how do YOU store your turkey eggs before putting in the incubator?

[chicks and hens2]

Just wondering how you all store your turkeys while you're collecting them for the incubator. Room temp, cool like in a garage or the refrigerator and HOW long can you keep them before having a batch?

 

[vtfarmer]

Ive stored mine for up to two weeks in a egg carton in a dark place in the house trying to keep them cool. I tip the caton twice a day while I am waiting for enough to put in the bator with duck and chicken eggs. Just had our third succesfull hatch 3 days ago and will fill again this weekend.

 

[chicks and hens2]

Thank you VT Farmer. I just filled my incubator but had some left that didn't fit in that load. Another question please!. I've not used an incubator before and the directions on this incubator said to sanitize the eggs with any "egg wash" prior to placing in the incubator, unfortunately, I didn't see that until tonight and I put them in there this afternoon.Is that a problem?

I had a hen who stayed on the nest for 31 days, she hatched out one successfully, which I now have in my brooder pen, but she has abandoned the nest, which I figured she would do but I have 2 other hens that I could NOT get to stop laying their new eggs in there with the others.
I candled all the eggs that were left in the nest (41)and put them into the set up incy the eggs that were already developing they will be at different stages for hatching all within a couple of weeks. one or two looked like they had pretty well formed poults in them, but I didn't see any movement. Should I have kept them out and presumed they were not viable? The others were either showing veins already or had huge air sacks and some were in between.
I have a couple that don't look fertile or were just laid in the last 2 days so there is no development yet. An I have one that was laid this morning that was never laid on so I have that one separate. Whats your advise?

 

[vtfarmer]

I just wipe mine off a little so I dont get poo in the bator but some do still have dirt on them. I would put all the eggs you can in the bator but the problem is going to be various hatch times which is challenging but we just did it. Once they start hatching out it gets messy so we would wait till the new ones were dried them put them right in the brooder and clean out the old shell. As I said we just did this with duck, chicken, turkey and goose eggs and it was challenging but can work. This is only my opinion and there are many more people on here with much more knowledge and experience than myself. Best of luck. Bruce

 

[ColbyNTX]

2 weeks is about as long as you want to wait. I set every week. I bought a few of those LG egg turners from TSC and keep them in a cool room. I travel so hand turning and tipping eggs is not an option for me. I have everything automated.

 

[chicks and hens2]

2 weeks is about as long as you want to wait. I set every week. I bought a few of those LG egg turners from TSC and keep them in a cool room. I travel so hand turning and tipping eggs is not an option for me. I have everything automated.

Thanks. Do you stagger your hatch then or or do you have two or more

incubator's and hatch in one and incubate in the other?

 

[ColbyNTX]

I have a Dickey's incubator and a GQF sportsman and a GQF hatcher. Like the Dickey's better than the GQF's. I just put eggs in once a week and write the hatch dates on the eggs. I hatch chickens with my pea fowl and guineas whit my turkeys to use as trainers to learn to eat and drink. Pea fowl and turkeys don't hatch knowing how to eat and drink. Pea's start on 20% feed and turkeys on 28-30% thus using chicken chicks and guinea keets I have babies in there with the correct % feeds.