When to stop turning: Clarification please.

[bringontheeggs]

OK... everyone says stop turning day 18. There's a chart on BYC that has all the different breeds and it says day 19... So, I want to simplify into easier terms...PLEASE correct if I have this totally wrong...

Stop turning after day 18 (a full 432 hours) and before the begining of day 19...right?

 

[Pele]

It doesn't have to be exact. I'm impressed you calculated the hours though!

Just stop turning on day 18, that's what I usually do. Mostly because I always have that one chick who decides to hatch a day early. Silly things should come equipped with calendars in their eggs.

 

[stevetone]

Somewhere around the seventeenth day the embryo's beak starts to turn toward the air cell at the large end of the egg. This is in preparation for the embryo to pierce the inner membrane into the air sack.

The rationale behind discontinuing the egg turning is so that this beak-to-air sack orientation is not disturbed, which would force the embryo to waste time and energy changing position, and possibly finding it impossible to do given the lack of space within the egg.

Since some chicks hatch early on Day 19 (as in our last hatch) and some on Days 20 and 21 (or later), it is usually recommended to stop turning on Day 18. If you had a way to observe exactly what was going on in there, you could be more precise. But we just do the best we can!

Actually, I have seen studies that indicate turning is unnecessary after day 14-15, but I would stick with the tried and true 18 day mark until more evidence is presented.