Broody Hen vs. Incubator??

[doubleostud]

Yes silkies are great at hatching anything you throw under them, as well as most turkeys, however with turkeys I have had the best luck with older turkeys and putting alot of eggs under them at once, or they tend to break eggs.

 

[Preservation Acres]

So my order for Ideal Poultry needs to be 50 Buckeye Poults, 5 Buckeye Cockerels, and 4 silkie poults or one turkey poult. lol

 

[onthespot]

I keep a pen of broodies, (which are NOT going broodie right now, excpet for one silkie marans cross) and a couple hovabators with turners. The most important eggs go under the broodies if possible, or if there are eggs from a single hen that I want to keep separate and have NO chance of mixing them up with the rest of the flock's eggs at hatching time.

 

[doubleostud]

Well I enjoy turkeys, so Im bias

 

[Preservation Acres]

Quote:
Sounds like a few silkies may actually be better than an incubator. Do silkies make good mothers? I might as well go all the way if I can and let the silkies hatch and raise the youngins.

 

[Preservation Acres]

Quote:
Will the turkey poult "mother" the chicks?

 

[panner123]

Quote:
Now if you want to be a ture breeder, you need a BIG incubator. You would be hatching for a larger hatchery or two. So you would need to hatch at least 2500 chicks per week. If you get the right connections, you could be hatch 10,000
or more chicks per week. But if you are going to do it for your own use a broody hen is the best.

 

[Preservation Acres]

Quote:
Now if you want to be a ture breeder, you need a BIG incubator. You would be hatching for a larger hatchery or two. So you would need to hatch at least 2500 chicks per week. If you get the right connections, you could be hatch 10,000
or more chicks per week. But if you are going to do it for your own use a broody hen is the best.

Oh gosh no. My wife would lose her mind if I went that crazy. I'm thinking that I may hatch about a dozen chicks a week. I just want to sell to the local market. It's more of a hobby for me.

 

[doubleostud]

Quote:
Will the turkey poult "mother" the chicks?

I have had a few turkey hens that would continue to set on the chicks to keep them warm, but typically with my hens, unless they are hers, she will just hatch out the eggs then she is done with them. I have only had it a few times were she would continue to brood them.

 

[Preservation Acres]

I'd really like to raise heritage turkeys one day, and a chance to experiment is something that I just can't pass up, so I have no doubt that I'll be sliding chicken eggs under one of my turkeys one day.

My big problem with breeding heritage turkeys will be preventing cross breeding. Two days ago, I saw a flock of about 25 wild turkeys on my property. Keeping pure heritage breeds might be impossible where I live if I want to free range.