turning eggs

[JLaw]

Ok so from what I read chickens turn eggs like every 30 min up to 5 times an hour. Different sources say different amount of times. Why don't auto egg turners turn more then? I hear people saying broody hens chicks seem to be stronger than incubator chicks. Is it the amount of turning? Sorry i'm new to chickens and was looking to make an incubator but after finding out most auto egg turners only do it every 2 hours or so, I stopped looking up info and desided to find out why so little when a hen would do over 4+ times that amount in same amount of time. Is there any egg turners you can speed up/slow down? I've been looking on google a little bit not much about this and keep getting mixed info on hens and egg turners.

thanks

jlaw

 

[loveourbirds]

you only need to turn your eggs about 3 times a day, some people will even say less.

what type of incubator are you thinking about?

 

[JLaw]

I'm thinking of making my own but adding an auto egg turner. Mainly for the fun of building it. But what I don't get if turning ups the hatch rate by adding a turner for sure turns. Then why don't auto turners turn as much as hens do to make stronger chicks? From what I read they turn every 15 min or so. But auto egg turners take 2 hours to do the same turn. Just seems if they are known to turn at lease 2-4 times an hour why wouldn't a turner do the same instead of .5 turns an hour.


edit. Just seems auto turners are doing a min turning compared to hens doing more turns per hour and the hens make stronger chicks than turners from what I read.

 

[loveourbirds]

you are thinking about it in the right ways, but missing one thing. the hen doesn't turn the egg as far typically, and she doesn't turn every egg every time.

how large of an incubator are you thinking of? I do this for a hobby, I might be able to help you along.

 

[JLaw]

Honstly I haven't figured out how big to go. I have a few Styrofoam coolers but was thinking of making a wood case and finding some plastic to line or an insert to put in it. I was thinking of making a side to it but inclosed for light/fan. Like a tunnel C shaped with cpu fan in top blowing in with lights in middle or upper cornor of the C. Eggs at bottom with the thermostat. I was thinking of using a reptitemp 500r. I was thinking of using 3 Candelabra-Base light fictures. 1 with a full led watt light under 5 watts. If I read the info correctly on reptitemp 500r it has two outlets to be turned on at different temps. I was thinking of a 15 watt light be turned on at 98-101 and then a 45-60 watt turning on 98 and under. This is a hobby for me hence the building of something I could prob get cheaper buying.

jlaw

edit the case would be wood then Styrofoam then plastic. the c channel would be lined in some sort of tubeing I would think like 2-4 inch or so wide.

 

[loveourbirds]

by your description you are thinking of an incubator for around 50 or so eggs? (could be up to 100 depending on conditions)

 

[JLaw]

really I figure I want maybe 10-20 eggs hatched at a time. But since i'm building it I figure go all out if I can instead of a fan blowing to top of lid I want one to do a c channel to pick up all heat from bulbs as soon as they turn on. I'm thinking that alone will take up a 1/3rd of what I want. I'm figuring egg area to be 10x10 inch to right of that 1/2 inch hardware cloth then maybe 4 inch wide spaceing. water down bottom with sponge. the wall will be the c channel 2-4 inch tubeing going 5 inch deep then 7 inch down then 5 inch back to bottom of incubator. I'm probably way over thinking this but i'm looking for a circle air movement. Using the fan at top of the C lights at top or middle and water at bottom. It would always move warm air down.

jlaw

 

[loveourbirds]

I have an idea, but give me a minute to think it through.

 

[loveourbirds]

I can design an incubator with what I have in mind to hold 25 eggs or 100 eggs for about the same price. maybe a $10 difference.

the worst problem in small incubators is humidity and ventilation. I have an idea of a circular air flow that should eliminate both. the best incubators I have seen have the fan moving heat straight over the water, but in a small incubator like you are talking about most of them have the water under the eggs and heat from above.

have you already bought anything for this?

 

[JLaw]

I haven't bought anything besides a power converter for the fan.

here is a cheap ms paint what I want/ thinking. Green is the hardware cloth. Red is the fan blowing to right. yellow is lights for heat. blue is tubeing for air. purple is water/sponge. little brown is the thermo temp reading. and an egg turner would be to left of green. I have a universal covnverter with like 6 setings for volts to fan to change what it needs as I see fit. I figure even if lights aint on it will still move air hot to bottom. I also want a maybe 4.5 watt led light in top fot the left side.