Upright eggs for hatch

[Grammyshell]

Is there better hatch rate by. Setting eggs up in egg cartons for hatching? Or by putting a shelf liner in at lock down? Saw where someone swears by the upset eggs hatched better

 

[Chicken_tiger_catt]

Is there better hatch rate by. Setting eggs up in egg cartons for hatching? Or by putting a shelf liner in at lock down? Saw where someone swears by the upset eggs hatched better

I have not experienced this, but I will say orientation matters. Eggs on their side, or pointy part down, are easier to hatch, because pointy part up eggs tend to have the air pocket on the wrong side.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I have not seen any statistics I believe where one way is better than another. I've seen plenty of people on here that set the eggs upright (pointy side down so the air pocket is situated on top) and plenty that lay them down. Many that use the cartons trim away much of the carton so the egg is more free to zip and pip. I don't know how much difference that really makes.

Many commercial operations lay the eggs flat to hatch, but their reasons don't have anything to do with us. When they are hatching tens of thousands of chicks in a hatcher there is a lot of heat produced. They don't have to worry about keeping the heat up, they have to cool the eggs and remove the heat so they don't cook. It is easier for them to maintain the correct heat with the egg laying flat and having a controlled breeze blowing over them. With our smaller incubators and numbers of eggs we don't have that issue.

I personally lay my eggs flat, same as the eggs in a broody hen's nest. It's simpler and I have not seen anything that convinces me that one way is really better or worse than the other. It's just a different way of doing it.

 

[Somshine]

Is there better hatch rate by. Setting eggs up in egg cartons for hatching? Or by putting a shelf liner in at lock down? Saw where someone swears by the upset eggs hatched better

I think I've had a couple that definitely took longer to get their bearings straight from being kicked around so much on my first hatch with the plastic bottom. I really like those rubber grid pattern shelf liners (I use two layers). They definitely help a lot with that. The first time, without them, it was like bowling. I was wincing the whole time. Not sure about an egg crate though.

 

[Somshine]

Is there better hatch rate by. Setting eggs up in egg cartons for hatching? Or by putting a shelf liner in at lock down? Saw where someone swears by the upset eggs hatched better

I don't know if this is your first hatch or not or what kind of science you're doing but if it is your first hatch and you just have a plain hard plastic bottom you are debating, I can tell you it's painful. Use cushion liners that won't absorb too much humidity or funk but will provide cushioning and not such an easy role for sure!

 

[Somshine]

I use two layers of this stuff. Thoroughly washed (borax) and peroxided then rinsed and set out in the sun before hatch, even when new.

 

[Grammyshell]

I use two layers of this stuff. Thoroughly washed (borax) and peroxided then rinsed and set out in the sun before hatch, even when new.

I have padded shelf liner stuff I intended to use, Had terrible hatch rates last year so trying to make better choices

 

[Somshine]

I have padded shelf liner stuff I intended to use, Had terrible hatch rates last year so trying to make better choices

Oh good! Yeah that was painful huh? Was it soccer or bowling? I was cringing! Definitely should come in the box like the turner does