How long can they be without food?

[Chickhick]

I had my 1st turkey hatch today. The other eggs have not pipped yet and aren't due till day after tomorrow. Can turkeys do fine in incubator waiting for the others to hatch, or should I get him out and put him in a brooder with food and water? I've hatched lots of chicks, but this is my 1st turkey.

How long is it safe for the babies to be without food and water?

 

[MissTurkey4]

They can go 72 hours without food and water.

 

[Jmiller429]

why chance it?

 

[MissTurkey4]

Quote:
Because if you open the incubator, you can dry out the other eggs so they will not hatch. You kill them for no reason. They easly live off the yolk for three days. Thats why we can ship day old poults safely. Even a mother turkey will wait until most of the eggs hatch and the poults are heady to leave the nest.

 

[ColbyNTX]

Quote:
Because if you open the incubator, you can dry out the other eggs so they will not hatch. You kill them for no reason. They easly live off the yolk for three days. Thats why we can ship day old poults safely.

X2

I never open the bator until they are done. I don't want to kill 20 to get out 1! They go 3 days in the bator no problem! That's how they can ship just hatched poults, chicks, keets etc!

 

[Chickhick]

Thanks! That is what I figured, but just wanted to make sure the same goes for turkeys. BTW, I have 2 more pips now, so hopefully my loner won't have to be lonely for too long.

 

[ColbyNTX]

I don't know how many eggs you have in but just wait! It can be tough to let that little guy sit in there for 3 days but it's not worth opening the bator.

 

[A.T. Hagan]

Unless you're using a cheap still air incubator that takes forever to come up to heat and humidity I take chicks/poults out once a day. Get the ones that are dry and fluffy then when I'm ready to close up I lightly mist the remaining eggs with spray bottle just before closing the door. The humidity returns to where it needs to be within minutes.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Quote:
Because if you open the incubator, you can dry out the other eggs so they will not hatch. You kill them for no reason. They easly live off the yolk for three days. Thats why we can ship day old poults safely.

X2

I never open the bator until they are done. I don't want to kill 20 to get out 1! They go 3 days in the bator no problem! That's how they can ship just hatched poults, chicks, keets etc!

I didn't realize that they could go so long without food but then again, I have never used an incubator. I knew chicks could go a couple days but I didn't know that turkeys could go for 72 hours. I learned something new today.

Thanks for the info.

 

[ColbyNTX]

A.T. Hagan :

Unless you're using a cheap still air incubator that takes forever to come up to heat and humidity I take chicks/poults out once a day. Get the ones that are dry and fluffy then when I'm ready to close up I lightly mist the remaining eggs with spray bottle just before closing the door. The humidity returns to where it needs to be within minutes.

Yes, but we don't all live in Flordia where the humidity is 90% all the time anyway.

Once that little sack hardens just a bit, the poult is gonna have a hard time.​