That is very cool! Thank you Tina Dewberry. Otherwise, choose the most healthy and vibrant pair from your stock. It takes these heritage breeds a little longer to fully mature. Clean eggs hatch better because debris blocks the pores of an egg and it can also be a perfect breeding ground for bacteria…especially in a warm, moist incubator. The transition period from incubator to brooder Peanuts are around 46% protein. References This article was super informative also Turkeys don’t lay eggs until 7 or so months of age. If the males are being too aggressive and hurting your females, keep them separate. Turkeys incubate for 28 days at 100.5 degrees. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Remove some of it to decrease the humidity. A cool dry place like a basement would work well. I will love to get more knowledge on breeding. My little cousin kicked my incumbent and one egg went rolling. Incubators keep the eggs at a controlled temperature. Thank you so much for this great information This is my first time trying to hatch turkey. This year she began again, but I thought I’d let nature take its course and not take any of her eggs. Thanks, "These instructions were very clear and easy to follow. What do I do if I removed the turkey eggs to the hatching tray but they haven't hatched? Also, the embryo may look like a small, dark smear against the shell. I had to find a new place or him. Once they have laid as many eggs as they are going to for a clutch (about two weeks for a turkey to lay 10-12 eggs), they begin the process of continuous incubation. Yes, but you should carefully note the day she started sitting. Some Toms can be pretty relaxed, and don’t hurt the females. In a years time I must have more than 2000 birds. From my observation of my turkey birds, the male will want to mate with the female when she sits down to lay an egg and during this process the other already layed egs might be destroyed. This year I was determined to hatch out some turkey poults, even if it meant using an incubator. For some great tips on the incubation process read my series Incubating Advantages. We helped seperate some of the fibers after the membrane had dried and turned a tan/tight brown color. You can start turkeys on chick starter, but I find that they do better on a game feed with an even higher protein percentage. We approached incubating turkey eggs in much the same way that we hatch out chicks in our incubator. Do you know why she may be doing this… Thanks!!! I also raise mealworms and soldier/black fly larvae for additional variety. Are you worried about the pullets or mom? surprised my 2 hens and 3 toms survived the winter outdoors in my pen in Nova Scotia. Wash your hands thoroughly before you handle eggs as the oils in your skin can block the invisible pores on the outside of the egg shell. Once dry, fluffed up and active, the newly hatched poults will need warmth, chick crumbs and water in a place protected from rats. If no turner is being used, they should lay on their side. Yes. Obviously her first dozen eggs must not have been fertile since many started exploding. Always point the smaller end down in a turner. As this could help feed guatemalan people. of a total of 17 eggs that each hen had laid. If you choose to raise turkeys it’s either for a pet, or to breed, or for meat. Thank you. Discard eggs that look cracked or damaged. Why is she doing this? They are very healthy strong pullets get along fine with my other turkeys chickens donkey and horses… They run around the farm climbing and flying. It really is tough to find anything online. We gathered them up with a towel and placed them all together . After you add the eggs, turn them 3 times a day for 25 days. If you run your incubator in an air conditioned room you may have to add water if your humidity is below 50% in the room. If it gets too high, the turkey may drown inside its egg. Usually they get the job of hatching poults, with the incubator as backup. https://www.fwi.co.uk/livestock/health-welfare/turkey-tips-get-best-results-poults, And there is always Storey’s Guide to Raising Turkeys Do you ever let the turkey hen raise her own poults? But she didn’t allow the male to mate her. wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards. Backyard turkey rearing hasn’t caught on as well as chickens. Turkey eggs are very delicate. So they were about 10 months to a year when we first started seeing eggs. we didn’t touch the eggs. After the hen is mated, she will lay fertile eggs for a week to 10 days. Letting Your Chickens Go Wild: An Alternative to Domestic... Small-Flock Cornish Cross Processing Made Easy, How To Keep Your Chickens Safe This Winter, 5 Ways to Cool your Chicken Coop this Summer, Farm Fresh Eggs: 7 Things to Tell Your Customers. Let the eggs warm back up to room temperature for 4 to 8 hours before incubating them. A very good adjunct to information we gleaned from more, "Great information! Can I move the eggs after the hen has been setting on them