Are turkey chicks more fragile than chickens?

[affacat]

We raised Narragansett last year and are doing our first hatch. We had two broody mamas each with a clutch a clutch plus an incubator.

One of our mamas gave up halfway through and we split the eggs between the other mama and our already near full incubator.

We've hatched far less than we normally do with chickens. The mama also has lost three fully born chicks (we find them dead) despite a fully enclosed safe run. We don't know if she kicked them out or if they just got lost and exposed.

So far it just seems way harder than with chickens, where we get a high hatch rate and almost none die, and here we have a fairly low hatch rate and more early deaths. Are we doing something wrong? Or is this just how it is? We found an old mother Earth News article which mentioned a particularly high failure rate for turkeys, but it seems like they should be hardier than chickens.

We feel particularly bad because we gave Mama a few of our incubator turkeys last night and despite her happily taking them in one of them died overnight.

 

[R2elk]

We raised Narragansett last year and are doing our first hatch. We had two broody mamas each with a clutch a clutch plus an incubator.

One of our mamas gave up halfway through and we split the eggs between the other mama and our already near full incubator.

We've hatched far less than we normally do with chickens. The mama also has lost three fully born chicks (we find them dead) despite a fully enclosed safe run. We don't know if she kicked them out or if they just got lost and exposed.

So far it just seems way harder than with chickens, where we get a high hatch rate and almost none die, and here we have a fairly low hatch rate and more early deaths. Are we doing something wrong? Or is this just how it is? We found an old mother Earth News article which mentioned a particularly high failure rate for turkeys, but it seems like they should be hardier than chickens.

We feel particularly bad because we gave Mama a few of our incubator turkeys last night and despite her happily taking them in one of them died overnight.

In order to best help, we need more information such as the incubator temp and humidity.

You say the hen was in an enclosed run but was she alone with the poults ore were other poultry in with her?

Before I figured out what I was doing, I had poor hatch rates in the incubator. Since then I have had some 100% hatches.

Not all turkey hens are good mothers, especially young ones. Some are exceptional mothers.

Even with a good mother, it is best to keep her out of the general population for at least the first two weeks.

 

[affacat]

We separated out all of our Jenny's and Tom's into a different run. The only two hens in the run are the mama ones on their clutches. One mama was on her eggs maybe a week or two longer I don't remember exactly.


Once the first baby hatched, the other Mama that had been on her eggs for less time got up and sat next to the other Jenny with the chick. . We moved about half of her now abandoned eggs to the incubator and the other half to the duo of Jennys.

We had a few more hatch, and then we noticed a stink coming from under the mama. It turns out there was a maggot infested egg. We removed a bunch of eggs that had goop on them (we put them in a different incubator and hatched one). Later two more were broken, one with a fully formed baby. Eventually both Mama's quit the nest even though there are some eggs left and we put those in the incubator.

Those Mama's now share duties on maybe 10 chicks or so. They abandoned many eggs, and 3 of their chicks died.

Our experience with the incubator hasn't been much better. We have a hatch rate of maybe 20% although 80% seemed to reach a late stage of development. Iirc we keep the temp at 100.5 (would need to double check) and humidity right now is 65-75.

 

[R2elk]

We separated out all of our Jenny's and Tom's into a different run. The only two hens in the run are the mama ones on their clutches. One mama was on her eggs maybe a week or two longer I don't remember exactly.


Once the first baby hatched, the other Mama that had been on her eggs for less time got up and sat next to the other Jenny with the chick. . We moved about half of her now abandoned eggs to the incubator and the other half to the duo of Jennys.

We had a few more hatch, and then we noticed a stink coming from under the mama. It turns out there was a maggot infested egg. We removed a bunch of eggs that had goop on them (we put them in a different incubator and hatched one). Later two more were broken, one with a fully formed baby. Eventually both Mama's quit the nest even though there are some eggs left and we put those in the incubator.

Those Mama's now share duties on maybe 10 chicks or so. They abandoned many eggs, and 3 of their chicks died.

