Upside down eggs

[The Mama Chicken]

I put my 31 New Hampshire eggs in the incubator upside down (pointy end up) for the first week in an egg flat.
I didn't notice until I candled on day 7. Now it's day 12 and I just candled again and only 3 seem to be developing. I think I killed them!
I'm so angry at myself. When the lady gave them to me they were already in the flat and I just assumed that they were in there in the right direction, and didn't think to check them. At least I didn't buy them, I traded some of my Easter Egger eggs for them.

 

[momofdrew]

when my broody hens set eggs they are on their side and then they roll them... I would think sitting on their heads wouldnt be good for them...better luck next time

 

[The Mama Chicken]

I usually lay them on their side, but this time I have so many eggs in the incubator (60 right now) that I decided to try using the egg flats so I can turn them all together. Luckily the Blue Copper Marans Eggs I bought were right side up and I saw movement in 13 of the 19 eggs (the other 6 were just too dark to see anything) and both of the Serama eggs look great and those are the ones I actually paid money for. New Hampshire eggs are easy enough to come by.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Obviously it's not good, but I don't see where that would keep them from developing. I'd think the problems from them being upside down would be more in them pipping and hatching, not developing. But I'm certainly no expert.

There was a post on the chicken forum yesterday where a teacher had the eggs upside down the entire incubation period because her "expert" told her wrong. She had at least egg one pip. I have not heard if it managed to hatch or if others pipped.

I've got 5 turkey eggs and 30 Ameraucana eggs in the incubator right now, due April 3. The five turkey eggs were mailed and I picked up the Ameraucana. Last time I candled (day 16 for the turkeys and day 9 for the chickens) it looked like all 5 shipped turkey eggs were developing but only 14 of the 30 chicken eggs I picked up were developing.

That just doesn't seem right.

 

[The Mama Chicken]

I'm hoping I'm wrong, I'm not great at candling yet, as it's only my 5th hatch. I'm not removing them from the 'bator yet, that's for sure.

 

[ducks4you]

I got an incubator and an egg turner in 2011. I hatched out 3 groups. You probably did nothing wrong by placement. Since they were from my hens and my rooster I was able to gauge how many got fertilized by checking for fertilization when I broke eggs open to eat. Our success rate was about 1/2-2/3 of the group put up.
It is MORE important that the temperature remain constant. DH, who really needs to help more with the critters--GGRRR!!!--has taken it upon himself to setting the incubator temperature. We ran it for one week to see that it was correct--I think it's 99 degrees F--Before we started eggs in it.
We hatched out about 30 chicks, ate all of the young roosters at about 2 months old, and kept the hens. It was important to me to not inbreed my birds. My hens were RIR, and my rooster was a Welsummer. This year's hens look RIR, but they have their fathers characteristic penciled cape. I have 2 roosters that were raised together and they don't fight. One is red???, and the other is white with black tail feathers and beige wing feathers. My chicks this year will be an interesting mix.
I've kept chickens for about 6 years now. I've learned that serious chicken owners who eat their birds will replace their laying flock every year. Last year I had 10 laying hens who produced 4-8 eggs/daily. THIS year my 13 laying hens produce 8-18 eggs/daily--it's a big improvement.
I think I'd like my 2013 rooster to be either an Easter-Egger or a white Leghorn. Try again!!

 

[The Mama Chicken]

Ducks, what kind of chickens do you have that you're getting 18 eggs a day from 13 hens? I've had chickens for nearly 5 years and I didn't think that was possible. Even my best layer only gives me an egg a day.

 

[snowflake]

Ducks, what kind of chickens do you have that you're getting 18 eggs a day from 13 hens? I've had chickens for nearly 5 years and I didn't think that was possible. Even my best layer only gives me an egg a day.

Hi, I'm new, to the plant site, and here I am reading chicken posts, those birds get in your skin don't they,,,, I would like to know what kind too,,, my newest hens give an egg a day the older ones not so many, but never had one give me 2 a day not even the leghorns

 

[The Mama Chicken]

Welcome Snowflake!
I actually am not particularly attached to my chickens, they are livestock here on the farm. I just want pretty eggs so that people will pay more for them once I start going to the farmer's market. I'll admit it's hard to resist a cute little chick, but once they grow up I'm not very fond of them. The only one in my flock that has a name is my roo, Moonshine, and only because I yell at him to shush it so often.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Chickens are not pets to me either, but chicken poop and gardens seem to go together.