incubating turkey eggs and chicken eggs

[birdbrain5]

i plan to make a seperate incubator for hatches, but id like to be incubating my turkey and chicken eggs at the same time. can this be done? i have seen people say the humidity runs a little different..

 

[A.T. Hagan]

I cook them both together. Same temperatures, same humidity. The only difference is that I set the chicken eggs exactly seven days later than the turkeys so they'll all hatch at roughly the same time.

 

[SED]

A.T. Hagan :

I cook them both together. Same temperatures, same humidity. The only difference is that I set the chicken eggs exactly seven days later than the turkeys so they'll all hatch at roughly the same time.

How do you store your eggs?​

 

[birdbrain5]

ok could i ask you what humidity you have been successful with?

 

[Struttn1]

Quote:
How do you store your eggs?

I keep mine in egg cartons and just turn them side to side 2 or 3 times a day until ready to place in the incubator. Do not store in fridge but try to keep them in a cool place.

 

[A.T. Hagan]

Quote:
I keep mine in egg cartons and just turn them side to side 2 or 3 times a day until ready to place in the incubator. Do not store in fridge but try to keep them in a cool place.

This is what I do except that I DO keep them in the fridge. This time of year in a lot of the country keeping them on a shelf is fine. In the warm season though my house temp is around 80 so I prefer to keep them in the fridge.

 

[Thomasturkey]

I hatch in those cheap styrofoam incubators turkeys, geese, ducks and chickens. I just never found a need for the fancy big incubators. I have good luck with them when the weather is not fluctuating much, like in the spring. I have many going at the same time. I also turn by hand. I like doing it that way best. I do not turn eggs in the first 24 hours. I also drop the temperature two degrees during lock down, and increase the humidity to make up for the increases temperature going on inside the egg. So I don't have to mess with the temperature each time, I keep one incubator going just for hatching. I clean it in between hatches. I treat all my eggs the same. This method works when you have different hatch dates.
I store eggs in my wine cooler with a pan of water or I put the whole carton in a two gallon plastic bag.
Temperature should be between 50-60°F with a relative humidity of 70-75%.

Cell division begins within the eggs at 72°F so higher temps are to be avoided when storing eggs.

I get lots of eggs so I don't need to store them long. I never store eggs more than a week even if they could be stored longer, but will have some reduction in hatchability.

 

[birdbrain5]

my first hatch is due sunday, then im going to set a big batch, hoping to have a couple turkey eggs by then, one so far! my temp has been pretty steadly 100, i have a hovabator so it was pre set. my humidity has been everywhere but im hoping i can regulate it a little better next time around. right now its been anywhere from 20's to 40's. i try to keep it high 30's, will this be ok for turks and chicks? or do i need higher? so far they're developing, candling again tonight then lockdown.

 

[Blisschick]

Quote:
I've done really well with about 50-60% humidity on both. Keeping the humidity in that range has been optimal for me during development. You definitely don't want it any lower than 40%, or it can cause developmental problems. When hatching, keep the incubator closed as much as possible. The lower the humidity, they're too dry and stick to the shell, any higher than 65-70%, and they tend to drown in the egg before and during hatching.

 

[Thomasturkey]

Once I started lowering the temperature when I raise the humidity I never had a poults drown. You can get it as high as you want. Have you tried it that way?

Page 26 is on incubation of turkeys.
http://albc-usa.org/documents/MasterBreeder/turkeys_combined.pdf

Incubation

Poults can be hatched naturally or artificially. Some producers will use broody hens to hatch eggs but this will limit the number of poults that can be hatched. A more efficient way to hatch large numbers of poults is to use an incubator. These machines come in many shapes and sizes.

Before setting eggs, regulate the incubator temperature and humidity and let it run for 2-3 days. After that, allow the eggs to reach room temperature before setting eggs in the incubator trays, again with the little end down, big end up. After eggs are set, the incubator temperature will drop but soon thereafter the incubator will return to the desired level.

Recommended hatching temperatures within incubators vary depending on the type of machine being used. For the more commonly used forced-air incubators, the recommended temperature is 99°-100°F for the first 22-24 days of incubation. For the last 4-6 days, the temperature is reduced to 97°-98°F. The recommended humidity is 60% for the first 24 days of incubation and then 70% for the last four days.

To check on the progress of the embryo, candle the eggs after 7-10 days in the incubator to check for clear eggs or blood rings, both of which indicate dead embryos. A high number of clear, undeveloped eggs could mean infertile toms. High numbers of blood rings could mean unhealthy or old breeding stock. Remove the bad eggs to prevent them from exploding from bacterial growth and contaminating the other eggs in the incubator. Candling is also a good way to check progress in the eggs as they further develop. With appropriate temperature and humidity levels, the air cell within the eggs should become larger over time as described in this image.

Three days before eggs are scheduled to hatch, they must be placed on their side in the hatching tray. At this time, lower the temperature and raise the humidity to the recommended levels to facilitate hatching. After poults hatch, leave them in hatching tray for 24 hours to dry off before moving them to the brooder.