Hatching Turkey eggs

[jenjscott]

Little turkeys are very likely to pick at anything that shines, inclding each other vents..I have had brand new babies pull out anothers insides. Make sure you have plenty of things to draw their interest to peck at. I put the little glass stones around in the bottom of the brooder as well as in the water and feed. I decorate the sides of the brooder with little polka dots. They just love walking around picking at all the little bugs on the wall. They loved some old bead necklaces I restrung and hung into the brooder. Once the picking starts, if it starts, you must separate any poult with even the slightest injury.

 

[Frosty]

I have never done anything special to attract them to the feed or water, and never had any die of thirst or hunger. Turkeys aren't as stupid as the old wives tales indicate. They don't look up at the rain and drown, either. Though stones in the water is a good idea if you have a larger waterer. I did have one manage to get turned over in the edge of the water dish and get stuck. Poor thing did drown. If you are incubating, a turkey group that I belong to recommends not standing the eggs in a turned, there are more legs problems if you do. Leave them on their sides. If you have a small incubator (like the LG styrofoam type) you will possibly need the stand-off ring for it so that they aren't too close to the heating element. Good luck!

 

[MagsC]

I appreciate the advice, I am going to do my darndest to hatch these! Talk about paranoid, that will be me.

 

[hrtgtrkys&chicks]

Incubated 14 eggs last year for the 1st time. 7 hatched, 5 lived. Wife had to rescue one that hearly drowned in the water. Had 2 that hatched a day early and a couple that hatched 2 days late. Glad I didn't throw them out. Had temp at 99. The 1st one had the shell stuck to it and I just left it die. Another one had something wrong with it's leg at about 3 days old and he died at about 5 days.

 

[sandspoultry]

They aren't that hard to hatch, my husband fills up the barn with poults every spring. you can do it.

Sharon

 

[MeghanFaith]

I have never done anything special to attract them to the feed or water, and never had any die of thirst or hunger. Turkeys aren't as stupid as the old wives tales indicate. They don't look up at the rain and drown, either. Though stones in the water is a good idea if you have a larger waterer. I did have one manage to get turned over in the edge of the water dish and get stuck. Poor thing did drown. If you are incubating, a turkey group that I belong to recommends not standing the eggs in a turned, there are more legs problems if you do. Leave them on their sides. If you have a small incubator (like the LG styrofoam type) you will possibly need the stand-off ring for it so that they aren't too close to the heating element. Good luck!

So your not supposed to use a egg turner with turkey eggs?

 

[R2elk]

I have never done anything special to attract them to the feed or water, and never had any die of thirst or hunger. Turkeys aren't as stupid as the old wives tales indicate. They don't look up at the rain and drown, either. Though stones in the water is a good idea if you have a larger waterer. I did have one manage to get turned over in the edge of the water dish and get stuck. Poor thing did drown. If you are incubating, a turkey group that I belong to recommends not standing the eggs in a turned, there are more legs problems if you do. Leave them on their sides. If you have a small incubator (like the LG styrofoam type) you will possibly need the stand-off ring for it so that they aren't too close to the heating element. Good luck!

I have personally incubated lots of turkey eggs "standing up" in my egg turners. I have never had any leg issues with any of the poults that have hatched from those eggs.

 

[Strader]

I saw an episode of dirty jobs where they were at a turkey farm and the new poults had thier crumbles mixed with green dye (food color I assume) to attract them, seemed to work quite well.

I read an article where turkeys do not see red, green, or orange the way we do as bright colors. Thats why bright orange vests can be worn when hunting them.

 

[Strader]

I read an article where turkeys do not see red, green, or orange the way we do as bright colors. Thats why bright orange vests can be worn when hunting them.

Heres what it said:n the past few days, I’ve explained that deer and turkeys see colors differently than most other animals. They seem to be red & green color-blind.


Turkeys & Deer See Differently than Other Animals!

That’s why you can wear blaze orange hunting wear without worrying about being seen by deer or turkeys — green, red and orange are non-colors to them.

 

[IceAngel]

I really think that a lot of "leg" problems come from inbreeding. I started out with one hen and one tom that shared 25% of their gene pool (niece and nephew) and didn't have any structural problems in the off spring. I kept the hatched hens and sold all but two toms who I was hoping to trade. Still hadn't found an unrelated tom in my area by the time the new hens were mature so the second generation of hens mated with their father and brothers. Now I saw about 10% leg deformity. Has anyone else experienced something similar?