NEW TO HATCHING TURKEY EGGS PLEASE HELP INFO

[bumblebeehillschickenfarm]

Hi i would realy like to know info on hatching turkey eggs i have a hova-bator 1588 this is my first time for hatching turkey eggs. I just finished up on quail eggs and duck eggs but i want to make sure all is right on this hatch. thanks for your help

 

[Tsagirl]

Collin,
I am hatching turkey too for the first time, so yea I would like advice as well. I am just doing the same like I do for chicken with temps and stuff, so I hope that is right........

Hopefully we will get some knolegable people to help.

 

[chickenannie]

I would like info as well! Can't wait to hear it... (I got a new Hova Bator 1588).

 

[mommagoose]

It is a good idea to add a few chicken eggs to the incubator a week after you start the turkey eggs. The chicks teach to turkeys how to eat and drink and you are less apt to loose any of the turkey poults.
Linda

 

[Tsagirl]

So turkey's need help with starting to eat? Hmmm ok well that sounds like a plan, I wil put them together. I don't know why I was worried but I heard they carry deases to chickens?
I just want my chicks to not die!

 

[SueNH]

I put chicken eggs in a week later too. Saves me from having to teach the poults to eat and drink.

Other than it taking a week longer than chickens everything else is the same. Higher protein turkey or game bird starter for the poults. Won't hurt the chicken chicks a bit.

I do think I got better hatches with the eggs laying on their sides. I think my turner gets the larger turkey eggs up too close to the element.

 

[urbanagrarian]

Last weekend I hatched 2 turkeys for the first time in my Genesis 1588. I did find that I needed to alternate the turkey eggs with the chicken eggs in the turner because the turkey eggs were too big to fit side by side.

 

[sue3]

We hatched turkey eggs last summer in an incubator and had very good sucess. I checked the temp. a few times daily to make sure it never got to high or low. Chickens can carrry blackhead which can be deadly to young turkeys so I would hesitate to mix them when young. Our baby turkeys learned to eat and drink just fine. We did put a marble in their water and food dishes at first as I had read that they are attracted to shiny things and will peck at them to learn to eat and drink. I put them on just newspaper at first too so that they would not eat bedding by mistake until a month or so old. I also carefully dipped the tip of eachs beak into the water dish to show them what it was. Do not get up over then nostril hoses though. I fed them fine starter chicken feed at first and as they got older we added cracked and then eventually whole corn too and also oats. They like all three and also love grass! As older chicks would run and eat it like they were getting candy! Young toms started displaying at under 2 months which was very fun to see. At about 7 months though toms will start fighting and may need to be seperated then if they do it too much. We have enjoyed the turkeys a lot!

 

[Tsagirl]

Thank you!

All of your posts have helped!


2 Turkeys have already hatched!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[FarmGirl01]

Thats great news. It makes me feel better about my own.