Early arrivals?

[A.T. Hagan]

So I set thirty five turkey eggs about 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 23rd. I'm using a Dickey cabinet incubator and I've been very careful to keep the temperature between 99.7 and 100 even. There's enough temperature variation in my home that the incubator temperature can vary about three to four tenths of a degree from highest to lowest which is why I kept it about a few tenths to the high side of 99.5. A week later to the hour we set two dozen chicken eggs so that they'd all hatch at the same time. Last Sunday we candled for the last time and put thirty four turkey eggs and twenty chicken eggs in the hatching trays. The one turkey egg that did not make it was clear. Of the chickens we had one clear, three blood rings.

I was expecting to see the first pips sometime today, April 20th. But no, when I came home yesterday about five o'clock the first turkey was already out and dry! Two more hatched last evening. This morning when I got up at 5:30 I had a total of seven turkeys and one chicken. This evening I'll move everyone that is dry down to the brooder to free up some space in the hatching trays as I expect they'll be getting crowded by then.

I'm using the carton method to keep the already hatched chicks from rolling the as yet unhatched all over while they're trying to get out. I quickly discovered that you can't put the covers on the hatching trays if you're using cartons so I left them off figuring the trays were deep enough to keep the chicks in.

Ha! After the third one fell out and got stuck requiring me to open the incubator to rescue them I quickly fashioned a barrier out of aluminum foil to go across the back so they can't fall out any more. I swear they can find a way to get themselves into a jam that would never occur to anyone.

Now Mr.Dickey who designed the incubator recommends misting the eggs lightly three times a day with warm water to keep the humidity up so I was prepared for opening the box. I keep a mister bottle in one of the upper trays for just this purpose so the water is always warm and ready. I'm hoping the extra unplanned openings won't do any harm. According to the hygrometer the inside humidty only fell for a couple of minutes each time before going back to 65%+. If anything I may have gotten it too high.

I have read as much as I could about incubating before I even put the eggs in so as to lower the learning curve. Sooner or later though you've just got to go for it and learn from whatever mistakes one makes along the way. I had thirty four good turkey eggs and twenty chicken when we put them into the hatcher trays so whatever doesn't hatch I'm going to assume it was something I did wrong. I've already decided the next time I'm going to peg the thermometer as dead on 99.5 exactly as I can get it.

Does all this seem right to you?

.....Alan.

 

[Lotsapaints]

I don't know any more than you but last hatch I had early ones and now tonight is lock down and I already have wriggling eggs one is a turkey. I looked at Porter's heritage turkey's site and the recommendations were for hatching humidity to be 80% and drop the temp to 98.5. My incubator is pre-set without an easy way to adjust which is not a bad thing and it will get only 99.0 so I will be hatching in that one but I don't know if I can get my humidity to 80% maybe to 75% so I'm trying that. I do my humidity by candling because it's dry where I live I always have to add water or my humidity would be below 20%. Congrats on your hatch so far I hope they all get out okay

 

[A.T. Hagan]

Well, so far I've had 29 of the 34 turkey eggs hatch and there was at least one of the remainders that was pipped when last I looked. Sixteen of the 20 chicken eggs have hatched as well. Been two trips to the brooder with birds and I have ten still in the incubator that aren't dry yet.

Being as this is my first time hatching I set a goal of at least 80% hatched of the eggs that made it into the hatching trays. I'm already at 85% on the turkeys and 80% on the chickens. I'm pretty sure I'll get at least one or two more from each. The chicken eggs were purchased so I did not have high expectations from them. 34 out of 35 turkey eggs going into the hatching tray is a fertility rate of about 98% so I'm very happy with that.

Got a mess to clean up when this is all done.

I've learned one important lesson from this: Timing is everything. The next time I set eggs it's going to be on a Friday evening so that they'll mostly hatch over the weekend. AND I'm going to make sure that weekend will be one where we'll be home for most of it. I wasn't thinking when I set these because we had 4-H county council meeting on Monday and the local 4-H club meeting last night so had to do everything at a dead run.

The kids have had a blast watching them hatch. The plexiglass door on the Dickey was well worth it. They were late going to bed last night because there was one turkey egg right up front that had pipped and zipped but the chick was slow coming out. They had their eyes glued to it cheering it on and shouted "hooray!" when he finally got his head out.

.....Alan.

 

[Cindiloohoo]

Congrats! I hope the rest hatch out for you!

 

[A.T. Hagan]

It would probably be asking too much to expect a 100% hatch, but I'm sure hoping for at least a couple more out of each!

I haven't had time to do any proper editing but here's a photo of the the hatch in progress from last night:

Those are all turkeys in the top tray. Chickens in the bottom. The light is coming from overhead thus the dark shadows. I had just misted the trays before closing the door so the bottom is a bit fogged. It clears up eventually.

And here's a quick shot of a few of them in the brooder after I put this morning's batch in:

The dark ones are all Easter Eggers. The light colored are mostly White Midget turkeys with a handful of White Leghorn chickens.

.....Alan.

 

[Lotsapaints]

Very nice set up I hope the rest hatch out for you thanks so much for the pics

 

[A.T. Hagan]

Final report.

Set thirty five White Midget turkey eggs. One was clear. Put thirty four eggs into the hatcher trays. Thirty one poults into the brooder.

As I figure it that gives a fertility rate of 97% and a hatching rate of 91%. For my very first time I'm quite satisfied especially given my errors with the poults falling out of the trays.

Now I have to clean the incubator tonight and think about what next. I highly recommend the board search function. There has been some very good advice given here over the years.

.....Alan.

 

[Lotsapaints]

way to go I can only hope my next turkey hatch will go as well just got 15 yesterday, 6 Auburns, 7 MW's and 2 mutts I'm putting them in soon.

 

[A.T. Hagan]

I've been seriously considering picking up another turkey variety. Haven't decided yet between Bourbon Reds or Wishard Bronze. Probably wait until I get a Whizbang built.

Good luck with your hatch!

.....Alan.