NEW TO HATCHING TURKEY EGGS PLEASE HELP INFO

[Fudgie]

I just read that turkeys cannot see very well so put some glass beads in their water and feed so they peck at it because of the shinieness(sp) of the beads. Go to google and put in incubating turkey eggs and there are a number of threads to help out. I am a first time turkey hatcher as well, mine is pipping and I am waiting. Thank goodness I had to go to work or I could not keep my hands off of them.

edited for idiocy! Sorry sue, guess I should have read your post first! LOL

 

[Fudgie]

I found this online, hope this helps everyone

How to Hatch Turkey Eggs in an Incubator
If the eggs under your turkey hen(s) aren't hatching well, you can move them into an incubator for better hatching success. Since turkey eggs have different needs than chicken eggs, here's how to increase your chances of having fluffy little turkeys running around...
Steps
1. Set up your incubator at least 24 hours before you put the eggs in.
2. Fill the lower channel with water to ensure adequate humidity.
3. Place two thermometers in the incubator. Make sure they are elevated to half the height of the eggs (usually about 1 inch). You can get disposable plastic cups and cut them to the desired height to act as platforms for the thermometers.
4. Attach a fabric extension to the bulb of one thermometer and make sure that the other end is in the water channel underneath. This thermometer, called a wet-bulb thermometer, will read the humidity in the incubator, but only if the fabric is wet.
5. Make sure the temperature is stable at or around 99 degrees, and the humidity stays between 85 and 100 degrees.
6. Mark the eggs with a regular pencil. Put an "x" on one side and an "o" on the other (when the eggs are laying flat on their sides). This is so that when you turn them, you'll be able to turn them exactly 180 degrees. Do not use a colored pencil, a pen, or a marker - these contain chemicals that will harm the turkey through the shell.
7. Place the eggs gently in the incubator. Have them all with the same letter facing up.
8. Turn all the eggs either three or five times every 24 hours. This prevents the turkey inside from sticking to the shell. Stop turning the eggs three days before they hatch so the turkey can get into hatching position.

Tips
• The normal incubating period for turkeys is 28 days.
• Handle the eggs as little as possible. The less disturbance you create, the more likely the hatching will go smoothly.
• Keep an eye on the water level underneath. If you let it go too low, the incubator will get too dry. The relative humidity during hatching time should be 65% or more to prevent the turkey from drying out inside it's cracked shell and dieing during hatching.
• When a turkey starts poking through the shell, do NOT turn the egg. Make sure that the crack the turkey is making is facing up. If you put the crack facing the floor, the turkey may not be able to break through. In the last three days of incubation the turkey will move to get into hatching position. 6-12 hours before they hatch you may even hear them start to peep.
• The first crack will probably show up towards the thicker end of the egg. The turkey often drills his way around the circumference of the egg and pops the end open like a cap.
• The hatching process takes between 5 and 10 hours.
• The newly hatched turkey will probably be peeping, wobbly, tired and wet. Make sure it stays warm and rests.
• After 24 hours have passed, show the turkey its water and food. Dip its beak in the water (but not so that it goes in the nostrils) and watch him drink. Repeat with the feed. Hopefully your turkey will learn and start eating and drinking by itself.
Warnings
• Always wash your hands (and never touch your face) right before touching the turkey eggs. The oils from your skin can permeate the egg shell and contaminate (i.e. hurt) the turkey inside.
• Never touch young turkeys after being in contact with chickens. There are diseases that can be passed from chickens to young turkeys (although fully grown turkeys are okay).
• If you don't turn the eggs properly, your newborn turkey might hatch with a twisted leg that it won't be able to stand up with. In this case, the baby will probably need to be put down.
• Resist the urge to help a hatching turkey. This will do more harm than good. Let nature take its course.

 

[lockedhearts]

I have 5 in the bator they are Day 6 today. I am keeping same Humidity as Chickens since I have those eggs in as well. My local hatching buddy is on vacation this week, so I can't lean on her for Hatching Stress Support

I should have a few chicks hatching about the same time since I will be putting eggs in the bator again tomorrow, I am hoping to get at least 2 Turkeys from 5 eggs. I will Candle them on Sunday and see how they are doing.

 

[chickenannie]

I should say that although my turkey chicks seemed pretty dumb about getting to food at first and I worried about it incessantly, I never actually had one starve to death. Eventually they all DO eat and drink even if it takes time.
JMHO.

 

[digginchicks]

I'm hopefully geting some hatching eggs next week and this thread has been very helpful thank ya

 

[LoveMyBirds]

I bought 15 from Murreys last year which were a day late by the Postal screw up.. can we say stress..

Anyway I had 2 die right off, but after dunking beaks the feeding bit, all seemed to be ok, but within a few days a few turkeys would just stop eating then die.. I lost a total of 8..

During my loss over these days, I was reading this site very heavily. I ran across a post from an old timer (cough like me) where he had raised many turkeys and used medicated feed with high rate of success.

Where most will tell you to not use medicated feed..

I started feeding the Medicated chicken feed and never lost anymore..

So check everything out before listening to what an inexperienced person might post...

Could save you a few turkeys...

Good luck

 

[sandspoultry]

Also, turkeys need a higher protien feed than chicks, we feed ours a medicated 28% protien game bird starter. It does help to have a few chicks in with the turkeys to show them how to eat but it's not a must. Keep an eye on them to make sure they are all eating and drinking. Don't overcrowd them, that's the main reason some will get pushed aside and starve out.

If anybody has any other questions please feel free, we hatch hundreds each year and loose very few.

Steve in NC

 

[bumpershoot]

Just out of curiosity...can a hen, say a broody fat fluffy cochin hatch turkey eggs?

 

[cluckingoodtime]

I am going to try hatching turkey this spring. This is also my first try. Someone told me the chicks are fragile. My daughter loves to handle all of our chicks from day one. Should I be concerned? Are there some breeds that are hardier than others.

 

[Lotsapaints]

Quote:
Hatched turkeys are stronger than shipped ones just because they have been stressed less....get what ever kind you crave they are friendly just need to be kept a bit warmer than chickens and brooded longer 12 weeks and I raise mine with chicks so they remember to eat and drink they are so curious I think they forget monkey see monkey do