Egg Turning In Incubators

[Chicken_man 1,651]

How many times a day should the eggs be turned in a day in the incubator ? Every 2 hrs, 3 or 4 ? Who has had the best results ? A new incubator i have is set for every 2 hrs, that seems a bit excessive to me, but i could be wrong. Who knows ? I know broodys are best, but none at the minute. In the past i have had good results with less turns. Enlighten me please

[bullx100% 681]

I thought it was 3 times aday every 8 hours

[leey 26]

Just think about how a broody would do it they turn eggs ever time they move in the nest just do what has worked best for you in the past I've turned them every hour and just twice a day had good results both ways if it's automatic just leave it to it.

[foxdropper 17,092]

On the game fame i worked the automatic turning system kicked in twice a day mate but we manually turned once more just before candleling and it was turned off altogether just before hatching .Cant remember number of days as it was 25 years ago lol.

[bobcullen79 1,495]

Ive had good results in a constant turning incubator (fiem smart 20). It was a real slow affair, slowly rolling the eggs round in circles, I couldnt tell you the amount of rotations it did in 24 hours though.

[gnipper 5,966]

Ive had good results in a constant turning incubator (fiem smart 20). It was a real slow affair, slowly rolling the eggs round in circles, I couldnt tell you the amount of rotations it did in 24 hours though.

I thought of knocking something similar up using a clock to turn a rod the eggs were resting on, two full rotation in 24hours should be enough shouldn't it?

[TWOTWOTHREE 152]

2/3 times a day, normally first thing before work, lunch time if anyone is in and then just before i go up the wooden hill.more if I am knocking about at weekends,never had a bad hatch ever in many years.

Atb

[Shamo 319]

Turning the Eggs is probably one of the more minor reasons Eggs don't Hatch in Incubators. Life sometimes dictates how we can manage them, but twice is usually enough, three if you can or even more, AS LONG AS YOU DON'T HAVE TO KEEP OPENING THE INCUBATOR TO DO IT. The four major reasons are, quality of the Eggs, correct Humidity, good site for Incubation period and then an average Temp of 37.5 degrees throughout the 21 days. A LOT OF less experienced people tend to also mess up on the last stage, the last 3 days.

[bobcullen79 1,495]

 

Ive had good results in a constant turning incubator (fiem smart 20). It was a real slow affair, slowly rolling the eggs round in circles, I couldnt tell you the amount of rotations it did in 24 hours though.

I thought of knocking something similar up using a clock to turn a rod the eggs were resting on, two full rotation in 24hours should be enough shouldn't it?

 

Im guessing thats similar to how it works any way, it makes a low ticking noise like a household mains timer when running, maybe incorporate one? I cant quite remember but last time I looked in there, it was just a bar attaching to the egg tray,(which looks like the bottom of a freezer basket) going to an oval cam, constanlty turning - just like a timer. All sat on a pretty friction-less tiny mesh so it all slides about, eggs and all. Simple really, would be pretty easy I think.

 

R.E Humidity Shamo, I stopped adding any water to mine, Being an active air intake(fan powered), it just evaporated so quick it wasnt worth it. I spent more time worrying if the water had ran out, I wasnt hatching anything valuable, just egg layers and quail. I did ponder on a wick and reservoir system though. But had good enough results without so I never bothered. Like you say, good stock, fairly constant temps and incubator site location are important factors too.

[Shamo 319]

I agree Bob, about the water and obviously location. When I first started Incubating Eggs, the technology wasn't what it is now so much. I am not talking about the Stone Age, but nearly 40 years ago I first used an Incubator...lol, I was almost 10 and we had a Small Holding, so I wanted some OEG Bantams and some new American type of Birds my Dad knew some good Chicken Fellas, so got some and borrowed an Antique (almost) Incubator. I never added any Water, put it in a Shed with a couple of Cows and left it, using a Brick to sit edge of Incubator on and alternating sides twice a day, when the Cows were milked, before and after School. Sorry for the long story, but it could be longer....lol. Anyway, I had 36 out of 48 Hatch!! No Thermometer, no Hydrometer and not a drop of Water...lol. Not recommending it, but just saying LOCATION can be the difference. Bit of a Tear in my Eyes now....lmao.