Hatching Turkey eggs???

[tlostle]

Hi ALL!!!

I am a newby with a hova bator FULL of 37 Red Burbon turkey eggs from my new to me trio

Yesterday I opened the oldest egg cuz it was 31 days old (I was told rotate for 25 days, then should hatch on the 28th)
There was a very developed but dead chick inside. The lining was very tough.

Now I am very concerned I am doing something wrong...

I have lifted the lid daily once or twice to put eggs in only. Now I lift the lid to take the eggs out of the auto turner (that have been turning for 25 days) and put them on the wire floor.
The one chick that died was in the auto turner a couple days too long. Would that keep it from pecking its way out?
The temp has stayed consistent (99-100) but I am not sure if the humidity has...I think one time the water ran low but not for long and the plug was in from the beginning.
2 days ago I put a humidity gauge (hydrometer ?) in and it was 50%. Is that too high for the whole incubation time?

Any suggestions are GREATLY appreciated!

Concerned newby

 

[A.T. Hagan]

50-55% is what all of the books I have on incubation recommend for the first twenty five days.

At the end of day twenty five though the humidity should be increased to at least 60%, maybe 65%.

It sounds as though you did not have enough humidity for the last three days.

.....Alan.

 

[tlostle]

Thanks Alan!

I am trying to do it all inside of one incubator.
Does this mean a second incubator is required to keep the eggs under 25 days at 50% and the last 3 day eggs at 60% or higher?

Tlost

 

[cracking up]

Being in the turner too long could have had something to do with it. It makes it harder to get into position to hatch. The tough membrane sounds like the humidity might have been too low. If you could put those that are further along into a separate hatcher and not open it I think they would have a better chance. Sometimes the first eggs of the season don't do as well. Maybe the rest will just pop out.

 

[tlostle]

Thanks Crackin up!

That is encouraging!
I am hoping for that to be the case but do not have any experience to rely on...not even sure what a normal membrane should look like, just looked too tough to me, glad I do not have to fight my way out of it...

 

[Ariel301]

I've been unsuccessfully trying to hatch turkeys too. The breeder I got mine from said I need to keep the humidity extremely high, that is the only way she can hatch them. She said like 80% is good, and in the styrofoam LG incubator I am using, not just to fill the water tray in it, but to line the entire bottom of it with kitchen sponges (new ones, not used, of course!) and keep them soaking wet. I had not done that so far, so I am doing it for this round of eggs, we will see. I noticed with the last ones I did that the membrane and shell both were very tough; I had one trying desperately to pip that could not get through. I helped it, but it ended up dying. The others in that bunch never even tried to pip, they just died in their shells on hatching day. They were fully developed on opening them. I have noticed when eating turkey eggs that the shells are very thick and hard, it takes a lot of effort to crack them--I don't know how those floppy little poults can manage it!