Turkey Talk for 2014

[AmericanMom]

This is my first time hatching turkeys. I also have duck and chicken eggs in there. I plan on going by the turkey instructions.

I printed out the instructions, I am going to go by it too... What day are you on?

 

[SilkieSensation]

Ok... I am finally getting ready, found a sweet lady that is going to sell me fertile Bourbon Red eggs. I am purchasing 2 dozen.. She has four hens and one tom, they are gorgeous!! she doesn't want them to hatch anymore and doesn't want the eggs so she has just today started saving them, I'll pick them up next week, she said all four hens lay an egg each every other day, they have already laid two dozen but she refrigerated them so they are out.. hopefully I'll get my two dozen before they quit...  She is almost giving them away, $10 a dozen!!

My question is.. I have a hova bator 1602N still air with auto turner.. Are turkeys the same as chicken eggs just go a week longer? I've been trying to read up and prepare but its confusing.. The best hatch of chicken eggs so far I have had was when I followed the incubator instructions,  40-50 humidity days 1-18 and 55-60 humidity during lockdown.. temp 101-102 throughout.

I'm gonna do it finally...  

Porters has detailed instructions on incubating turkey eggs. I believe the humidity is higher.

Holy cow, 80% humidity?? I gather the humidity is 50% during incubation but if I incubate chickens also wont that high humidity kill them?  I have one shot at this and am worried about that humidity.. Do you also lower your temps during lockdown?

I'll answer these
It works best to set your chicks to hatch 2-3 days before your poults (set 4-5 days after). Run humidity just as you would for chicks all the way through until either your last chick hatches or day 26 for the turkeys. Then bump humidity by 15-20% for the turkeys to hatch. The turkeys can lockdown with the chicks a couple days early. This allows your tutors to hatch at lower humidity & be up & running & ready to teach your poults by the time they arrive.

 

[AmericanMom]

I'll answer these

It works best to set your chicks to hatch 2-3 days before your poults (set 4-5 days after). Run humidity just as you would for chicks all the way through until either your last chick hatches or day 26 for the turkeys. Then bump humidity by 15-20% for the turkeys to hatch. The turkeys can lockdown with the chicks a couple days early. This allows your tutors to hatch at lower humidity & be up & running & ready to teach your poults by the time they arrive.

Ok, that sounds great...Do you use an auto turner?

 

[K Epp]

Turkey and ducks are on day 19 chickens are day 12. I have a auto turner. Hmmm... I have tutors so I'm going go the turkey route.

I printed out the instructions, I am going to go by it too... What day are you on?

 

[yinepu]

Quote:
they have the same info that I have in the link in my signature... I thought it was funny when I saw that they hatch the same way that my family has been over the generations!

 

[AmericanMom]

they have the same info that I have in the link in my signature... I thought it was funny when I saw that they hatch the same way that my family has been over the generations!

Saved a copy in my folder! Thank you so much, I am a little less terrified as I was before... Like I said, I get one shot at this at this price and I really want this to work. Raising our own meat , as much as I can on our acre, has been my goal since I had to let my business go (back issues, who doesn't have them ) and at 10 bucks a dozen I cant not do this... So far I have been able to prove to DH that the chickens are a benefit , I sell so many eggs there is 0 out of pocket expense now for feed for both our rabbits and chickens and the plus side is I am not buying chicken from the grocery store.

This is what I want with the Turkeys... Although eggs will be harder to come by and it will take a year or two for a profit to bear out he understands the potential

 

[Momhunter]

Holy cow, 80% humidity?? I gather the humidity is 50% during incubation but if I incubate chickens also wont that high humidity kill them?  I have one shot at this and am worried about that humidity.. Do you also lower your temps during lockdown?

If you read back through this thread I just went through the same questions and issues. I tried hatching peafowl and turkey eggs the same as my chickens but the eggs were not dehydrating enough. I changed to the rec of porters and just had my first 100% hatch of poults.
My incubator is a gqf sportsman incubating at 99.5 and no water added so my humidity runs around 20%. Then I put them in a gqf hatcher at 98,5 degrees and water pan with sponge making humidity in the high 60s to 70.

 

[sonderah]

Are turkeys like chickens? Different breeds are more likely to go broody than others? Or do most turkeys get broody?

 

[SilkieSensation]

Ok, that sounds great...Do you use an auto turner?

I turn 4 styro bators by hand twice daily.

 

[R2elk]

Are turkeys like chickens? Different breeds are more likely to go broody than others? Or do most turkeys get broody?

To the best of my knowledge, there is not a breed of turkeys that the hens don't go broody. Every turkey hen that I have had that was mature enough to lay eggs went broody and it did not matter what breed the turkey hen was.