**~~>>Second Annual Cinco de Mayo Turkey Hatchathon<<~~**all poultry welcome!

[HEChicken]

So I have a few questions. I recently learned that most Turkeys lay a decent number eggs. How many eggs a year do Royal Palm, Red Bourbon(sp?) and Blue Slate lay? I have 4 hens choice recently RP and Blue Slate with possibly RPxGolden Naragansett in the incubator now, 5 RPs going in the incubator tonight and in another month or so I will get 4 BRs. I have never hatched Turkeys before. I know they take 28 days and someone said they put them into lockdown 4 days before hatch. Can I hatch them with Chickens? I know lockdown means don't open the incubator but what if I have to take out the chicks before the Turkeys hatch? Does the humidity have to be higher than it does with chickens? I am using a still air incubator as a hatcher and it has been pretty tough to get the humidity up it is staying at around 50% and I have a but load of water in there any suggestions?

Ok I am sure I have more questions but can't think of any more right now.

This is my first year with turkeys so I can't answer on the number of eggs although a friend assures me that when her RP hen started laying she laid an egg a day. Mine only started 5 days ago and so far has laid 3 eggs in those 5 days (unless the other two days she laid in a hidden nest).

It is recommended to hatch them with chicks who will then tutor the turkeys on how to find food and water. Since turkeys take 28 days and chickens take 21, set the turkey eggs a week before the chickens. That way lockdown and hatch days will be the same for all of them. Temp and humidity are the same for both.

You can raise humidity using wet sponges, or a lot of people use sanitary napkins since they hold more water even than a sponge. What I did with my still air was to create some straw sized holes in the top, and then I got some flex tubing and I could add water without opening the lid, during lockdown. With a syringe, I pushed the water down the tube and I could direct it so the water landed on the sponges to remoisten them.

 

[ChooksChick]

Well...I have a few Black Spanish developing nicely, Shawn! I didn't have very good luck with the Icelandics, look like 2 are going, but all of the BWA are going well. I'll be able to share some poult pics on set day, because I set these with the Easter hatch.

Who needs eggs? I caught the Bronze hen on the nest today, so I can identify hers now, but she'll be fertilized by either the RP or the BR dude. There are 2 BR and a Blue Slate laying, too, so some pure BR should result, if anyone wants some of these to join us.

Don't forget to get some chicken eggs to set for tutors. Really. You'll have a week after we set the turkeys to look, but you shouldn't skip that hint!!

It's snowing outside in a wicked way. I don't like it one little bit. I already shook the heavy wet stuff off of my netting twice to try to prevent it from flattening my acre of fencing again, but I'm not driving out to the farm tonight again. It'll have to do what it's going to do!

The daffodils are coming up. I don't want this white crap!!

 

[debs_flock]

I just set my first five turkey eggs today as a test hatch. They are RP & BS / RP & BS................so I could get either or a crossbred.

Now I can start saving for the hatch

 

[mlm Mike]

I just set my first five turkey eggs today as a test hatch. They are RP & BS / RP & BS................so I could get either or a crossbred.

Now I can start saving for the hatch

Good Luck!

 

[NotAFarm]

It's snowing outside in a wicked way. I don't like it one little bit. I already shook the heavy wet stuff off of my netting twice to try to prevent it from flattening my acre of fencing again, but I'm not driving out to the farm tonight again. It'll have to do what it's going to do!

The daffodils are coming up. I don't want this white crap!!

.....and we have it today. Suppose to get 1 - 3 inches, so far we have a dusting. Good news is that after today and tomorrow, the temps are increasing to daytimes highs in the 40s and then 50s by next weekend.

 

[novanod1966]

ouch, I feel for you guys.....

we have snow predictions Fri. night and Sunday night ..... daytime temps 50s and by Friday (the following week) it's suppose to be in the 70s....
what a way to "tease" me into thinking spring is here...LOL
it's also a good way of getting sick

but i'd rather have our weather than yours (I find the older I get, the less I like cold weather)

don

 

[NotAFarm]

I don't mind the cold weather.......for a few of months......but when it gets to March, I am soooo ready for Spring! Our last average frost date is May 15, so I'm not thinking we won't have any more cold, just looking forward to warmer temps!

 

[Wisher1000]

Quote:
She already did! She may not have wanted to, but too bad!

 

[superchemicalgirl]

BF and I just got beat up by goats.

Amazing how giving them a mani/pedi is torture. TORTURE.

I'm surprised the neighbors didn't call animal protective services.


A high of 50 degrees is actually in our 10 day forecast. I can't wait. It's currently 36 out right now and I was wearing a t-shirt cleaning the coops and doing the goat nails. I might be able to get the chicks outside later this week. That would be wonderful.

 

[HEChicken]

Well...I have a few Black Spanish developing nicely, Shawn! I didn't have very good luck with the Icelandics, look like 2 are going, but all of the BWA are going well. I'll be able to share some poult pics on set day, because I set these with the Easter hatch.

Who needs eggs? I caught the Bronze hen on the nest today, so I can identify hers now, but she'll be fertilized by either the RP or the BR dude. There are 2 BR and a Blue Slate laying, too, so some pure BR should result, if anyone wants some of these to join us.

Don't forget to get some chicken eggs to set for tutors. Really. You'll have a week after we set the turkeys to look, but you shouldn't skip that hint!!

It's snowing outside in a wicked way. I don't like it one little bit. I already shook the heavy wet stuff off of my netting twice to try to prevent it from flattening my acre of fencing again, but I'm not driving out to the farm tonight again. It'll have to do what it's going to do!

The daffodils are coming up. I don't want this white crap!!

I lost a dog run last year because the rain was too heavy for the tarp that covered it and the weight mangled one of the top supports rendering it virtually useless. That was what made the hoop coops so much more appealing to me. We woke this morning to about 4" accumulation with drifts much higher but my hoop coop is standing strong out there.....

I just set my first five turkey eggs today as a test hatch. They are RP & BS / RP & BS................so I could get either or a crossbred.

Now I can start saving for the hatch

Me too! I set my first 4 eggs yesterday as I want to see if they're even fertile. I've caught Ned standing on Madge's back several times so as long as the reproductive organs are in the feet, we're all set. It looks like you and I will be [hopefully] hatching poults around the same day, debs_flock!!! After this I will save up all the eggs she lays for the official hatch - I was just worried these would be too old by April 7th. My RP hen seems to only be laying every other day, which means I'll have half as many eggs to set as I was originally thinking there would be.

I've been giving some thought to turkey tutors but haven't quite figured out what I'm going to do yet. I also have chicken eggs in my incubator that will be 10 days old by the time the turkey eggs I hatched yesterday are due to hatch. I'm hoping to put any poults I get in with the 10-day-old chicks and the size difference will mean they can hold their own. Any clue from anyone?

But for the next batch of turkey eggs, I'll need to set some tutors along with them and don't yet know what I will do about that. I can set any number of barnyard mixes but would rather go with something I've been wanting awhile. I've got time to think about it anyway.

Chooks - did you decide a day to come down here? If it is before the 7th, I might be interested in some of those eggs you mentioned....