Incubating chicken eggs with turkey eggs..

[adubsroit]

Is this a viable incubator mix: turkey and chicken eggs incubating together? With both you stop turning 3 days before the scheduled hatch date, but turkeys this is day 25 - four days after the chicks should have hatched. I know that chicken eggs and duck eggs set together in an incubator can be problematic (I have experienced this first hand) but are turkey's all that different? The two require almost identical conditions, and note that the turkey eggs in question will be Beltsville Whites - not exactly a breed of standard size.

Any help, and or suggestions are greatly appreciated. This is my first round of turkeys in a 'bator and I want to try my best to ensure a health incubation and hatch.

 

[Matt A NC]

When I have run turkey and chickens eggs together I start the turkey eggs then add the chicken eggs a week later. That way they all hatch at the same time.

Matt

 

[adubsroit]

Makes sense, thanks. Any tips on turkey eggs, and poults?

 

[Matt A NC]

I always raised mine on 30% purina game chow Non-medicated. They did great on it. I have also raised chicks on it with no problems.

For those without chicks around I always dye some food green and spread that on top of the other feed for 3-4 days. They are more prone to peck at green and learn to eat better/faster. Those with chicks learn from the chicks.

Marbles in the waterer to keep them from drowning. DO NOT ever change their feeder suddenly. I almost lost some when I did this. Poults are about as intelligent as door-knobs.

Matt

 

[Lotsapaints]

I always raise my poults with chicks and have no problems. You cannot just change things with a turkey like a feeder or waterer they are cautious creatures chicks will check out anything it is a good mix. I can only get 28% starter and keep mine on that for 3 months then go to 24% because that's what available. Mine are growing great and look so beautiful.

 

[ColbyNTX]

Anytime you want to hatch eggs of different incubation times, put in the ones that take the longest and the others later. Just time it right. 28 days for turkey, put chicken eggs in 1 week later. I do it all the time and have a set of turkey and chicks pipping right now. I always hatch chicks, ducks or guineas with my turkeys to train them to eat and drink. Turkeys are easy, just keep them warm and dry with fresh food and water. I start them with a little quart water for chicks. I have never used marbles because I hatch the other birds to teach them and I have never had one drown itself. Good turkey or gamebird starter will be fine for both. Good luck.

 

[Frosty]

I had one drown one time, I had a gallon waterer and it somehow ended up upside down in the water, wedged in the trough. Now I use quart waterers and don't have a problem. I don't use marbles because I lost mine

I start them with feed on an egg flat, then put a feeder in too.

 

[adubsroit]

For as much as I am worried now that I'm somehow going to mess it up, this sounds like one of those "best learned when done hands-on" sorta things, lol. Either way this sounds fun.

 

[DaKid]

like the rest I alway hatch all my eggs together in one bator just off set the eggs like the rest have started ................I have 4 bator but at times I have have at less one bator full of mix eggs like chickens ,ducks , quail and turkeys , once the dur hatch out in the bators I due have a few brooders where I will try to keep each serpared .............................


GOOD LUCK

 

[OmaBird]

Metzer Farms have a article on single stage incubation. They claim they impoved there hatch rate by having the eggs started at one time. They raise wild turkeys and other fowl. http://www.metzerfarms.com/Articles/SingleStageIncubation.pdf