Turning the eggs

[BeccaB00]

Quote:
I've actually done that before. It was my first hatch, I was a complete idiot at hatching eggs, and

I forgot to turn them. I'm happy I'm smarter now

now I'd never do that now, but hey,

I didn't know back then. But anyways I had 6 hatch.

6 out of about 30 eggs...

 

[Nodaksnakelover]

skip a day or two, and you could likely end up with fewer or even no chicks at all hatching. So many factors in this incubation thing. But truth be told, you can do everything right and still fail with incubation! Just too many factors at play.

 

[saladin]

Y'all are really making this sound so difficult. 'It must be done this way or that way or else.'

Be for real.

Yes, the eggs tend to do better if turned an odd number of time. However, if you only turn them two times a day it is no big deal. Also, if you forget to turn them a day or two; that to is no big deal.

This ain't rocket-science: lighten-up.

As a matter of fact, handling them too much is a great fault. The oil from your skin will clog the pores and the hatch will go down.

 

[Cuban Longtails]

I'm with Saladin, too much handling is bad for the eggs.

I have been unable to turn the "correct" amount of times in a day, not a big deal. Even skipped days, 'cause I was gone on a weekend, still no big deal.

Most folk end up making it way more complicated than it should be.

 

[ms.cluckling]

thank you all. I'll keep that in mind

Actually, I'm doing a science fair project, so I want to see whether or not turning matters. so I have two groups. One that I'll turn 3 times, one that I wont turn at all.

Im scared for the ones I'm not turning. But science is science.

But thanks for your advice. I'll remember this for futher hatches.

 

[sheilawagner]

Taken from "A Guide to Better Hatching" , Pg 44, Topic "Incubating the Egg"

"It may surprise you to learn that a hen will turn (shift) her eggs an average of 96 times in 24 hours.."

I thought by this statement alone, it will highlight how important it is to shift eggs. If we want to mimic as closely as possible, what a mother hen does, we should try to increase the number of times, and maybe even maximize the number of times we manually turn the eggs.

This is another reason why we should get an automatic turner. Makes life much easier that way, and we don't touch the eggs excessively to turn it, and therefore decrease chances of bacterial contamination.

 

[ms.cluckling]

thats...interesting...
Wow. 96 times!!

And to think that there are 7 that I wont turn at ALLLLL!!! GAAAH!!!

D'oh

Oh well. All I can do is hope and pray for the best

Thank you!

 

[barefoottrims]

ms.cluckling :

what happens if you dont turn the eggs at all? is it possible they'll still hatch? (I have 15 in the 'bator, and I'm not sure...)

I am going to defuse a big myth the blastodisc/embryo swims in the albumin (egg white) just great all by itself and between the thick and thin albumin and inter and outer membranes it does not need a turner and turning doesn't or may only help a little. The only reason a Broody hen turns an Egg it is to move it from inside to outside she will move the inside eggs out to cool down and the outside eggs in to warm up and that is all.

I have candled many eggs and have never seen a chick that wasn't able to move on its own inside the egg.

How do you think a chick zips it twists itself inside the egg, this is why most times the Chalazae is broken free of the chick

not turning a couple of days is not going to "Hurt" anything​

 

[saladin]

Excellent barefoot.

Years ago when at the University of Tenn working on my first degree I was taught not to turn the eggs until the 3rd day of incubation. Been doing it that way ever since.

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

Eh. My first few hatches I turned faithfully three times a day and charted temp and humidity when I did so. Had okay hatches (it seemed more to depend on where the eggs came from). The last several hatches I turned maybe twice a day (around every 12 hours). I got about the same percentage of hatch (again, it seemed more to depend on where the eggs came from). I have missed a day or two here or there. No worries.

What seems to be a bigger deal is temperature and humidity. When those are where they are supposed to be I get great hatches. When those get off I have horrible hatches. I figure that is more important than whether I am turning things every few hours.