Turkey fertility problem

[RAREROO]

I think I am having fertility problem with my turkeys. Does anyone know what may be causing it. Is it the heat?

 

[MandyH]

What breed turkey are we talking? Also, what makes you believe your fertility is compromised?

 

[Harp Turkey Ranch]

Probably the heat and it is getting late in the year. If you don't collect your eggs very often in the heat they will loose their fertility. Also as the breeding season gets to a close the toms will drop off in fertility

 

[RAREROO]

Hey Mandy I have a Quartet of bourbon reds and have never gotten over 52% hatch rate on them and now the hatch rate is going down. They just turned a year old and have been laying since spring. I have eggs in the incubator and under a broody bantam hen and I candled them a few days ago and only one or two from each looked to be doing anything, my hens are still laying great. the tom is shedding his tail feathers but growing them back and he is still trying to breed. I e-mailed Kevin Porter from porters rare heritage turkeys and he said the heat may be causing it, I am in Ga. and our temps have been getting over 100 degrees lately.

 

[bargain]

Hi RareRoo, I think we may have chatted via my e mail address. I know Alapaha - used to travel in your area for work, but back to the topic. If your fertility has always been low, there's a problem. Did you check fertility in any way other than via what hatched out.

Did you crack eggs and look for the fertility bullseye.

Is your incubator using 2 thermometers/2 hygrometers or have you tested your current thermometers and hygrometer to see about their accuracty.

Do you have any other birds around and are they also going non-fertile.

It's been a bit warm lately but our turkeys are all fertile here. and we are in Georgia as well.

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

Like Harp said, it's too late in the year for fertility to be high, 50% now is excellent. Most has stopped or are very near it by now anyway, and if they are young birds, that would just magnify the problem. Usually once a tom starts to molt, he's done for the year, and all but our rios are molting now, as are most other folks.
I would say hatch what you can for the remainder of this eason, and things should be much better next spring
Aubrey

 

[RAREROO]

Hey bargain, yes we have been chatting, you are the one that got me started with BYC. I only have one digital thermometer/hydrometer that I have been using, it seems to be accurate, I set chicken eggs with the turkeys and got 91% on chickens the first time I set in my new incubator, but it has been around 78% since the heat set in. I cracked two eggs, but didn't really know what I was looking for, I have since then saw pics that speckledhen posted, but I hate to crack my eggs.
PS, I had someone contact me wanting Royal Palm eggs and I referred them to you .


Boggy Bottom Bantams, thanks, that sounds about right, my tom is molting.

 

[bargain]

Welcome to BYC....Isn't this a great place. Thanks for the referal on the Royal Palms. Please pm me with the name, so I can be on the lookout for it.

Anytime I can help you navigate around here, please let me know.

By the way, here are our other breeds of poultry:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=175445

We've made some changes and also expanded some of our poultry and this coming year will be adding Bourbon Reds as well as Jersey Buffs to the turkey lineup and pure americaunas to our chickens as well as a few other variations.

I still have a tshirt from the first Hogzilla festival....unfortunately I was unable to attend but a coworker got for me and I treasure it.

Come see us if you are ever up the Bowdon Way!