for 1 to 2 weeks? what could possibly be the problem? Show the poults their water by carefully picking up the poult and dipping the tip of the beak in water. When can I move the turkey chicks from an incubator to a brooder? It was five days now that 8 eggs hatched. Our turkeys are very discrete, and I rarely see them mate, but try to get a visual of the deed being done. After 28 days, fluffy little chicks break out of the eggs, ready to be nurtured to adulthood. Just to be sure, listen to the egg and see if you hear any noise. The chick absorbs the last of the egg yolk right before hatch and it sustains them for days--typically the chick doesn't eat or drink for up to three days after hatch--so don't panic. Should I take them away or let her try? Beak dipping is usually not needed, unless you mail order poults. The principles of incubating turkey eggs are similar for all domestic poultry and fowl. Not sure if he bred her any other before I saw him or not. Since turkey eggs are generally placed in an incubator a few days after they have been laid it is recommended to add 1 additional hour to the incubation period for each day that the egg has been in storage. What’s the best breed for where you live? We started with 9 turkeys from our original flock. The question is, ” a turkey egg can’t hatch with a Tom turkey right?”. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. Sometimes things can be clumsy in the beginning and you want a good secure mating pattern to ensure fertile eggs. Please I want to know if the remaining 3 eggs left behind after the set of hatching can still be hatch since the turkey keeps still sitting on them. To start with – without artificial light -my hens start laying at 6 months age or their first Spring, whichever comes last. That year we processed 5, leaving the biggest and best looking Tom and four of our best looking hens. Do they need a lamp since she’s laying on them and it’s summer? Is it true that Turkey hens which has hatched some fertilized eggs before can hatch their subsequent eggs even if they were not fertilized provided their previous hatched eggs were fertilized. Q - How long can eggs be stored? Soon after, the poult unhinged that middle section and popped off the top of the shell. However, do note that if you set eggs for hatching 10 days after them being laid, the chances of them to hatch will drop significantly. Please can I get help for the link. How to program the incubator settings for turkeys; Some reasons for that might be because turkeys need more space to raise, they’re harder to find (you don’t see them for sale at every feed store in the spring), and they’re not usually raised for egg production. Will the incubator be connected to electricity throughout the incubation period? Your hen might continue to brood the turkey eggs even after the chicken chicks have hatched, but that depends on the individual hen. Just wondering what your ratio of eggs in the incubator to live poults was – mine seemed pretty low but all my hens are just a year old when they started laying. Add more water to increase the humidity. I would recommend leaving your chicks in the incubator for 12-24 hours after they hatch. Still air incubators are often inexpensive and good for small batches of eggs. It didn’t act sick or anything. How to program the incubator settings for turkeys, The transition period from incubator to brooder, Caring for New Chicks, Part 2: Chick Care Basics. Message*i have two very young turkeys that I’ve got from a breeder. There are 13 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. Handle eggs as little as possible. Then, place the eggs in a heated incubator so the same side is facing up on each one. If they huddle together away from heat sources, the brooder is too hot. Some of the topics I’ve covered have included: We raise heritage Black Spanish turkeys. Maybe they’ve hatched some babies out there. This last poult needed a bit of assistance. Let nature take its course. Your best option for success will be to have an incubator ready to go in case the hen won’t stay on the nest. This article has been viewed 431,956 times. That was probably too early for the Tom and the weather. You may need to borrow an incubator from a friend. Make sure that the brooder has an area where the heat lamp isn’t as direct so they can move to this cooler space and regulate their temperature. It was fine yesterday. Will an egg still hatch if it has been rolled harshly? A wet bulb thermometer shows you the relative humidity as long as the fabric extension stays wet. I have hatched plenty of chicken and duck eggs but knew turkeys were slightly different. The thermometer needs to be at least halfway as high up as the eggs to get an accurate readout of the temperature in that part of the incubator. ", for the helpful information and pictures! But the egg she’s laying on won’t be ready for another 8-10 days :/ I have a couple Qs… can I slip the incubated poult under her after it hatches? You can leave the