how often do you turn eggs in a manual turn incubator?

julie at serenity · **Posted:** Sat Jul 04, 2009 8:51 am

hello to all

I have a small manual turn incubator, which I bought second hand. The previous owner advised me to turn eggs twice a day....I have been reading advice to turn 5 times a day......now this got me thinking (scary thought

)......I understand a broody chook turns the eggs numerous times, so ......

would it be beneficial if I turn the eggs more than 5 times a day?

what about overnight?

should turns be conducted at evenly spaced intervals?

last spring I turned the eggs only twice a day and hatched 10 out of 12 eggs.....

all views appreciated

greenaus · **Posted:** Sat Jul 04, 2009 10:43 pm

julie at serenity wrote:

last spring I turned the eggs only twice a day and hatched 10 out of 12 eggs

Just think how many more you could have hatched if you'd turned the eggs every two hours.

10 out of 12 is a fantastic result and seems to prove that twice daily was sufficient for that particular incubator with those eggs at that time.

There are many answers to your question and many reasons why. Some of them even make sense.

I turn mine "about" three times a day at not necessarily evenly spaced intervals. That works for me.

I reckon that turning them several times a day in various positions in the first week may be beneficial as it may assist with the formation of "veins" in more directions. This may even produce healthier chickens. I haven't tested that theory yet.

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

I turn mine twice a day morning and night , I love the manual turn , I had the choice of using my big old Auto turn 288 that was sitting here collecting dust and chose to let it go , I now have 2 bellsouths both manual turn . some of you have seen my hatch results . and thats enough for me , The wire rack is a must for my method though ' simple but effective '
The more times you open the lid , The more chance you've got of losing embryo's .

julie at serenity · **Posted:** Sun Jul 05, 2009 7:56 pm

mmmmmmmmmmmm :?:

greenaus · **Posted:** Sun Jul 05, 2009 8:09 pm

So, I reckon the consensus so far is that 2-3 times daily is plenty.

oozcorpse · **Joined:** Sun Nov 04, 2007 8:15 am **Posts:** 2715

spaner in the works here =
it is recommended that the eggs be turned minimum of five times a day [preferrably 7-8] for the first 7-10 days then 4-6 times until day 15 then 3 times a day till day 18 then not turn them at all for the final 3 days before hatching to allow them to settle in preparation for the hatch
the reason being that in the first 7-10 days they require movement to absorb nutrient to develop
by day 7 they have attached well and require less turning with the amount of turning reducing as hatch date approaches

there was a seminar abt it at the Canberra show last year - and it confirmed what my Gran and Dad had told me my whole life.

you need to be quick tho as the heat and the humidity reduce quickly but will restore just as quickly if you are fast - the eggs can tolerate this for short amounts of time - it is the large temp/humidity swings that take an hour or more to correct that tend to reduce viability

sorry to confuse you

julie at serenity · **Posted:** Mon Jul 06, 2009 6:58 pm

OK, thanks for this input, I am up to day 8, so I'll reduce the turns now......I shall let you know how I get on,,,,,,,thanks for all the comments though

abby road · **Posted:** Thu Jul 09, 2009 7:56 am

I turn mine 6 times a day I set the good thing is I'm up early in the morning 3am {I'm a cleaner} so it works in well with my day

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

Sorry Soozorps I just Plageurised your work :lol:

But I'm sure you wont mind :lol:

It was worth repeating

you need to be quick tho as the heat and the humidity reduce quickly but will restore just as quickly if you are fast - the eggs can tolerate this for short amounts of time - it is the large temp/humidity swings that take an hour or more to correct that tend to reduce viability

The above was Plageurised

It can't be reinforced enough About taking the lid on and off , or opening and shutting the door .

Ann@Nanango · **Posted:** Thu Jul 23, 2009 11:57 am

Firstly, I hope I'm not poaching this subject but I have a fairly relevant question.

Mel (lady who owns the incubator I use), has just over 2 dozen eggs and I have one dozen eggs in the incubator. They are due on 25 July. Because there were so many in there, we have just put them in egg cartons (also so as not to confuse them - I'm expecting me first lot of Light Sussex). Question is - Does it hurt the eggs to be totally vertical and to be turned back to totally vertical each time? It seems like an unnatural angle to me.

I have just put the flat lid of an egg carton in and laid them down flat in preparation for their hatching. No more turning. Mel always turns hers up until they hatch, but I'm going to ask her not to turn mine anymore until they hatch.

Mel said she can hear them rolling around at night when they are due to hatch (when they are on the mesh floor - it's a Bellsouth 100). Could this be because they are trying to find "UP".

Can't wait to have my own incubator up and running, then I'll be accountable for my OWN babies.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers for now.

Ann

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