~*Third Annual Cinco de Mayo Turkey Hatch-Athon*~ all poultry welcome!

[foxvalleyfarm]

I candled to day as we have all of about 1 week left and  well, I'm concerned the eggs are not drying down as well as athey could / should/ oughta / coulda  !!  THe air cell is surprizingly small for 3 weeks and mostly under 22%RH  Trying to get them to dry more . . . . if any one has suggestions . . . have thought about put a fan on them directly but then  common sense  prevails. lol 

Mine are having issues like this. Some are drying to fast and others not fast enough. It's really irritating... But you could try putting rice or popcorn in your incubator to dry it out more. Or maybe try missing like you would with duck and goose eggs.

 

[Arielle]

Quote: Thanks FVF, I never could wrap my head around the idea that misting eggs causes drying . . . no doubt it works . . . just can't understand the science behind it. I can see it cooling the eggs . . but not drying the eggs . . . one of natures clever tricks.

 

[Penny Hen]

X2 I have eggs in my new cooler bator now they are on day 4, candled this morn and I have veining. I am STOKED!!! ! can wait to get my other shelves made so I can set more eggs in it.

What are you using for heat source and what type of thermostat?

 

[SilkieSensation]

...

 

Ok so I pulled my other duck egg. It was really blurry and smelled a little bad. I have a problem with the one left. My kiddo bumped the bator and the egg got cracked. It's cracked over the air cell. I can still see the duckling moving inside. I don't have any super glue. The crack is just spider webbed and doesn't go into the air cell. Should I leave it alone or I was thinking about putting a thin coat of clear nail polish over it. I don't want to hurt the duckling though! Suggestions?

Any color nail polish works but light colors are easiest to candle through.

I usually use just candle wax (unscented)... not much of a nail polish gal.. lol.. I own some.. but I would have to figure out what box it's sitting in... or did I throw it out?... grrr t
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I get the really cheap stuff from the dollar store. I use different colors to mark chicks at hatch when I don't have bands for them. I also seal cracked eggs. I like nail polish better than wax for 2 reasons: polish isn't hot & I can control where the polish goes easier. I always make a mess & miss spots with wax. Never managed to hatch any sealed wuth wax but have saved several with polish.

Always plenty of polish here. I have a pre-teen daughter left at home. I actually have to hide the polish to keep it for my eggs...lol

Has anyone had success moving broody turkey hens. I hear that doesn't work well.

I have had much success moving broody chicken hens, they pace a little but have always continued to sit on the eggs.

I have yet to try to move broody turkeys. I need to figure something out soone because I have between 2-4 broody turkey hens they are always on the nest and I cant tell them apart so Im not sure which 2 are the 100% broodies and the 2 that are 1/2 time broodies lol. Then I have 2 that aren't broody and eggs keep getting added to the broody nest. Im feeling quite stressed about it.

I have considered moving my Toms the unoccupied turkey grow out pen and make a second nest in the turkey coop for the hens. Or I can try to move the 2 100% broodies and their eggs to the grow out pen and hope they continue to sit. Im not sure what to do.

Im not a big fan of broodies like most people are. They cause more issues more stress and more of a headache for me, while others say broodies take the work out of raising chicks, I don't feel less worked lol

I let my chickens brood but steal turkey eggs. I like my turkeys laying as many as possible. My broodies hatch my call duck eggs better than I do, so I try to give broodies call eggs when possible.

 
Well  it is time to empty the Easter HAL incubator of the eggs that aren't going to hatch. Sigh. None of them hatched. Back to the drawing board on the homemade incubator.

how many eggs did you have in there?...

you should make a coolerbator... I love all of mine.. (I have 6)...
mine hold temps perfectly and are easy to clean!

Yinepu, do you have plans for your homemade bators? I have been wanting to make a couple but need a good plan that I can follow easily.

