Turkey Talk for 2014

[chicken pickin]

Humidity is relative to your individual location & incubator. Temperature is also dependent on your bator. All of these are influenced by whether your bator is still air or has a fan. The best way to determine what will work for turkeys is to use what works for your chicks since you have already been hatching those successfully. Everyone is going to have different things that may work for them but will be disasterous in someone else's bator. I recommend you run your turkeys exactly as you have been running your chicks. You already know what works & the only real difference is in the length of time they take to incubate.

Exactly!

 

[chicken pickin]

Thank you for your reply, will you share the temp and humidity levels the you use? Also do you clean the eggs before going in the bator?

Oh I forgot to add that I do not clean eggs before incubating. Washing eggs washes away the bloom which is a natural coating over the egg. I have heard of people dipping eggs to "disinfect" but I have never done that nor do I know the specifics on it.

 

[Arielle]

Quote: Handle the turkeys the same as for resting-- and I incubate all shipped eggs in a carton , or in a turner, not on the sides.

Oxygen needs increase as the poult developes. When it is nearing the time of hatching it needs far more oxygen than earlier in the development. When it internally pips it needs more, as in a greater need for oxygen, and of course when it has hatched, it is active and need much more oxygen to survive.

I mention this because this seems to be a reason that the poults/ chicks don't hatch at the end of the incubating phase. Everyone gets so concerned about getting the humidity UP it is often at the cost of oxygen. Ventilation also needs to increase at the end of incubating.

( I have miscounted days and had poults hatch in my very dry(30%) incubator-- while the others got moved to the hatcher)

 

[Arielle]

Quote: Because I have a hatcher I set the eggs at the same time. Just made my life easier.

 

[Arielle]

You asked about cleaning the eggs-- maybe I missed a response, but just in case---

I usually leave the eggs alone. Washing removes the special layer on the ourside f the eggs, the one that feels slimy when you wash an egg.

I have washed some eggs , and then dip in diluted bleach water.

Overall I have not seen a difference in hatching. So I make my life easier and don't do anything by way of cleaning before setting.

A clean incubator is a must.

 

[Chad Cool]

Oh I forgot to add that I do not clean eggs before incubating. Washing eggs washes away the bloom which is a natural coating over the egg. I have heard of people dipping eggs to "disinfect" but I have never done that nor do I know the specifics on it.

Great Just looking for what other folks do.

 

[Chad Cool]

You asked about cleaning the eggs-- maybe I missed a response, but just in case---

I usually leave the eggs alone. Washing removes the special layer on the ourside f the eggs, the one that feels slimy when you wash an egg. 

I have washed some eggs , and then dip in diluted bleach water. 

Overall I have not seen a difference in hatching.  So I make my life easier and don't do anything by way of cleaning before setting. 

A clean incubator is a must. 

Dang your full of all kinds of info. so what do you clean the bator with I have a Dickey? I got it seconded hand it hand no books.

 

[SilkieSensation]

I would must anything not removable with distilled vinegar & wash everything that is removable with dishsoap, vinegar or bleach. Just make sure everything gets wiped down with clear water after.

 

[AmericanMom]

I would must anything not removable with distilled vinegar & wash everything that is removable with dishsoap, vinegar or bleach. Just make sure everything gets wiped down with clear water after.

oh good...I was worried about how I cleaned mine after the last hatch, bathtubs are great for washing big things, cleaned it first with soap and water, even the little metal clips, then cleaned it again in a weak bleach solution, I was worried about the bleach

 

[chicken pickin]

oh good...I was worried about how I cleaned mine after the last hatch, bathtubs are great for washing big things, cleaned it first with soap and water, even the little metal clips, then cleaned it again in a weak bleach solution, I was worried about the bleach

I clean my incubators with soap and water in the bath tub then give it a good wipe down with Lysol or Clorox wipes.