Thinking of calling it quits.

[Cody Walker]

Hope all wo rks out for you.

I'm trying this time to have one batch 15 eggs on a turner. And another batch 20 eggs I'm gonna turn by hand. They are in different bators but I'm gonna see if one hatches better than the other.

I would be very interested in your results! Keep us posted.

 

[feedman77]

If you are set on heritage turkeys you are correct that they only sell them straight run.  However there is a place that sells day old poults sexed but all they carry are Broad Breasted and what they call Medium Breasted and the prices are really good in my opinion.

Click on the Download PDF link and their price list is on the second page of the PDF.

http://www.valleyofthemoonpoults.com/products/4

Will keep site in mind thanks. Kinda interested in auburns.

 

[ivan3]

My incubation abilities suck. I' am having such back luck with my eggs that I thinking of calling it quits after this year. First batch this year I have one bird survive out of 27 eggs. Three more hatched with it but died a day or two after. Second batch of 35 eggs I had five hatch. Yesterday when the bedding was being changed my dog grabbed one out of the box we were holding them in and ran off with it. I caught him and pried the poult out of his mouth. I got four tooth punctures in my thumb and the poult died a little later. Looks like some internal injuries on the neck. This morning when I woke there was another one dead. I figured that one was going to, didn't look to healthy. So three from 35. That's right, I got 4 poults from 62 eggs. I got 45 eggs still in the incubator so with my luck that's three more poults. Its not worth my time and energy and the let down. I even bought a special incubator thermometer this year. Doesn't make a difference. Its just so depressing. I feeling like culling the whole flock.

Sure hope you hang in there. That you, and other determined turkey gestation enablers, make the effort along the mechanical axis warrants respect and best wishes. Have read more than enough reports of losses during incubation owing to irreproducible alteration of "iffy" variables under otherwise immaculate conditions, over the years, that this cowardly turkey wrangler lets "george" do it. So, hat's off to you and other brave BYCer's for making the effort. Sure hope those puncture wounds heal up quick!!! If it wasn't for our jennies and hens, I'd give up: Enjoy reading your posts (and there aren't a lot of us in this flock of turkeys). Best of luck, regardless!

 

[retlaw]

I will give details of the incubator and such when I have some time to spare.
Real busy right now and have to step out.
Hopefully tonight or tomorrow.
Thanks

 

[brittanimck]

What breed are you trying to incubate? Some have fertility issues which may be a contributing factor to bad hatches.

 

[AmericanMom]

My incubation abilities suck.

I' am having such back luck with my eggs that I thinking of calling it quits after this year.
First batch this year I have one bird survive out of 27 eggs.
Three more hatched with it but died a day or two after.

Second batch of 35 eggs I had five hatch.
Yesterday when the bedding was being changed my dog grabbed one out of the box we were holding them in and ran off with it.
I caught him and pried the poult out of his mouth.
I got four tooth punctures in my thumb and the poult died a little later.
Looks like some internal injuries on the neck.

This morning when I woke there was another one dead. I figured that one was going to, didn't look to healthy.
So three from 35.

That's right, I got 4 poults from 62 eggs.

I got 45 eggs still in the incubator so with my luck that's three more poults.

Its not worth my time and energy and the let down.
I even bought a special incubator thermometer this year.
Doesn't make a difference.

Its just so depressing.
I feeling like culling the whole flock.

It can be depressing but as I was once told, don't start incubating if your not prepared for the losses. Many of us have had some very bad luck before being able to get some great results and even then there always seems to be a batch that just doesn't do so great.
My first ever incubation was great 20+ chicken eggs hatched, what followed was 5-6 incubator loads (42+) and only getting one or two to hatch, the worst was a batch of Turkey eggs, not one of those hatched even though at least 20 made it to lockdown and was wiggling and moving during lockdown.
There is a lot as another poster mentioned that needs to be disclosed before anyone can begin to help, listen to those around here, folks have went thru what your going thru, adjust as you need to for your incubator and your area, there is never a one size fits all conclusion and it is trial and error until you understand more of whats going wrong and tweak it here and there..

Good Luck!

 

[AmericanMom]

Hope all wo rks out for you.

I'm trying this time to have one batch 15 eggs on a turner. And another batch 20 eggs I'm gonna turn by hand. They are in different bators but I'm gonna see if one hatches better than the other.

I tested that and found I lose more due to the turners, Since hand turning I have had 90+% hatch rates where as with the turner I was under 60% But all turners are different so good luck!!!!

 

[TattooedMama]

Hatching can be exciting or extremely disappointing. I myself have only had 5 or so hatches and one of those was turkeys. I had most hatch just for them to drop dead one after the other. They all would flip on their backs and not be able to get around. It was very disheartening. I ordered poults this year from Porter's Heritage turkeys to get the rare color variations I wanted and they should be here this month. I won't have to try my hand at hatching turkeys again until next year. There is a TON of info here on BYC in regards to hatching. Check out Porter's Heritage Turkeys for tips on how to hatch turkey eggs specifically. Good luck!!

 

[kambrose]

Did you have these eggs shipped to you?

I have some in our incubator now too!
Had to pull a few.

 

[Wayne&Kim1963]

Put the eggs under a broody hen to hatch them. A broody hen that is setting good is a life saver. I will set her in place alone and to get her to move to a nest I want her to go to i will put her in like a egg crate and then I set board over her so she has to sit on the nest. I let her off once a day for about 30 minutes. After 2 or 3 days she will take the new nest. I have a little place where the hens can get off and on the nests and not have other chickens in getting in there with them. You can sit more than one broody in hen an area to get off and on the nest and they will hatch successfully. Another trick with hatching is using a fan circulated incubator. When it is extremely moist and raining alot it isn't always good to hatch then. The raining can mess with your humidity in the incubator. With shipped eggs I have learned to buy them 1 or 2 states away from you and they hatch better. The farther they are from you the less chance of hatching. I sell turkey eggs and goose eggs on ebay and on here for hatching but I go to alot of trouble with packing. Sometimes I think why do I do it? I love to sell hatching eggs and get excited when they hatch better. I think with my extra packing it makes a difference. Hopefully this helps you.