I candled to day as we have all of about 1 week left and  well, I'm concerned the eggs are not drying down as well as athey could / should/ oughta / coulda  !!  THe air cell is surprizingly small for 3 weeks and mostly under 22%RH  Trying to get them to dry more . . . . if any one has suggestions . . . have thought about put a fan on them directly but then  common sense  prevails. lol 

Maybe put a dehumidifier in the room if you can get your hands on 1.

 

[GerbilsOnToast]

Has anyone had success moving broody turkey hens. I hear that doesn't work well.

I have had much success moving broody chicken hens, they pace a little but have always continued to sit on the eggs.

I have yet to try to move broody turkeys. I need to figure something out soone because I have between 2-4 broody turkey hens they are always on the nest and I cant tell them apart so Im not sure which 2 are the 100% broodies and the 2 that are 1/2 time broodies lol. Then I have 2 that aren't broody and eggs keep getting added to the broody nest. Im feeling quite stressed about it.

I have considered moving my Toms the unoccupied turkey grow out pen and make a second nest in the turkey coop for the hens. Or I can try to move the 2 100% broodies and their eggs to the grow out pen and hope they continue to sit. Im not sure what to do.

Im not a big fan of broodies like most people are. They cause more issues more stress and more of a headache for me, while others say broodies take the work out of raising chicks, I don't feel less worked lol

I'm thinking I've just been really lucky with it, but I've moved every broody I've had, and none quit - including the turkey about ten days(?) ago.
Turkey, I had the new nest location prepared before dark, then went out at about 11pm and took the eggs; put them in a styro carton & left her a golf ball in the extraction process. Took carton, wrapped in towel, to new nest & left it there - still wrapped. Went back with a cardboard box, put her in it, closed & brought her there. Put eggs in nest, then took her out of box & set her down about 2-3 feet from eggs & shined light on eggs. She made little noises & kinda slid onto the eggs. I left, checked through window an hour later & about every six hour for a day or so - she hasn't left it once. kinda same process i use for chickens, but they stay inside the coop building; turkey got her own building. Like I said, it's prolly just luck, but it works for me so I'm gonna keep going with it!

 

[yinepu]

Quote:
plain white rice in a shallow pan (more surface area) plus misting with warm water.. (remove eggs from bator.. mist.. place back when eggs are dry).. increasing air flow can help as well so long as there are no storms in the area or anything else to raise the relative humidity.. with a good thermostat it shouldn't affect temp any.. you just need to calm the air flow back down before pip...

Quote: Thanks FVF, I never could wrap my head around the idea that misting eggs causes drying . . . no doubt it works . . . just can't understand the science behind it. I can see it cooling the eggs . . but not drying the eggs . . . one of natures clever tricks.

lol.. evaporative cooling.. as the water on the surface of the egg dries it also pulls moisture from the egg.. basically wicking it away

Quote:

I usually use just candle wax (unscented)... not much of a nail polish gal.. lol.. I own some.. but I would have to figure out what box it's sitting in... or did I throw it out?... grrr t
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Quote:
if you are putting hot wax on the egg.. you're doing it wrong!

lol.. one of my "trade secrets"... it's a method I developed over the years... works very well ..


I'll send you a pm with the bator info...

 

[lsmith]

Congrats bantambury!!! And yay marshie!!!!

 

[bantambury]

Congrats bantambury!!! And yay marshie!!!!

thank you! the baby should be out by tomorrow. it pipped at 5, and im going down to the coop at 6 tomorrow morning. that gives the egg about 13 hours to hatch. It should be out by then.

I checked on the pip 2 hours ago and it advanced a lot!

 

[lsmith]

I put a little clear polish over the duck crack and then let the egg sit all day. I candled tonight and the duck is still moving around! I'm hoping that he survives. In other news, I bought some turkey eggs from Arielle and they should arrive this week!!! I'll set those as soon as my chicks hatch this week. I'm a bit scared about the feeding and watering. I've been reading up on them and it sounds like turkeys are not too smart.

 

[winteree]

my mom was the switch person here..

never give an angry german woman a switch.. a reason to use it and a target...... bad things will happen...... don't ask me how I know....

lol's i hear ya