Incubating Turkey eggs advice desperately needed.

[jenjscott]

I have had wonderful success hatching my own turkey eggs the same way as chicken eggs, like 95% When I hatched shipped eggs last year, I had the same problem with clear eggs, early quitters, and even unable to hatch. I don't understand how shipping could make it hard to hatch after it develops 28 days normally, but I had the same thing happen to my ducks. (shipped) Right up to the pip and and then die. I got less than 50% on shipped turkey eggs. I think the larger eggs are more susceptable to inertia damage inside the egg, even if there is no damage to the outside of the egg. Banty eggs give me the best hatches of all my shipped eggs.

 

[gypsy2621]

Quote:
Still Air LG, I have hatched muscovies, chickens, Slate Turkeys with the same incubator and not had a hatch go as this one did.
in Pm with Miss Prissy, it could have been the eggs got jostled to much, which does happen. I was just heartsick over losing the eggs.
I will try them again I love the Heritage Breeds and refuse to give up because of one bad hatch.

I lve this forum and the fact that everyone is so willing to help figure out what had gone wrong, Thank You everyone and anyone else who responds.
You all are just the best

 

[MissPrissy]

In a still air incubator the temps should be 101 at the tops of the eggs and cooler near the floor of the incubator.

The eggs need to be rotated around the incubator as they have hot and cool spots.

The eggs often don't develop at the same rate in a still air unless you move them around.

 

[MissPrissy]

If you stop an consider how very short 21 days is to develop a living breathing creature compared to other higher animals like mammals you will find there are a million things that can go wrong with an egg cell and a developing embryo.

Stop for a momentand consider that the DNA in the eggs is what tells the cells to develop into whatever organ, tissue, feather etc. Damaged DNA can allow a chick to develop fully but leave it too weak to hatch or to even have a functioning set of lungs.

Handling eggs with unwashed hands, rough turning can also cause eggs to quit or to develop and then not be viable. All sorts of nasty things can transfer from your hands to the shell and pass through to the developing chick.

I would estimate 85% of the issues with undeveloped shipped eggs would be rough handling by the PO and issues with the person and incubator doing the hatching.

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

I would estimate 85% of the issues with undeveloped shipped eggs would be rough handling by the PO and issues with the person and incubator doing the hatching.

I would agree with that as well Miss - I think another factor that comes into play is the age of the hens. Look at the Bronze eggs we got from you, 12 of 14 developed - 11 hatched - 1 failed to thrive. Those were your first year hens right? We just hatched some mottled Java's and got a very high hatch rate as well - once again first year layers. The eggs we had the worst hatch rate of this year were some Marans that were on the 3rd season

Steve in NC​

 

[MissPrissy]

Yes, they are first year hens.

I also think it has a lot to do with how they are fed. Giving a bird some food is not the same thing as giving a breeding hen a breed ration. My turkeys get a mix of laying feed specially for breeders and a gamebird feed with a higher protein. Plus they forage.

A hatching egg and an eating egg are not equal.

 

[Shaun]

If it's any consolation, I've had very poor luck hatching turkey eggs as well. Last year, out of two batches of shipped eggs - totally 48 in all - I got ONE hatch. That one was out of the incubator. I even put some eggs under broody hens with the same poor result.

Right now, that one lone turkey hen is sitting 10 shipped eggs that should hatch on Monday - but I'm not so optomistic!! I also have 24 eggs in the incubator, 18 shipped and 6 I drove 4 hours to pick up (as well as pick up some poults for insurance)

It should be interesting to see what the hatch rate between the shipped eggs and the eggs I picked up will be. Both batches of shipped eggs I ordered this year took 4 days Priority Mail to reach me - and I live in Michigan, not Alaska!!

When I hatch chickens - I get fantastic hatch rates in the same incubator - but those haven't been shipped eggs. I'm hoping when some of the poults I'm raising now are mature, I'll have much better hatch rates. I'm sure the shipping is a big part of the problem, but turkeys are harder to hatch all the way around.

 

[tonini3059]

I have gotten shipped eggs twice. I had a good hatch rate on both of them, but most died within the first week. They would be fine then the next time I looked one would be acting wierd and then it would die.

 

[MissPrissy]

Turkeys are extremely fragile after hatch. They won't readily eat and drink like chicks and other fowl. You have to monitor and encourage them often. This is why so many people hatch guineas or something else to coincide with the turkey hatch. The other little birds will help them learn to eat and drink. I also dose mine with 5 drops of non-iron baby vitamins daily for 3 - 5 days. I also make sure they get chopped boiled eggs daily.

A good turkey hen that will brood and tend her poults is worth her weight in gold.

 

[lotzahenz]

Quote:
Infertile eggs are those that have no cell at all, not those that fail to divide.
There HAS to be an "egg" within the egg or it will never develop no matter what conditions it went thru. I am not talking a CLEAR egg in the bator, but a completely absent fertility ring around the ovum. As in the turkey was never bred. That is, unless turkeys are way different than hens? I have hatched hundreds of chickens. Just new to turkeys.