turkey question-help

[julieschickens]

i have 3 bourbon reds sitting on a ton of eggs. a couple have hatched and i put a small waterer and feeder with starter right by the hens. do i need to do anything else??? or will mom take care of showing them the food and water source. also, inform me of anything else i need to know or do- like when to take the unhatched eggs away and all. thanks

 

[Struttn1]

Turkey poults just hatched are ok without food and water for about 3 days. That is how hatcheries get away with shipping them across the country the same day they hatch.

I have put food next to a brooding hen when the hatch is on and it worked out well. Just be sure to use a waterer that has rocks or marbles in it to prevent the young poults from drowning. I found out the hard way this week. One of my poults drowned in a chick waterer.

Just watch the hen and when she decides to leave the nest you can get the unhatched eggs to candle and finish in the incubator. I would not remove them until she leaves the nest.

 

[NOnuggets]

The eggs that remain in the nest are still viable? Mom hatched out five, and is still sitting on 5 others, three days later. I'm thinking of "disposing" of them...do you really think they could still hatch? How long would you wait? We are feeding mash to the little poults so they don't starve while waiting...

 

[4-H chicken mom]

Just candle them before pitching them. They could be just behind a number of days. Remember that the eggs on the outside ring of the nest may have not received the same temp as the eggs in the middle, so the may just be developing a little slower. I always candle before I toss any eggs.

 

[Struttn1]

Also if you have multiple hens using the same nest some of the eggs possibly have not been incubated the same amount of days which would result in staggered hatch like you would have when adding eggs to your incubator every few days.