How hard is it to hatch turkeys? Really? And why?

[Jocasta]

Forgot to add that I tried brining a couple of turkey legs recently and was astounded at the difference it made. My DH who "can't stand turkey" couldn't stop raving about how it was the nicest turkey he'd ever eaten!!!

I wonder why they don't do that more over here???

 

[jnkir7]

Quote:
how did you do it, my husband isnt a big fan of turkey eather but i am i would like to try something to make him like it more janie

 

[lone oak]

as a newbie to hatching turkey i can say in the little giant i had zero hatch...at the last min with the last egg i took it to a broody chicken and it hatched and is well and almost 8 months old now...with a sportsman i am in the middle of a hatch now and so far i have 50% hatched..i did not raise humidity, but i am in the south and it has been plenty humid naturaly. i hatch chickens and ducks with no problems..just as said already remove little faces as they hatch. i have been on pins and needles awaiting the turkeys though because of problems last year. from the one i hatched last year and the ones i have bought as babies i have lost none..i do not measure temp in brooder, i just let them tell me what is right. today i have had one hatch that wasnt right in the tummy area atached to the egg membrane, didnt know what to do so i put glue on it and held it till it dried hard and didnt let it's intestines hang out, dont know if that was a good thing to do or not, looks good for the moment but i guess time will tell if it can eat and digest and live. guess things happen with every hatch and this tummy thing was just one of those things, i done what i could with the knowledge i had and will just let time tell. good luck. hope all goes well.

 

[Jocasta]

Quote:
how did you do it, my husband isnt a big fan of turkey eather but i am i would like to try something to make him like it more janie

You just put the raw meat in a bucket of salt water. I've heard varying accounts of how long for - I left mine for 48hrs. You can also add herbs and garlic etc to the brining water, but I just added salt.

 

[mchristo]

I have a Brinsea octagon 20 with an autoturn cradle and just hatched 5 out of 6 mail ordered turkey eggs (it does not have digital temp or humidity pump). With all the reading I did on this site about hatching tukey's I thought for sure I would be lucky to get 1. I was stunned to get 5 out of 6 , especially because they were mailed to me from across the country. Anyway, I kept both wells 3/4 full of water until about day 22, then I added wet sponges under the tray and filled the wells all the way because I had stopped turning and had chickens about to hatch. They pipped on day 24 and hatched on day 25. They are now 3 days old and perfectly healthy. I hatched them with chickens and the chicken eggs were hatching when the turkey's were on day 23-24-- I think they heard the chicks hatching and wanted out. Anyway, I think it is common for turkey's to pip at day 24-26 and hatch anytime after, but they can be pipped for several days before they hatch. Also, they are WAY more affectionate than the chicks I have. They jump into my hand when I put it in the brooder, and when I hold them they curl up and doze off. They follow my hand around the brooder so I led them to the food and water, poked at the food with my finger and they followed suit. I did this several times and they are eating and drinking well. They definately want a mom--unlike my black copper marans and australorp chicks who seem to prefer I leave them alone. Good luck with you hatch, I was really worried because I needed to increase humidity for the chickens when the turkeys were at day 22, but it all worked out well..I was also having to open the bator a few times to pull out the chicks. Overall-- 6/6 on local Australorp eggs, 9/12 on local Black Copper marans (the 3 I lost pipped through internal membrane but not the shell) and 5/6 mail order narragensette turkey eggs in a single hatch.

 

[Unclebean]

Quote:

I am hatching my first batch of turkey eggs in my Eco 20. My eggs were also shipped, I hope I have a good turn out like you did! The eggs I set came from Steve and Sharon of S and S Poultry. The eggs were packaged beyond what I could have expected. Good luck and wish me luck!

 

[mchristo]

Good Luck!!!!

 

[Jocasta]

Thanks for sharing your experience Mchristo!

Good luck to everyone with their hatches. I'm really, really, REALLY hoping for a great hatch!!! I just can't wait! 1 week today!!!

(with any luck)

 

[Jocasta]

Thanks for sharing your experience Mchristo!

Good luck to everyone with their hatches. I'm really, really, REALLY hoping for a great hatch!!! I just can't wait! 1 week today!!!

(with any luck)