Incubating eggs

[Kim's Chix]

My female turkey, Josephine, is having so much trouble! She has laid two clutches of eggs and had them all stolen from her by what I am suspecting is a rat. Since then I have been gathering her eggs in the hopes of incubating them. Is it more difficult to incubate turkeys than chicken eggs? I know that it takes longer, but what about the humidity? I'd appreciate any help.

 

[R2elk]

My female turkey, Josephine, is having so much trouble! She has laid two clutches of eggs and had them all stolen from her by what I am suspecting is a rat. Since then I have been gathering her eggs in the hopes of incubating them. Is it more difficult to incubate turkeys than chicken eggs? I know that it takes longer, but what about the humidity? I'd appreciate any help.

Skunks are also very good about stealing eggs.

I incubate my turkey eggs at approximately 30 t0 35% humidity for the first 25 days and raise the humidity to 65 to 70% for lockdown. The temperature is the same as for chicken eggs.

Good luck.

 

[mill-j]

Turkey are harder to hatch (probably because they're bigger) and they take an extra week to get it done. I've had good luck with 50-60% humidity then bumping up to ~70% at lockdown, this of course depends on your incubator.

 

[R2elk]

Turkey are harder to hatch (probably because they're bigger) and they take an extra week to get it done. I've had good luck with 50-60% humidity then bumping up to ~70% at lockdown, this of course depends on your incubator.

I have found that 50 to 60% humidity during incubation to be far too high of humidity for turkey eggs.

 

[mill-j]

I have found that 50 to 60% humidity during incubation to be far too high of humidity for turkey eggs.

I don't doubt that one minute, but it does depend on your location/weather/climate and your incubator.

I know in the past I have run some successful batches with the specs that you list. However when I upgraded to my cabinet incubator, it no longer worked for low humidity.

I recently finished two smaller batches of Turkey's(around 15 eggs a batch) and I had well over 70% of fertile hatch and this is with the specs listed.

I incubate my chickens at around 50% and bump up to 60-65% humidity, I regularly get upper 80 - upper 90% of fertile, hatch rates.

@OP, my point is, you'll have to find out what works best for your setup.

 

[aliciaplus3]

Elevation..... up here at 6000 feet above sea level, I don't find success with the settings used at Lower elevations....of course take your local humidity into account. I live in a very arid place, if you live in a humid one your incubation happy place may differ from mine. If you can find someone close to you that is having successful hatches ask what they are doing.
On that note I had some success this spring at 35% during incubation and jumping to over 65% for lock down. The last 2 hatches that has not worked it looks like I am going to have to jump the humidity to 40 or 45% till lock down.
Keeping in mind I have only hatched around 30ish turkeys, so still an amateur.View attachment 1412600 edited to add one of my spring hatchlings