Vertical vs. horizontal rotation

[Knighstar679]

I remember reading something somewhere about hatch rate differences between vertical vs. horizontal egg rotation. I was wondering how this relates with detached or wobbly air cells? Like if you put them under a broody what have your results been like, or what did you do to you eggs that were horizontal rotated that seemed to get you the best hatch rate whether that was under a broody or in an incubator?

 

[CluckNDoodle]

I have 3 incubators with horizontal rotation and 1 with vertical rotation and so far I've had 70-100% hatch rates though I've never hatched shipped eggs. I even moved the eggs from the vertical egg turner to the horizontal turner half way through incubation once and it hasn't had any effect on my hatch rate (that was a 100% hatch actually).
My committed broodies have offered me a 100% hatch rate but equally, my broody that gave up gave me 0% because at the time I wasn't prepared to step in because it was my very first experience with hatching chicks. So a broody that gives up before hatch day can be devastating if you don't have an incubator on standby.
I just realized I'm not being very helpful in answering your question about the wobbly air cell but I do currently have 1 set in my vertical egg turner. It's one of the very gentle, slow-moving turners that I decided to set the egg in BUT most people put their wobbly air cell eggs in an egg carton and don't move them at all for at least a few days so we'll see how it goes! I don't know that I would ever set wobbly air cell eggs in my horizontal egg turner but it's not something I've tried.

 

[Knighstar679]

I have 3 incubators with horizontal rotation and 1 with vertical rotation and so far I've had 70-100% hatch rates though I've never hatched shipped eggs. I even moved the eggs from the vertical egg turner to the horizontal turner half way through incubation once and it hasn't had any effect on my hatch rate (that was a 100% hatch actually).
My committed broodies have offered me a 100% hatch rate but equally, my broody that gave up gave me 0% because at the time I wasn't prepared to step in because it was my very first experience with hatching chicks. So a broody that gives up before hatch day can be devastating if you don't have an incubator on standby.
I just realized I'm not being very helpful in answering your question about the wobbly air cell but I do currently have 1 set in my vertical egg turner. It's one of the very gentle, slow-moving turners that I decided to set the egg in BUT most people put their wobbly air cell eggs in an egg carton and don't move them at all for at least a few days so we'll see how it goes! I don't know that I would ever set wobbly air cell eggs in my horizontal egg turner but it's not something I've tried.

Thanks for the reply!

I wish I had a broody to use but I am restarting my flock. So it’s incubators only for me.

 

[Just Rosie]

I personally hand turn my eggs, as my turner would only house 9, when I can house 22 if I turn them! I don't have experience with manual vertical turning, which I'm sure I could try if I housed the eggs correctly, but I am curious to see others' replies. My hatch rate is about 80% when I hand turn, and I do so horizontally.

 

[Knighstar679]

I personally hand turn my eggs, as my turner would only house 9, when I can house 22 if I turn them! I don't have experience with manual vertical turning, which I'm sure I could try if I housed the eggs correctly, but I am curious to see others' replies. My hatch rate is about 80% when I hand turn, and I do so horizontally.

Have you done this with shipped eggs that might have have gotten bad air cells?

 

[Just Rosie]

Have you done this with shipped eggs that might have have gotten bad air cells?

I have hatched shipped eggs once, which I manually turned horizontally. My hatch rate was pretty poor, but it was also my first-ever hatch, and the incubator I used is awful, with temps fluctuating as high as 109! I got hatched two chicks out of a dozen eggs.