Our experience with the incubator hasn't been much better. We have a hatch rate of maybe 20% although 80% seemed to reach a late stage of development. Iirc we keep the temp at 100.5 (would need to double check) and humidity right now is 65-75.

It doesn't always work well when letting turkey hens coparent. Too many feet moving and poults get stepped on.

65% to 75% humidity is fine for lock down. I incubate at 30% to 35% humidity and lock down at 65% to 70% humidity.

If you incubated at too high of humidity, the air cells would not develop properly which can cause a poult too big to move around and pip and zip. The possibility of drowning because of an insufficient air cell can also happen.

How you get the increase in humidity can also cause problems. The vents need to be open when in lock down. Closing off the vents to increase the humidity will get the humidity to increase but it can also cause the poults to suffocate.

The nutrition the hens are fed while they are producing the eggs can also have a big effect on the hatchability of the eggs.

Allowing the hens to nest in a muddy environment is also not a good thing.

Your hens should do better next year. Try to avoid shared nests and shared poults.

Good luck.

 

[affacat]

It doesn't always work well when letting turkey hens coparent. Too many feet moving and poults get stepped on.

65% to 75% humidity is fine for lock down. I incubate at 30% to 35% humidity and lock down at 65% to 70% humidity.

If you incubated at too high of humidity, the air cells would not develop properly which can cause a poult too big to move around and pip and zip. The possibility of drowning because of an insufficient air cell can also happen.

How you get the increase in humidity can also cause problems. The vents need to be open when in lock down. Closing off the vents to increase the humidity will get the humidity to increase but it can also cause the poults to suffocate.

The nutrition the hens are fed while they are producing the eggs can also have a big effect on the hatchability of the eggs.

Allowing the hens to nest in a muddy environment is also not a good thing.

Your hens should do better next year. Try to avoid shared nests and shared poults.

Good luck.

This was extremely helpful. We have some other hens still laying so may do another round soon. We lost so many developed eggs this year, it was quite hard. Just knowing we were probably doing something wrong. I think our humidity was too high, because I think they did get too large.

I'm particularly sad because last night we were sure all were done hatching, so opened it up. We did one last candle to be sure, and within a few minutes one still in the incubator started cheeping. We immediately put everything back and closed it up but there's been no pip yet, and I don't hear cheaping, so I think the poor thing probably got shrink-wrapped by the opening. Ugh

 

[R2elk]

This was extremely helpful. We have some other hens still laying so may do another round soon. We lost so many developed eggs this year, it was quite hard. Just knowing we were probably doing something wrong. I think our humidity was too high, because I think they did get too large.

I'm particularly sad because last night we were sure all were done hatching, so opened it up. We did one last candle to be sure, and within a few minutes one still in the incubator started cheeping. We immediately put everything back and closed it up but there's been no pip yet, and I don't hear cheaping, so I think the poor thing probably got shrink-wrapped by the opening. Ugh

Shrink wrapping happens more from the circulating fan blowing on an opened but not zipped pip. Briefly removing the eggs from the incubator isn't likely to cause it.

One time I thought I was done hatching, left the tray sitting on the floor and came back an hour later to a poult hatching. Quickly turned the hatcher back on and put the tray back in. Poult hatched fine.

What us more likely in your case because of high humidity during mcubating, is that it may have drowned in the shell. Check on it tomorrow.

Good luck.

 

[affacat]

Shrink wrapping happens more from the circulating fan blowing on an opened but not zipped pip. Briefly removing the eggs from the incubator isn't likely to cause it.

One time I thought I was done hatching, left the tray sitting on the floor and came back an hour later to a poult hatching. Quickly turned the hatcher back on and put the tray back in. Poult hatched fine.

What us more likely in your case because of high humidity during mcubating, is that it may have drowned in the shell. Check on it tomorrow.

Good luck.

We have around 20 eggs in the incubator, most if not all failed (we did hatch a bunch, just nowhere near what we hoped for). Like i said, it was a rough one... I dont know which cheeped. Not sure how to find out, or what to do. Do I candle the 20 again?

We've also struggled with candling. All of them just look 'full', it's very difficult to tell if they're moving.