Your opinions on egg turners

[TennesseeTruly]

I really want some opinions and to hear some experiences with egg turners.

I've been hand turning eggs because I really like the personal involvement. But I purchased an egg turner because I was going away for Christmas and I had eggs that were going to hatch the week after. Well due to a 4 day power outage during that time, none of my eggs hatched. Okay, wasn't the turners fault.

I have 3 incubators full of eggs and decided to use the egg turner because my husband was complaining it was just sitting around collecting dust. I wish I hadn't used it. Every single egg that I put into the egg turner has died mid incubation. My temps are fine, humidity's fine but every single egg is dead. The eggs that should be hatching in the next few days all died sometime after their 10th day when I candled last.

The egg turner is still working, when I've added water to the incubator it has been in various positions and I can hear it clicking as it turns at night. I'm so upset. I had Columbian Wyandottes, Buff Orpingtons, Buff Polish, Black Rosecombs, White Face Black Spanish, and Sicilian Buttercup eggs in there. I could just scream!!!!

I'll never use one of these again....NEVER!!

Anyone else have this kind of problem? I've been hatching eggs all winter long, hand turning them with about a 90% hatch rate. I now have a 0% hatch rate with this turner! My other two incubators are full of eggs and in one of them I have Call ducks that are hatching right now and the other is full of Sebastopol goose eggs that are doing fantastically.

I think the egg turner's going to the dump!

Laurie

Laurie

 

[Cindiloohoo]

I don't think it's possible that it was the egg turner. Where did the eggs come from?

 

[Brickman House]

I'm wiith Cindiloohoo-- coincidence doesn't equal causation. The eggs needed to be turned, and according to your account, the egg turner turned them like it was supposed to. So why blame the turner?


I'd look for another cause for your failed hatch.

 

[firedove]

what kind of egg turner are you using? My incubator (a Lyon TX6) has the auto-turn attachment which rolls the eggs slightly every 30 minutes. My hatch rates have been good even when I've made huge mistakes with temp and humidity. I'm new to hatching and it's the only egg turner I have ever used so my opinion of egg turners is very good. Maybe I'm mistaken but I thought the problem is when an egg is not turned the embryo can stick to the shell. I don't really understand how an egg turner can be bad for a hatch so I'm inclined to think that Cindiloohoo and Brickman House are probably correct that there is another cause for a 100% failed hatch.

 

[TennesseeTruly]

The eggs are from all different sellers. Some from BYC some from ebay. Every egg was developing normally sometime after my Day 10 candle. Today would have been Day 18. When I candled last night to make sure the air cells were where they were supposed to be and to remove the eggs from the turner, imagine my surprise to see the eggs still at Day 10 or a little past and all were small darkened lumps.

The turner and incubator are both Hovabators. The reason I'm suggesting the turner is because I'm not new to hatching eggs or raising chicks. Especially in the last year, I've literally hatched more than 1000 eggs. I have never had a 0% hatch rate before.

I have 3 incubators. All in my bedroom, all in close proximity to one another. I had just used that incubator before I used the turner and had a 90% hatch rate. The other two incubators without the turners, one is full of Call duck eggs that are pipping and hatching right now. The other has Sebastopol goose eggs in it and they're doing great. Humidity and temp are the same in all three incubators. The only difference I can see is the turner.

I guess I'm just going to chalk this up to a bad experience and a good deal of money lost and not use the turner again. I just thought it strange that I've always handturned and always have great hatches. This time I used the turner and had not one egg even come close.

Thanks for your opinions! I really do appreciate it. I guess the saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" applies here. I'll go back to hand turning exclusively. It works for me.

Laurie

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

I wont use the yellow hovabator turners for duck eggs, just chicken eggs, and I had a fine hatch rate. For duck eggs I use my brinsea, where the whole incubator turns. Its sits on a cradle.