Rescuing poults during hatching

[TurkenItUp209]

Well if you can't/won't bump up the humidity then I'd say you're doing all you can with what you have, and will have to continue doing it that way.

 

[Baybrio]

I'm far from an expert but here is my experience this year:

• I got 13 shipped Narragansett eggs. Beautiful eggs but they had a rough trip. Most of the air cells were damaged.
• During incubation my humidity was too low. I have a basic Brinsea and it seems I can get the humidity too high or too low. I tried "dry" incubating, which in hindsight was stupid.
• I moved the eggs into my homemade hatcher four days before hatch date. My hatcher is homemade but I can keep the humidity where I want it. The humidity was in the 80's.
• All of my poults needed help. Like the OP they internally pipped fine, they made the initial pip fine but they couldn't get through that tough outer membrane. One actually had broken the shell all the way around but the membrane was still in place.
• I didn't take the poults out of the shell, I just opened the shells enough so they could do it themselves. Maybe half way around the egg. Then I left them. I read somewhere the struggle to get out of the egg is important.
• Out of the 13 eggs, 7 were fully developed. I helped 5 all turned out fine, 1 was fine but I didn't help it soon enough and it died in the shell. 1 never pipped internally, thank goodness because it had a deformity. (perhaps from my imperfect incubation?)

So from this non-scientific experience I'd say that if you don't have enough humidity during incubation having high humidity during hatch won't make up for this.

I don't mean that high humidity at hatch is not important - it certainly is - I just don't think it can make up for my low humidity during incubation.

My suggestion for the OP (I think) who does not want to change the humidity in the entire incubator, maybe try misting the turkey eggs. When I hatch waterfowl I mist the eggs every day. I think its worth a try.

 

[heyjude1]

I am currently experiencing a heart breaking hatching season for my turkeys... First, my incubator hatch was due on Monday with no signs of anything....Humidity had dropped to 55% during the night..I have again raised it up to around 72% and I will give them another day and pray for the best..
This morning, I went out and two of my hens have abandoned each of their nests!!!! I checked this afternoon and neither had returned to the nest, they were still outside...Those eggs only had 1 week left to go..I gathered up ALL of the eggs and stuffed them under a Buff Brahma hen in the chicken coop, whose eggs are due at the same time.. I'm hoping it's not to late..
Third, my last and oldest turkey hen is also setting and she was on day 19, today.. I went to give her feed and water, noticed the broken shell and my heart sunk until I saw the little head peering out from under Mama...Out of 40+ eggs, I have one chick as of right now......

 

[heyjude1]

Well, as of today, I have 5 poults that have hatched under my old hen... The eggs that I rescued and put under the Buff Brahma hen are just starting to hatch.. I saw one little turkey baby peek it's head when I fed and watered today.. I see broken shells, but I'll check tomorrow for sure and have a final count... My incubator was a total disaster this year...My husband reminded me that we had gone without power for quite awhile due to outage... I'm sure thats what did my eggs in... Thank you to everyone who commented...