hatching turkeys

[quailmama 82012]

While i am in between houses I have decided not to keep any birds but i will get some when we move into our next house (I am going to get Silkies i think) but my addictive hatching tendencies are getting to me.
My aunts son has a farm and she is always incubating, raising for a couple weeks and then giving them back to him. this seems perfect for me and i have already talked it over with my parents. they said it was okay. i was going to do ducks, but they are a bit too messy (sooo darn cute tho) and she just hatched turkeys and she highly recommends them, so i think that is what i will do. i will ask her what humidity she uses, because i learned in my past quail hatches that it varies depending on where you are, so i will get a pretty accurate guess from her.
but what do i need to know about turkey eggs? how long are they incubated for? what temp? what day is lock down and what days should i candle?
for chicks, i need to ask if i can use some of their feed, and i have a feeder and a waterer and a heat lamp and a brooder, but what temp should it be for the first few days?
sorry for so many questions, but I think it is better to be prepared than not!

 

[R2elk]

While i am in between houses I have decided not to keep any birds but i will get some when we move into our next house (I am going to get Silkies i think) but my addictive hatching tendencies are getting to me.
My aunts son has a farm and she is always incubating, raising for a couple weeks and then giving them back to him. this seems perfect for me and i have already talked it over with my parents. they said it was okay. i was going to do ducks, but they are a bit too messy (sooo darn cute tho) and she just hatched turkeys and she highly recommends them, so i think that is what i will do. i will ask her what humidity she uses, because i learned in my past quail hatches that it varies depending on where you are, so i will get a pretty accurate guess from her.
but what do i need to know about turkey eggs? how long are they incubated for? what temp? what day is lock down and what days should i candle?
for chicks, i need to ask if i can use some of their feed, and i have a feeder and a waterer and a heat lamp and a brooder, but what temp should it be for the first few days?
sorry for so many questions, but I think it is better to be prepared than not!

Familiarize yourself with Hatching Eggs 101 by @Sally Sunshine .

I incubate my turkey eggs at 30% humidity. For lockdown, I use 65% to 70% humidity. The temperature is the same for turkey eggs as it is for chicken eggs. My incubator is a forced air unit so I incubate at 99.5°F.

Turkey eggs typically take 28 days to hatch. Most of mine normally hatch on day 27. I do lockdown on day 25.

Turkey poults should be fed a high protein turkey or game bird starter for the first 6 to 8 weeks. They need the higher levels of protein, lysine, methionine and niacin for proper development.

I start my poults at 90°F measured at the bedding level.

It is not recommended to use wood flakes for the first week or two. The poults can eat the chips but cannot digest them unless they have an appropriate sized grit. They can get plugged up and die from it.

 

[quailmama 82012]

thank you so much! that last bit also will help my aunt, as that is what she is using, and may be why her turkey got sick. i usually use paper towels for quail anyway, because i think it is super easy to clean.