Hatching Turkeys in Brinsea Eco?

[Jocasta]

I'm going on the assumption that there'll have to be enough room for a full incubator which means 20 poults... I'm clinging to that anyway lol!

I'm candling with a makeshift candler. I've got a desk lamp with an 80w bulb (it's energy saving so it doesn't get so hot). I'm placing a tin can with a hole cut out over that and am getting a pretty good visibility

All 12 are still moving. I MUST stop candling - I'm totally addicted but am worried that I'm going to harm my eggs! I can't seem to help myself! Must not candle them again until a week tomorrow! Ideally not until lockdown... I'll likely be candling them again tomorrow

 

[serinat]

I've candled mine three times, the last this afternoon. It IS addicting. I'm going to leave them alone now, until hatch. (It's been 13 days. We'll see if I can be patient.)

I hope to have a Brinsea full of poults and chicks!

 

[Stacykins]

I recently broke a chicken egg while candling, I dropped it. It broke and leaked goo, and also damaged another (repaired with tape and is still alive) since I was candling over the incubator. The badly broken egg had an embryo inside. So be careful, don't get a case of the butterfingers and drop any eggs, even a very short distance.

 

[Jocasta]

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Ah man you must have been totally kicking yourself. Sorry to hear about that!

 

[serinat]

Oh, no, Stacykins! Sorry! I could see myself doing that. I have had a couple of close calls, and now I'm going to leave mine alone for the rest of the incubation.

 

[serinat]

Okay, so with turkey eggs, what do you all do during lockdown in the Brinsea? Will you just take the dividers out, lay them on their sides, and hope for the best? I don't think my eggs will work in the egg carton method (too big).

 

[Jocasta]

I've taken the dividers out, filled both channels with water and put a damp cloth in there too for good measure. I've laid the eggs on their sides. I've only just put them into lockdown and the eggs are rocking. I candelled a couple and they've pipped internally already. I'm a little worried tbh as they aren't due until Friday... fingers crossed it all goes well, I'm so bloody nervous about it

 

[Stacykins]

Most of my eggs are big end up, with a turkey egg or two on their sides. I actually haven't' used dividers the entire incubation, either, incubator was so full they could support themselves mostly, no room for dividers. Good luck with hatching! Mine should start any day!

 

[keesmom]

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That's all I did. Take out the dividers, fill the channels and walk away. If the chicks/poults get crowded during hatch I take them out when they're dry (and the discarded eggshell) and put them in a brooder.

 

[serinat]

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Any updates? How are things going? I'm going to do the same thing for lockdown - fill both channels, put in a damp washcloth, and remove the dividers.

Stacykins, how is your hatch going?

keesmom, how long did it take all your poults to hatch, start to finish?

I hope some of you post poult pictures! I need something to oogle over while I (impatiently) wait for my babies to hatch. For the record, I appear to have 11 poults (out of 13 eggs originally set) and 4 chicks (out of 5 eggs originally set). The poults were from a local breeder, and the chicks were from my chickens. I'm so nervous about all the things that can go wrong!