Turning Schedule...

[HokiFarmer]

How many degrees will I need to turn my eggs? A quarter turn each time? I could put 4 numbers on the eggs and always turn clockwise. Also would it be OK if I turn the eggs at 8:30am, 3:30pm and 8:30pm every day?

Thanks

 

[eggbert420]

I leave mine in a egg carton pointy side down, and turn the back and forth 45º three times per day.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

How many degrees will I need to turn my eggs? A quarter turn each time? I could put 4 numbers on the eggs and always turn clockwise. Also would it be OK if I turn the eggs at 8:30am, 3:30pm and 8:30pm every day?

Thanks

If they are laying down, the most common method of turning is 180 degrees 3xs a day. Most people put an O on one side and an X on the other and turn from one to the other. I turn 3 xs a day, morning, afternoon and night.
If they are upright it's a 45 degree tilt as eggbert said.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I use the X and O from 1 side to the other as AmyLynn suggest... Never make a full cirlcle. Be sure to go back the opposite direction. I even put an arrow between the X and O, so I know which 180 I am working with and not accidentally start turning the wrong way.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Why are you concerned about which way you turn them? When I turn them I may go left, I may got right, I may go end over end. I can't imagine a broody hen always turning them back and forth like that.

When I incubate I use an automatic turner that tilts them 45 degrees to the left then 45 degrees to the right of a full 90 degree turn several times a day with the pointy end down.

Now that my wife has a house dog I don't trust, I no longer use the auto-turner when I store them for incubation. I mark one side red and one side black and go a full 180 degrees each time. Whether you use x-o's, numbers, or colors doesn't matter but it helps me a lot to mark them so I know what I'm doing.

That turning schedule should work fine. What you want is for them to spend about half their time one way and half the other. Most of us have top work out a hand turning schedule that matched our life. Most will have long stretches where they can't turn them, at school or work or when sleeping. Spread them out as much as you reasonably can but a lot of people use an odd number of turns each day. If your long stretch is when you are asleep then with an odd number of turns you alternate which side is up at night.

There are two main reasons you turn them during incubation. Turning helps body parts form in the right places. Turning also helps stop the yolk and developing chick from touching the inside of the egg shell and getting stuck. After a couple of weeks the body parts have formed and a membrane has developed around the chick to prevent it from sticking to the inside of the shell. After two weeks you don't have to worry about turning them, but most people do. If you use an automatic turner turning isn't a problem and it's convenient to remove the turner as part of going into lockdown.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Why are you concerned about which way you turn them? When I turn them I may go left, I may got right, I may go end over end. I can't imagine a broody hen always turning them back and forth like that.

When I incubate I use an automatic turner that tilts them 45 degrees to the left then 45 degrees to the right of a full 90 degree turn several times a day with the pointy end down.

Now that my wife has a house dog I don't trust, I no longer use the auto-turner when I store them for incubation. I mark one side red and one side black and go a full 180 degrees each time. Whether you use x-o's, numbers, or colors doesn't matter but it helps me a lot to mark them so I know what I'm doing.

That turning schedule should work fine. What you want is for them to spend about half their time one way and half the other. Most of us have top work out a hand turning schedule that matched our life. Most will have long stretches where they can't turn them, at school or work or when sleeping. Spread them out as much as you reasonably can but a lot of people use an odd number of turns each day. If your long stretch is when you are asleep then with an odd number of turns you alternate which side is up at night.

There are two main reasons you turn them during incubation. Turning helps body parts form in the right places. Turning also helps stop the yolk and developing chick from touching the inside of the egg shell and getting stuck. After a couple of weeks the body parts have formed and a membrane has developed around the chick to prevent it from sticking to the inside of the shell. After two weeks you don't have to worry about turning them, but most people do. If you use an automatic turner turning isn't a problem and it's convenient to remove the turner as part of going into lockdown.

I agree. I generally turn mine the same direction every turn. I also don't worry about hitting a full 180 either.
I did see at one time, someone claimed that you shouldn't turn the same way every time because the chalaza gets too twisted. I don't know where the info came from, I never paid it any heed, I've always pretty much went in one direction.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Twisting the chalaza. Now I see where the logic could come from. But since the chalaza is a spring it should untwist on its own. Yeah, not something I'm going to worry about.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Twisting the chalaza. Now I see where the logic could come from. But since the chalaza is a spring it should untwist on its own. Yeah, not something I'm going to worry about.

That was my thought too...lol

 

[EggSighted4Life]

OK you two... It was the chalaza thing, thanks for the education and clearing some stuff up!

I did quit turning after day 14 on this round since that's what AmyLynn said she does in a previous convo, clearly with plenty of success. But having the old info was bugging my brain and wondering should I be nervous about not turning. With your confirmation as well Ridgerunner, I feel even more confident.

And of course I've had some eggs that after I turn them decide they are going to roll away. I always just put them back how they should be but can't confirm if the rollers hatched or not since I don't yet have super accurate attention to detail records in place. But yes, I figured there is NO way a hen can turn opposite every time or even stop turning at day 18. Hatching is made to seem so scary and hard... but in reality you can keep it basic, have a good time and still get a decent hatch without fretting because you miss 1 turn.

I know I'm not the thread starter.. but thank y'all for the support and encouragement to keep it simple.