Help with hatching turkeys

[PolloGal]

Hi. Five days ago we picked up heritage turkey eggs from someone about 2 hours away. She told me the hen was sitting on them for a while and they would hatch soon, and that she didn’t want them. I wanted to wait and just pick up the chicks…since they were so close to hatch, but she wanted to have the eggs gone instead and not deal with the baby chicks. When we arrived, She took them from under the hen and told me she had candled them the night before and most were ready to hatch. She suggested I put them on lockdown when i get home. There were about 18 eggs. I took them home…keeping them warm with a heating pad in a styrofoam cooler…and candled them right away. Several (about 13) looked full in the shell, so I put them on lockdown at 99.5 degrees and about 75% humidity 5 days ago. The other few I put in the incubator (they only looked about 1/2-3/4 full in the shell) at 99.5 degrees and about 55% humidity the same day. I candled one of those again yesterday and it appeared it was fuller in the shell…but I can’t be sure. And I can tell from the smell from the incubator vents that not all have made it. In fact, I could smell that right away when we put the eggs in the cooler and into the car. I need help…advice. I have hatched chicks before, but never turkeys and never in such an uncontrolled way. I really want them to hatch and be ok, but nothing has even pipped. I can’t imagine that out of 18 none will hatch. How long do I leave them in lockdown now? When do I move the ones in the ‘not’ lockdown incubator to lockdown? I don’t want to be impatient with this. I appreciate ANY suggestions to save these little ones. Thanks so much.

 

[Quarterhorses1]

Hi. Five days ago we picked up heritage turkey eggs from someone about 2 hours away. She told me the hen was sitting on them for a while and they would hatch soon, and that she didn’t want them. I wanted to wait and just pick up the chicks…since they were so close to hatch, but she wanted to have the eggs gone instead and not deal with the baby chicks. When we arrived, She took them from under the hen and told me she had candled them the night before and most were ready to hatch. She suggested I put them on lockdown when i get home. There were about 18 eggs. I took them home…keeping them warm with a heating pad in a styrofoam cooler…and candled them right away. Several (about 13) looked full in the shell, so I put them on lockdown at 99.5 degrees and about 75% humidity 5 days ago. The other few I put in the incubator (they only looked about 1/2-3/4 full in the shell) at 99.5 degrees and about 55% humidity the same day. I candled one of those again yesterday and it appeared it was fuller in the shell…but I can’t be sure. And I can tell from the smell from the incubator vents that not all have made it. In fact, I could smell that right away when we put the eggs in the cooler and into the car. I need help…advice. I have hatched chicks before, but never turkeys and never in such an uncontrolled way. I really want them to hatch and be ok, but nothing has even pipped. I can’t imagine that out of 18 none will hatch. How long do I leave them in lockdown now? When do I move the ones in the ‘not’ lockdown incubator to lockdown? I don’t want to be impatient with this. I appreciate ANY suggestions to save these little ones. Thanks so much.

Are you seeing any movement? I had to make a safety hole in my turkey eggs, because of a similar situation. Once a hole was made hatch progressed nicely. Can you post a pic of one being candled?

 

[PolloGal]

I see ‘liquid’ movement…on some of them. Can’t really tell with others…they are so full In the lockdown incubator. The 1st picture is an egg from the NOT lockdown incubator. Those eggs look like the little ones have grown. We put ones that looked like that (full) in the lockdown incubator when we brought them home. At what point (how full should the egg be) do I put those eggs into lockdown? The 2nd photo (I tried to get the best shot I could) Is an egg from the lockdown incubator. It is FULL. I am almost afraid to take them out again to candle. I just don’t want to cause any additional problems by being impatient. I have never needed to intervene on my chicken eggs.

 

[R2elk]

Hi. Five days ago we picked up heritage turkey eggs from someone about 2 hours away. She told me the hen was sitting on them for a while and they would hatch soon, and that she didn’t want them. I wanted to wait and just pick up the chicks…since they were so close to hatch, but she wanted to have the eggs gone instead and not deal with the baby chicks. When we arrived, She took them from under the hen and told me she had candled them the night before and most were ready to hatch. She suggested I put them on lockdown when i get home. There were about 18 eggs. I took them home…keeping them warm with a heating pad in a styrofoam cooler…and candled them right away. Several (about 13) looked full in the shell, so I put them on lockdown at 99.5 degrees and about 75% humidity 5 days ago. The other few I put in the incubator (they only looked about 1/2-3/4 full in the shell) at 99.5 degrees and about 55% humidity the same day. I candled one of those again yesterday and it appeared it was fuller in the shell…but I can’t be sure. And I can tell from the smell from the incubator vents that not all have made it. In fact, I could smell that right away when we put the eggs in the cooler and into the car. I need help…advice. I have hatched chicks before, but never turkeys and never in such an uncontrolled way. I really want them to hatch and be ok, but nothing has even pipped. I can’t imagine that out of 18 none will hatch. How long do I leave them in lockdown now? When do I move the ones in the ‘not’ lockdown incubator to lockdown? I don’t want to be impatient with this. I appreciate ANY suggestions to save these little ones. Thanks so much.

When you candle, look for internal pips. If they haven't internally pipped they are not ready to be messed with.

 

[R2elk]

I see ‘liquid’ movement…on some of them. Can’t really tell with others…they are so full In the lockdown incubator. The 1st picture is an egg from the NOT lockdown incubator. The 2nd one (tried to get the best shot I could) Is an egg from the lockdown incubator. I am almost afraid to take them out again to candle. I just don’t want to cause any additional problems. I have never needed to intervene on my chicken eggs.

You need to candle in the dark and from the big end.

You can't tell anything from those pictures.

 

[PolloGal]

You need to candle in the dark and from the big end.

You can't tell anything from those pictures.

Are you saying that the big end should be down onto the light?

 

[PolloGal]

When you candle, look for internal pips. If they haven't internally pipped they are not ready to be messed with.

What am I looking for? I don’t know what internal pips look like…

 

[R2elk]

Are you saying that the big end should be down onto the light?

Yes

 

[R2elk]

What am I looking for? I don’t know what internal pips look like…

@Kiki can you post some pics of internal pips?

 

[PolloGal]

First 2 pics are the incubator at 55% humidity. Last 3 pics are from 75%ish incubator. I read about internal pips. Not sure I would recognize that…but didn’t see it.