temperature the same as for incubating (99-100 degrees F), but you will want to increase the humidity. Our Black Spanish turkey hens were very “weird” mothers. What happens if the eggs keep turning until after the 25th day? Will she bring the babies out of hiding once they are hatched? You can move them as soon as they're no longer wet, or even before that as long as you have an appropriate heat source in the brooder. The humidity level will change over time. Today is day 28 and I don’t see any pips. Turkeys often drill around the circumference of the egg, then pop the end open like a cap. On this day I also like to get our brooder ready. When she l just pick the egg. Most of them will continue to lay from Mar/Apr through October if the eggs are collected – or until they decide to brood those eggs. Would a mother turkey remove a viable egg from her nest? On day 26 Stop rotating the eggs and double the humidity. Wash your hands after handling chickens to prevent diseases from spreading. So for the first few days you’ll have to be Mom in this department. I have free range turkeys, about a week ago my one hen seemed to be gone. This allows them to properly orient themselves for hatching. This is also a good place to store the waterer so it doesn’t get too hot. Move them quickly and surround the poult with your hands till your reach the brooder. Hatching Begins I need a foreign breed turkey fertilised eggs for Nigerian market especially from Canada, America or Europe . But this time all over the pen. After 25 days, lower the heat and increase the humidity in the incubator, and wait 3 more days for the eggs to hatch. Please enlighten me. Thanks. If conditions are not too dry they will remain viable for 2 weeks. My hen lays a egg since six days ago and hasn’t been able to lay another what might be the problem.does she needs to mate before laying another, Kindly help me out, I have both male and female turkeys of over a year old , I can confirm that they mate but the eggs does not mature to poults , I took almost 100 pieces to hatchery centres also I practiced the backyard I discovered it become spoil and stinking when it break, and my intention is to breed more for commercial. While they do lay edible eggs, turkeys haven’t been bred generation after generation to produce eggs the way domesticated chickens have. TY. Candling But extremely soiled eggs carry … “They have to have the right combination of temperature and humidity to hatch, like how with a seed you need the right combination of sunlight and water to germinate.” A - Please refer to Pre-season checks for your incubator, a comprehensive guide to preparing your incubator for hatching. To have my turkey eggs hatched. Sometimes the judges leave comments on the cages which can be very insightful. Poults need 28% protein and a different ratio of vitamins and minerals. Clean Eggs. Keep the nesting box clean so you have a better chance of collecting clean eggs. The less disturbance you create, the more likely you are to get a smooth hatch. Source (s): My chickens What do you think of the answers? In our experience, no truth to the rumour. I’m so blessed to have been able to experience these animals full circle. They will be fine in the incubator for a while longer. Question: I had a Tom who flogged my husband,and tried to most men and children. Thanks for the info on Turkeys,I recently added these birds to my backyard poultry farm, and I had no clue how to go about breeding them, now after reading your documention I feel I can move forward well equipped. It will thrust against the two shell halves slowly dividing the egg in half. The ideal humidity level for hatching eggs is still being debated among experts, but many agree that it should not fall below 25% or above 60% between setting and three days prior to hatching. This is a time-consuming process, so invest in an incubator with automatic turning if you hatch a lot of eggs. why? Please my turkey has being incubation for one month yet has not hatch. It is very possible that the hatching process may go on for up to or even more than 24 hours from the time the first chick hatches. I have a wild turkey I’ve raised since I found her by herself with no other chicks in sight. last year she made a nest, set in it one hour a day for two months and never layed one egg, this year she has started the same thing. Turkey eggs require 28 days to hatch, so keep track of the days of incubation accordingly. Choose an incubator with plenty of space for your eggs. Make sure it has reached such a … Very helpfull. The eggs should hatch by day 28. I found an egg in their pen! Good question. Forced air incubators have a fan that keeps the air even throughout the incubator. The incubator should be kept at 99-99.5°F for forced air and 101-102°F for a still air incubator. I don’t raise bids but was looking for an answer to a friends question. Yes, it is possible. This is most likely due to a humidity issue. The eggs will stay fertile for about a week. But you