Who Here Hand Turns There Eggs???

[BirdBoy88]

When i first started off incubating eggs when i was a little kid my dad made us hand turn our eggs but at some point my teen years hit and i forgot about the hand turning trick...lol


so lately i have been using auto turners but i want to try back at hand turning

it's fun and i like it but i forgot how to

this is what i need to know.....

What are the times during the day do you turn the eggs? for example ( 8am - 3pm - 6pm - 8pm )

Do you turn them at night?

How many times do you turn them a day?

If you have one side of the egg with a ( O ) and the other side with a ( X ) and if you start off the day with the ( X ) on top...by the end of the day when you stop turning for the day..should the ( X ) be back on top or the ( O ) ???


Thanks

 

[Tuffoldhen]

I hand turn in acouple of my incubators...

I put an O on one side and the X on the other...doesn't matter which you start with, you will know in the morning to turn to the other side.....

I turn odd numbers of times a day, 3 to be exact ...some people turn 5.....turning keeps the embryo exercised and from sticking too long on one side of the shell.....

Usually around 8 a.m, 3 p.m and at 11 p.m. at night...does not have to be exactly turned on those hours just make sure its odd numbers of turns and that they are turned during the day...

 

[Solace]

I do the X and O thing too. I don't really worry too much about specific times. I just turn them when I get up in the mornings, when I get home from the office and finally before I go to bed.

 

[BirdBoy88]

Thanks

i think i am going to try a couple of my leghorn eggs with hand turning and see how i do at it

 

[muscovy94]

I also turn mine 3 times a day. Once in the morning, once when i get home, and once before i go to bed.

 

[Mikeeeeeeeeee]

X & O
3 times a day when I can.
Two times minimum ( on days when I get home from work late)

 

[alalele]

I hand turn about every 8 hours... set an alarm on my cell phone to help out. 8am, 4pm and 12 midnight works for me. It doesn't have to be perfect, but an odd number of turning is important.

Here is an excerpt of a good article:
TURNING THE EGGS

"When the eggs are put in the incubator, lay them on their sides and turn them at least three times a day. Turning prevents the embryo from sticking to the shell membranes as it will do if it is left in one position too long. Good results can be obtained by turning the eggs the first thing in the morning, again at noon, and the last thing at night. But it is better to turn the eggs more than three times a day. In any case they should be turned an odd number of times so that the side that is up longest will be staggered from day to day. Otherwise the egg will be in the same position every night, which is the longest stretch of time between turns.

When you turn the eggs, move them to a different part of the tray to offset variations in temperature in the different parts of the incubator. Continue to turn the eggs from the first through the 17th days but do not turn them after the 17th day."
http://chickscope.beckman.uiuc.edu/resources/egg_to_chick/procedures.html

 

[whitecra]

I hand turn my 3 times a day also. I love hand turning them. I have never used an egg turner and I don't think I want to.
Chris

 

[monarc23]

I no longer mark my eggs, I just lightly turn the mass of eggs in groups with the palm of my hand i roll them a few cms and stop.


The only time of the day that its simliar is when I wake up i roll them. Rest I just make sure when I think about it to roll them again atleast 2 more times and check the humidity which I like tokeep around 40%.

Hens dont have watch, so neither do I is my metholodical theroy LOL

 

[needmorechickens!]

I hand turn mine. I don't have a turner. But I have never had more than 36 at a time.
~Rebecca