then I can raise my humidity up to 65-70% by adding a small dish of water in one corner of the bator. Again, I just did some "trial and error" until I found something that held the amount of water to get the humidity I was aiming for. Hope that helps.

My button quail eggs came in their own little "egg container" as well. It's a clear plastic....so Macnugget, this worked by just leaving them in that shipping container and tilting them? If so I may give that a try. I'll just remove the floss packing materials around the eggs and set them back in their little "carton" and put them in the bator.

Dan