Turning Eggs

[FeFe1]

In here it says to turns eggs 3 times a day and the person I got my incubator from said to turn them once a day I have had them in there for 3 days now. Should I be turning them 3 times a day, did I ruin them by not and does it matter how many times a day you turn them?

 

[JanO]

A hen will turn them MANY times a day, but that's not realistically possible for us humans. I believe that 3 times a day, at a minimum, is a good rule of thumb. However, some have said that more is better as long as you turn them an odd number of times in a 24 hour period.

Keep in mind that I have not personally incubated eggs in the house yet, so this is coming from others that I've talked to locally and what I've read in here and on other sites.

 

[texas75563]

Eggs should be turned 3 to 5 times a day.

Following is from Guide to Humidity, Weighing and Lockdown found here on BYC

" For most eggs we incubate on their sides unless they have damaged air cells in which case we incubate vertically. They are not turned at all for the first 24 hours and then we switch on the auto-turning mechanism of the incubator which turns them hourly. Once a day we also hand turn them and place them on the opposite side which is why theyre marked with a cross and a circle. This ensures complete turning of the egg over a 24 hour period. For hand turning the minimum would be three times but five times daily is better. Always hand turn the eggs an odd number of times daily as this ensures that each night the opposite side of the egg is incubated upwards.
It is widely assumed that turning is to prevent sticking of the membranes and to ensure the growing embryo has access to fresh nutrients and fluid within the whole egg. However from the first week a sac develops from the embryos naval area and rapidly grows as a vascular balloon which encases the embryo, yolk and amniotic sac. This 'balloon' is covered with a generous supply of blood vessels that lead directly back to the embryo. Over the first weeks the Chorio-Allantoic membrane grows to completely line the inner surface of the entire egg-shell. As the membrane and its blood vessels lie adjacent to the shell it places the blood vessels in near contact with the pores of the egg-shell. Therefore gas and moisture exchange can occur easily, ridding the embryo of carbon dioxide and excess water molecules and also absorbing oxygen for the growing chicks needs. This vital membrane meets the growing embryos internal respiration needs until it is mature enough to use its own lungs for pulmonary (lung) respiration. Research has shown that inadequate turning of the egg in the first two thirds of incubation can lead to stunting in the growth of the chorio-allantoic membrane. This would reduce the membrane's ability to provide adequate gas and water molecule exchange to meet the growing chicks needs and lead to a late death.
"

 

[bugglesmommy]

You haven't ruined your eggs by only turning them once so far, but you should make an effort to turn them more until at least day 14. Generally you should turn them until day 18 but it's not as vital after day 14.

 

[RedneckRebel]

I would not use an automatic turner if you have a choice, the automatic turners do not give me a good hatch rate, I roll my eggs twice a day every 12 hours

 

[FeFe1]

Thanks everyone this has helped a lot!!

 

[Calix]

I would say 3 is an ideal minimum; however i imagine that if it's only been a few days not turning them enough propbably hasn't done all that much damage.

I was going to make my own thread for this, but I'll just ask it here: do most people turn their eggs only during the day, or at night as well? If you turn them at least three times a day, can you skip nights? I always followed the 3 times a day rule and turned at 6 AM, 2 PM, and 10 PM. Sorry to intrude, but I haven't been able to find the answer anywhere.

 

[JanO]

Calix that sounds about right, from what I've read on the subject. Of course it could vary a little as your time allows, but if you stick to that schedule you should be fine.

 

[RedneckRebel]

I turn mine every 8-12 hours

 

[Blakmage]

I've been turning mine 3 times a day but I've turned them the same direction every time. I've only just read that it is important to turn them clockwise and anticlockwise at each alternate turning. I'm not sure how true this is because I've done extensive research for months and have only read it now, but I'm worried I may have done damage. Can anyone shed some light on this subject?