will have to turn off the turner on the twenty fifth day, so that it no longer turns the eggs. After 13 eggs she started setting today. ", "Hatching particulars helped me prepare for my first hatch next weekend (hopefully). I took them out and cleaned the nest. The incubation process in a fertilized egg is essentially “woken up” when the mum begins to sit the clutch continuously, which raises the temperature of the eggs to 99.5 F or 37.5 C. She will sit on the eggs for 26-28 days, turning them every hour or so and only occasionally leaving the nest to grab a bite to eat. Some embryos are late-bloomers, so keep the eggs if you’re unsure about their viability. After … It can take up to 12 hours in the incubator after the actual hatch before a chick dries out and is strong enough to stand--hatching is VERY hard work! 10 hours is a bit too long if the weather is cold, 1 to 2 hours at the most, a broody should realy be in a house a pen of her own,so she can sit in peace an not go back to the wrong nest, also watch when eggs are hatching,when the older chicks move ,the hen will follow an leave any eggs still to hatch, happend to me this morning, there was one egg left pipping ,an the hen … ", "This article taught me a lot, it's so good. Hello! Thanks. It’s mostly about chicks, but there’s some good information that would apply to turkeys as well. This condition can occur quickly (within 1 or 2 minutes) when the incubator is opened to remove or assist other chicks that are hatching. I grind up peanuts into meal and add it to their feed. Putting nice shiny marbles in the tray of the waterer works very well; poults are ‘programmed’ to peck at anything shiny, so they peck the marbles and get a taste of water at the same time. My neighbor has a few chickens and ducks as pets, she would like the two pullets. It can be a day too soon or late. Raise the heat lamp each week to lower the temperature of the brooder by 5 degrees. Do you know how successful this might be or will heritage turkeys not sit and abandon the nest? wikiHow's. (We live in the country so there are plenty of safe hiding places and try as we may we can’t find them) but 1 hen has been sitting in a nest right in the yard and I just discovered she has at least 5 babies hatched. You can hatch the eggs together with no problem -- just time it so they would hatch at the same time. When they are 2 weeks old, start decreasing the bulb temp gradually every day, until they are 4 weeks old. This makes sense as most of the turkeys in the US are artificially inseminated in factory farms. I will always writer to you in case of any problems . when storing eggs to hatch, they must be turned at least twice a day, and do fine at 70 degrees. You’ll also need chick grit available at feed stores, which is tiny gravel that helps a bird digest its food. Incubators work for chickens or any other type of bird, so you don’t need to look for something turkey-specific. This incubator is designed to hatch standard and bantam chicken eggs. When you move the eggs into the hatching incubator, the temperature should be maintained at 98*F for the final 2 days of the hatch. Don't let them turn. I just came across your blog, don’t know if you are still doing one,the article I read about raising and hatching turkey poults was about 3 yes. Transferring to the hatcher should not occur after 19 days (456 hours) of incubation, because disturbing the eggs at this time adversely affects the act of internal pipping. She has pecked away majority of shell leaving the membrain and seemingly intact . (See Page 36). I’m a new momma of a sweet turkey, and this article was very insightful. I have Royal Palms. Click here to follow our second hatch! Till this morning when she appeared, ate and disappeared again. Do what you think best and seems to keep everyone happiest. Hi. Very hard to know exactly what’s going on with your specific bird. Have they finished hatching? Many people raise Heritage turkeys for eggs, feathers and to sell poults, breeders and eggs, not just meat & eggs. Dip their beaks in the bowls, making sure they don’t get food or water in their nostrils. They also have a trough you fill with water to provide humidity the young turkeys need to stay healthy. Also, can they be outside in a covered/segregated area? Over the years, I’ve heard a lot of different theories about this. I have collected only 10eggs from 4turkeys in 4weeks. ", "Just making sure of the incubation specifics. Ideally, I wanted our hen to hatch out a brood of turkeys and raise them herself. I had an unplanned hatching… LOL two turkey pullets Sept 11. Check the temperature several times and make sure it stays steady for at least 12 hours before setting eggs. So can I get rid of the remaining eggs that have not hatched although they appear to be ok. Once you have a nice clutch collected, the eggs can go into the incubator at the same time. I was certain one of our eggs was infertile but after 2 weeks, it was progressing right along with the rest.