what position should my eggs be in at day 18?

[Maddison]

fat end up or layed flat?

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

At day 18 (lockdown) I like to lay them on their sides in the natural hatching position. I have and do hatch upright in cut down egg cartons if I have wonky air cells. I like both ways but the down side with upright is you can’t see if you have a wrong end pip which can make it difficult for monitoring.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Either one. You'll find people that believe one way is better than the other but both work. I lay mine down but that doesn't mean you need to.

You probably don't want to use a turner to keep them upright. They make a mess when they hatch, those turners can be hard to clean up, especially if it is a type with the motor in there. Many turners have sharp corners where legs, wings, or necks can get caught.

Most people that stand them upright use cut-out egg cartons. They trim the cups so the eggs can breathe better and it's less likely the carton can interfere with the chicks hatching.