Hatching Turkey eggs..?

[R2elk]

I like you! Can I sell you some heritage turkey eggs?

I echo what R2elk says. I hatch mine differently than he does. BUT he lives somewhere the ambient humidity is 20% I live where it pushes 75-80% most days. I hatch my turkeys eggs right with my chicken eggs. I just put them in a week earlier. I run 45% or try to and then up to 70% on last couple days. I also have the temps at 99.5 or as close to it as I can get. The temp is not as important as the humidity IMHO. Just do not over heat them.

I have a cabinet incubator so I have moving air.

Good try. @roxysmydog posted that back in May of 2014 and hasn't been on BYC since September of 2015.

 

[JacquelineJ]

It's true. I've lost all but one. of the 12 that came the 800kms to me - 6 broke on route. 2 candled clear on day 10 (leaving 4) 1 made it to day to day 5 judging by development, one to 9-10 and no further. The 3rd died on day 17 - eggtopsy showed two yolk, one with shrivelled "clotted" veining the second with a chick sprouting feathers - almost no white was present. The last egg, has a small air sack..

If i understand you, I believe your advice is to put my humidity back up above 20% because it'll only add to my problems? And when I go into lock down to do so at a lower humidity so it doesn't drown. Is that correct?

 

[duluthralphie]

I am not understanding your question I guess, but,


Candling before day 14 is a waste of time IMHO. You will throw out good eggs if you throw clears on day 10.

If the humidity is below 20% I am shocked anything lived at all. I run 45% then up to 70% nothing ever drowns for me.

 

[R2elk]

It's true. I've lost all but one. of the 12 that came the 800kms to me - 6 broke on route. 2 candled clear on day 10 (leaving 4) 1 made it to day to day 5 judging by development, one to 9-10 and no further. The 3rd died on day 17 - eggtopsy showed two yolk, one with shrivelled "clotted" veining the second with a chick sprouting feathers - almost no white was present. The last egg, has a small air sack..

If i understand you, I believe your advice is to put my humidity back up above 20% because it'll only add to my problems? And when I go into lock down to do so at a lower humidity so it doesn't drown. Is that correct?

This late in the game you will not gain anything from using 20% humidity. It is highly unlikely that any of your eggs died do to the humidity that you were operating at. Your losses were most likely due to hatching shipped eggs. The longer the distance the eggs are shipped, the older the eggs were before they were shipped and the larger the eggs are seem to greatly contribute to failure of the eggs to hatch even when using optimal conditions.

Since you are at lockdown stage, I would set the humidity in the 60 - 70% range and hope for the best.

 

[JacquelineJ]

I thought day 25 was lock down? I'm on day 24... oh man! I've just messed up every bit of this.

 

[R2elk]

I thought day 25 was lock down? I'm on day 24... oh man! I've just messed up every bit of this.

Day 24 or day 25 for lockdown doesn't really matter but your low humidity for one day isn't really going to make any difference. My turkeys normally hatch on day 27.

Good luck!