Easier manual turning...maybe

greenaus · **Posted:** Sun Aug 31, 2008 10:41 pm

Despite failure with using mesh previously, I am thinking of trying to build "things" to hold several eggs each for turning.

I'll probably use mouse/snake mesh.

As I was jumping on the trampoline this afternoon with my daughter, she was thinking how great it was to have daddy's attention and I was thinking about how to save time on egg-turning. :lol:

I reckon I could make like a three-sided "tunnel"...like a Toblerone but made of mesh. ;-)

Two sides folded, one side held together with...wait for it...c'mon you know what's coming...zip ties!

Provided all the eggs are about the same diameter, they should all stay in place and all I'd need to do is rotate each "tunnel" three times a day.

Candling might be a problem...or I could just hold the tunnel over the light and look at each egg from the side.

I even considered how doing it this way, I could put more of these "tunnels" on top of the first layer. Interlocking triangles!

With only two layers, all the eggs would be at a similar height, but my incubator is fan-forced (some might say a fan-forced oven) so I could go another level or two higher without major concern.

I would release the eggs before hatch time...maybe even hatch separately.

Fat Chook · **Posted:** Mon Sep 01, 2008 12:30 pm

Greenaus,
My current incubator is a Bellsouth 100 manual turn. I just went and bought myself a couple of budgie ladders and plan on putting eggs inbetween each rung, that way I just have to pull or push the ladder and all my eggs get turned quickly and at the same time. It does cut down on space though, luckily my next batch will only be 12 eggs.

greenaus · **Posted:** Mon Sep 01, 2008 1:47 pm

Thanks for the tip.

Reedyman · **Posted:** Fri Sep 05, 2008 7:37 pm

I have been thinking the same thing. I came up with kitchen trays and i just tilt them and have small timber chocks to put under the ends. will know if it works in 1.5 weeks... I have manual turning.

greenaus · **Posted:** Thu Sep 25, 2008 8:29 pm

Thanks again. Fat Chook's idea is closest to what I've done...today.

Step 1
I bought some non-slip matting. 30cm x 1.5m ($1.99 per roll at IGA). And, pulled out one of the Kevatron shelves.

Step 2
I cut the matting to the desired length(s) and taped it to the shelf.

Step 3
I bought two 25x35x6cm baskets from Coles ($4.19ea) and two 1.8m lengths of 6mm dowel ($2.50ea at Mitre10). I cut the dowels into lengths to go right through both baskets (53cm lengths in this case). This created six "rungs".

Step 4
I cut (and broke) the bottoms out of the baskets, put the shelf back in, positioned the baskets and added the eggs. Despite how it appears in the photo, the perspex door is closed and the shelf is not sticking out.

Fat Chook · **Posted:** Thu Sep 25, 2008 8:35 pm

Looking good Greenaus, is this the first time you're using the Kevatron? Is the idea that you move the basket along the non slip matting, does it slide easily on it?

greenaus · **Posted:** Thu Sep 25, 2008 9:39 pm

With the non-slip matting taped to the shelf so it stays in place, the baskets slide ok.

Due to putting other Kevatron eggs under Brownie, this is kind of the "first" time where I may actually keep the current eggs in there until hatching.

I'm currently nervous about temperature variation from one shelf to the next. I reversed the fans about half an hour ago to see if sucking the air DOWN the false back and blowing UP into the chamber will help.

The eggs are currently all on the one shelf, so no big deal as the thermostat will do its job. But, by the time new eggs go in this Sunday -- on a different shelf -- I'd better be more confident about the temperature being similar on all shelves.

bunyanuternie · **Joined:** Wed Jul 11, 2007 10:31 pm **Posts:** 2903

I am stiil a manual turner :lol:

I enjoy it . it doesn't take me long and I get to feel each egg as I turn them , I have made my job slightly easier by adding 2inch by 2 inch mesh . But I still prefer the old hand turn method for now . It only takes me few minutes . So I don't mind . The non slip matting sounds good . I wonder if you could use egg cartons some how ??

greenaus · **Posted:** Sat Sep 27, 2008 12:09 pm

bunyanuternie wrote:

I wonder if you could use egg cartons some how ??

That's what I used for the very first batch in my home-made styrofoam incubator.

I have considered somehow using egg cartons again. I even have three egg flats (I think that's what they're called...but they're not flat) here. Each holds 6 x 6 as I recall.

Basically, because I'm using the Kevatron with multiple shelves and a lot of space to try to maintain a constant/stable temperature in, I'm a little hesitant to use anything that will block air flow too much.

As I'm a little concerned that the non-slip matting might be blocking the air flow a bit much, I'm thinking of throwing a couple more fans in there to really blast the air around the place.

I took the unused matting off the top shelf because the temp above the matting was a degree higher than the temp below.

Eggs going in every 3-4 days and dozens of ideas about changes swirling around my head don't go well together. Just reversing the fans the other night was a big ordeal. I tried to add another and somehow that stopped the first two working. It took quite a while to sort out and I'm now running just one fan. The air temp sat at 34 for about 40 mins afterwards before beginning to climb.

Fat Chook · **Posted:** Sat Sep 27, 2008 2:43 pm

Greenaus, after seeing another user's easier turning invention/method on a different forum, I copied it and made this today (tried to upload to APF but couldnt so I hope the link works)

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