I seen some references to a article concerning a study that suggested that not turning eggs was ok...can some one direct me to this article or any comments concerning this will be good too.

Thanks,

Steve

-- steve (invisibleunion@hotmail.com), February 01, 2002

Answers

I assume that your question is about turning the eggs while in an incubator. A hen will seemingly be happy sitting on identical eggs but will take a long time to rearrange them each day. She'll turn each egg once a day. Holds true with almost all birds. I think that is was about 1949 when we got a "newfangled" incubator so that we would not be dependent upon the broodiness of hens at the right time. Next thing I knew, one of the crayons from my box was gone. Aunt had used it to place X on one side of the eggs and O on the other. She started a system so that X would mean an odd number date and O would be the even date. There IS a reason for this. The chicks develop with their large heads tucked to the rear. If not turned, it would possibly become a strangle situation where the chick develops only to either die in the egg or be in no position to be able to escape the shell when the 21 days are over.

So, Steve, if those eggs are under a hen, don't worry about them as the old biddy will take care of the turning. If in an incubator, suggest that you get out magic marker or crayon to mark each egg so that what you see one day is not what you see the next.

Counting chickens before they hatch,

Martin

-- Martin Longseth (paquebot@merr.com), February 01, 2002.

PLEASE use only pencil in marking eggs---------other markers poison the egg. Turning the eggs--I have read those articles and the jury is not in yet. If you want those articles go to Poultry Connection, you can get there from Google and ask on the message board. I know that Glenda Heywood of the National Poultry News has had some articles in her publications and she is ALWAYS glad to help out those who ask.

My own view---------a hen will turn her own eggs, I turn mine in the incubator 2x a day. I do not go to a lot of trouble and I do not put X and O on them. I wash my Hands and place my hand on top of the eggs and roll them around and not in any pattern and I am not very gentle either. People tend to try to hard with their eggs.

You can email me if you like.

-- Bonnie Norris (queqid@att.net), February 01, 2002.

I read an article that said turning was not needed. I tried it and found that we had some leg problems with our chicks. Their legs were crooked. Some adapted to this problem and were ok, some died.

I can't say for sure that not turning is what caused the problem, but the chicks the hen hatched did not have leg deformities. It affected guineas as well as chicks.

I'm pretty sure the problem was not the eggs, because the ones the hen hatched were from the same flock as the ones we put in the incubator.

-- Mona in OK (modoc@ipa.net), February 01, 2002.

I would tend to go with the turning if incubating. If God made the mother hen to turn her eggs everyday, there must be a reason!

-- Pam in Oregon (pamalimabean@hotmail.com), February 01, 2002.