Turkeys For 2013

[erinszoo]

We increase the humidity for hatching by adding sponges to our incubator under the screen. I always understood the 80% humidity at hatch was for ducks and geese and that 60 - 65% was better for turkeys and chickens. Of course I'm not a commercial raiser selling thousands a year but I know what has worked for us. We also turn our eggs til lockdown just like with chicken eggs. We don't refrigerate our eggs at all. They stay on the counter until we have a load ready which takes about 10 - 12 days and still have 95% fertile which given our tom turkey that's more than we thought we'd have.

 

[Arielle]

Quote: HAAHAAA, they hatched in the incubator because I forgot to move them!!

 

[Arielle]

Are you talking about Wet bulb or dry readings for humidity? Are you calibrating with a Hydrometer? My incubator instruction manual gives directions for setting the humidity and it also tells how the humidity is also effected by the temperature you are holding. There is not enough room on a PM to send a copy to you, so if you Pm me your email address, I will email you a copy.

Which ever method you use there isn't a big difference really. In general POrters recommends reducing the temp when you push the humidity up to 80%.

As far as drowning, that should not be a problem if enough moisture has left the shell during the first few weeks of incubating. THe humidiy around here fluctuates a lot season to season. I let the eggs tell me what the humidity in the incubator should be.

What incubator are you using??

 

[Arielle]

My point earlier about humidity at lock down is that I shoot for the 80% that porters recommends but on occassion have not gotten to that level aand had the poults hatch anyway.

I do think rubbery memberanes are not easy for the poults to get thru; this seems to happen when the poult is slow to zip. Just my observation at his point.

I have noticed that a dry egg shell is very brittle, but I also don't think it reaches this level of dryness until the poult is out of the egg and the egg is sitting in the incubator for a day or more after hatch.

The little things I notice !!

 

[kuntrygirl]

I guess I'll have to try 80% humidity although I am afraid of such high humidity but I know that the experts know better. The only thing is that even with both water trays filled with water, I only get 40% humidity. I guess that I will have to put a small dish with water in the incubator in addition to having both water trays filled.

With the high humidity you need to lower the temp.  They say high humidity and high temp is deadly.

I think I better just keep doing what I have been doing. I don't want to mess up anything. I had a 100% hatch rate with the first turkeys, so I must be doing something right. :/

 

[1MrsMagoo]

I think I better just keep doing what I have been doing. I don't want to mess up anything. I had a 100% hatch rate with the first turkeys, so I must be doing something right.

 

[Celie]

With the high humidity you need to lower the temp. They say high humidity and high temp is a killer!

The conversion of the wet/dry bulb reading to the % of relative Humidity shows a dry bulb reading at 100 degrees converts to a dry bulb reading of 80 converts to a wet bulb reading of 42.
I think we are talking apples and oranges here!

We keep our humidity between 45 and 55% during incubation and up it to at least 60% for hatch. So far we've had 100% hatch for the eggs that have made it to lock down. I don't think a few hours at lower humidity will make a difference though.

I no not do a lockdown, as the eggs are constantly being put in and taken out. They go from the top shelves to the bottom draw 3 days before hatch is expected. I also get 100% of what goes onto the bottom draw, not accounting for fertility.

Which ever method you use there isn't a big difference really. In general POrters recommends reducing the temp when you push the humidity up to 80%.

As far as drowning, that should not be a problem if enough moisture has left the shell during the first few weeks of incubating. THe humidify around here fluctuates a lot season to season. I let the eggs tell me what the humidity in the incubator should be.

What incubator are you using??

I use a GQF Sportsmen 1502 and every incubator's success depends on the fluctuation of your relative humidity and ambient temps in the area you have it set up. If I have a poult that in a very thick hard shell and is having trouble unzipping, I will dampen a face rag and wrap it around the bottom on the shell and place it back into the dray, so the poult doesn't become shrink-wrapped!
A very fresh egg is an AA egg, having the smallest air space, being the freshest, because add'l air has not gotten into the shell from the outside air. The older the egg, the larger the air space and the flatter the yolk will be when the egg is cracked open to use. I try to use the freshest eggs possible for the healthiest poults possible, usually within a lay of laying!

 

[Arielle]

Quote: I think I better just keep doing what I have been doing. I don't want to mess up anything. I had a 100% hatch rate with the first turkeys, so I must be doing something right.

If what you are doing works for you, I wouldn't change anything.

 

[kuntrygirl]

I guess I'll have to try 80% humidity although I am afraid of such high humidity but I know that the experts know better. The only thing is that even with both water trays filled with water, I only get 40% humidity. I guess that I will have to put a small dish with water in the incubator in addition to having both water trays filled.

With the high humidity you need to lower the temp.  They say high humidity and high temp is deadly.

I think I better just keep doing what I have been doing. I don't want to mess up anything. I had a 100% hatch rate with the first turkeys, so I must be doing something right. :/

If what you are doing works for you, I wouldn't change anything. 

Yea, that's what I'm thinking. Especially, since this year is only my 2nd year using an incubator. I am FAR from having experience with an incubator. In about 5 years, I may consider myself have learned Incubating 101. Until then, I sit on the side lines and learn from other people. They can't put me in the game yet.

 

[Arielle]

Yinepu is a loooooonnnnnng time hatcher, and she like to do experiements. A terrific resource for hatching. Met her on one of the hatcha longs. DOn't know if she does turkeys, she does emus though.