Turkeys For 2013

[Treebird]

That's great Kuntrygirl! I had eggs shipped to me last week and I was concerned about the below freezing temps outside during shipment. They are in the incubator so we will see what happens.

 

[kuntrygirl]

That's great Kuntrygirl! I had eggs shipped to me last week and I was concerned about the below freezing temps outside during shipment. They are in the incubator so we will see what happens.

Well, we surely know the low temps won't effect the hatching 100% because the eggs are rocking, pipping and zipping. Now the tricky part is if they hatch. I'm hoping the little buggars pop out

What's the normal temp of a refrigerator?

The good thing about your eggs is that they weren't in those low temps for 2 weeks like my turkey eggs were in the fridge.

Keep us updated on your eggs Treebird.

 

[Treebird]

Oh so you left your turkey eggs in the fridge for two weeks? That's amazing!

 

[kuntrygirl]

Oh so you left your turkey eggs in the fridge for two weeks? That's amazing!

Well, I didn't do it on purpose. (hee hee hee)

The girls had just started laying eggs and since I LOVE turkey eggs so much I was going to eat the first couple weeks of turkeys eggs not knowing if they were fertile or not. Well Celie, chewed my butt out and ripped me a new one and had a come to Jezus meeting with me about eating my turkeys eggs and not hatching them, and I felt so bad, I ran to the fridge and took them out and put them in the incubator. So there is my story. So looks like the first eggs of the season are fertile.

 

[TamTurkey]

Ok dang it I am jealous I have BBW & CX neither of which can give me babies

I'm gonna have to get some layers dang it

 

[kuntrygirl]

Ok dang it I am jealous I have BBW & CX neither of which can give me babies I'm gonna have to get some layers dang it

 

[kuntrygirl]

Update on the turkey eggs in the incubator................

For those who are new to the thread or who may have forgotten about my little experiment, I have 10 turkey eggs in the incubator. 6 of those 10 were eggs that had been in my refrigerator for about 2 weeks. I decided to take them out of the refrigerator and place them in the incubator along with 4 other fresh turkeys eggs that were picked one day. Yesterday was the scheduled hatch day but the eggs started rocking, pipping, zipping and hatching on Monday (1 day early). The first eggs to hatch were the fresh eggs that were NOT in the refrigerator. However the refrigerated eggs were rocking and zipping. Tuesday morning, 1 more poult (fresh egg batch) had hatched. Tuesday evening, (7PM) the other 2 (fresh eggs - NOT the refrigerated eggs) all hatched. Around 8:00PM the first refrigerated egg was zipping open. I could see the poult's beak and he was trying to break out. At 10:00 PM the refrigerated egg/poult had hatched all the way and was 100% fine. Perfect hatch from the 1st refrigerated egg. So that made a total of 5 eggs that had hatched at that time. I couldn't see every refrigerated egg because the babies were all over the place. But the remaining refrigerated eggs that I could see appeared to be zipping still. I could see their beaks trying to break out.

When I left out for work this morning, there were still only 5 poults that had hatched. So, I still have 5 remaining refrigerated eggs in the incubator. When I get home and if the zipped eggs/poults have not hatched, I will help them out of their eggs. I have to take the hatched poults out and transfer them to their brooder. So either way, something has to be done about the zipped eggs.

So that is the update that I have so far on my experiment with hatching turkey eggs that had sat in my refrigerator for 2 weeks. Refrigerated turkey eggs DO hatch!

 

[Frosty]

I just read part of this thread... I have heard of refrigerated eggs hatching before... And it doesn't surprise me. It's still chilly around here when I see wild birds with their young following them. Since they lay eggs and don't sit until they have enough eggs, those had to have been chilled pretty good (and possibly snowed on).

I hope the rest hatched for you!

 

[kuntrygirl]

I just read part of this thread... I have heard of refrigerated eggs hatching before... And it doesn't surprise me.  It's still chilly around here when I see wild birds with their young following them.  Since they lay eggs and don't sit until they have enough eggs, those had to have been chilled pretty good (and possibly snowed on). 

I hope the rest hatched for you! 

I thought about the same thing last night Frosty. This happens all the time in the wild when temps are low and sometimes freezing. And as you said, they don't sit on them until they have enough. It would be the exact same thing.

I'm hoping they hatch too Frosty. Thanks.

I will let everyone know. Those little buggars were chirping up a storm last night. They are ready to come out of that incubator.

 

[Scottingitup]

Thanks for the experiment kuntrygirl! This will work wonders in helping me avoid a staggered hatch- well that and the upgrade from 4 hens to god knows how many i have now. 12?

This makes me happy!

Are you planning on vaccinating this bunch for fowl pox? I am curious as to how that works out.