Turkeys For 2013

[elsfieldchickens]

my bronze turkeys wer the best

 

[kuntrygirl]

Those turkey eggs taste so good. Sometimes, it's hard to keep them under a hen and let them hatch. They are soooo good!

Do you hatch all your turkey eggs under a turkey hen or do you incubate them?

I usually let the turkey hens hatch their own eggs. If I have a lot of broody chickens, I will slide a few eggs under them to make them happy. This year was the first year that I used the incubator and I hated it. Too many problems with the incubator. I had a few leg issues and 1 beak issue with the bator. I have NEVER had any hatching problems using the turkey hens or chickens. I'm not a big fan of incubators but I know sometimes they are needed. :/

 

[kuntrygirl]

my bronze turkeys wer the best

NICE!!!

 

[kuntrygirl]

I have fired up the incubator and have started collecting BR eggs. I guess I"ll put some in tonight or tomorrow. Anyone else got eggs going in their bator?

 

[kuntrygirl]

I put some turkey eggs in the incubator last night. I am doing an experiment with some of the turkey eggs that were placed in the fridge. I took them out of the fridge and put in the incubator. I am VERY curious to see if they will hatch from being in the fridge. Has anyone ever experimented with this before? I figure that a woman can freeze her eggs, so why can't a turkey hen's eggs be refrigerated. We'll find out in 28 days.

 

[Scottingitup]

I have fired up the incubator and have started collecting BR eggs. I guess I"ll put some in tonight or tomorrow. Anyone else got eggs going in their bator?

I am waiting until February as I would like to use as little heat lamp as possible. I need to build a tractor for the babies too, no more raising birds in the house!

 

[kuntrygirl]

I have fired up the incubator and have started collecting BR eggs. I guess I"ll put some in tonight or tomorrow. Anyone else got eggs going in their bator?

I am waiting until February as I would like to use as little heat lamp as possible.  I need to build a tractor for the babies too, no more raising birds in the house!

Don't remind me about the hassle of having a brooder in the back room . I had forgot about it until you just mentioned it. Maybe I should re-think those eggs that I set last night. :/

What I did find out about my little incubator is that the temps are holding VERY steady. With our hot Louisiana temps, my bator temps were off almost every other day when I eggs in the incubator and I had to adjust temps ALL THE TIME. Every time I checked the temps yesterday and today on the incubator it was perfect. It got down to about 37 degrees in my area last night and was cold this morning. So, it looks like my incubator does better holding the correct temp in cooler temps as opposed to water temps.

 

[Arielle]

I have fired up the incubator and have started collecting BR eggs. I guess I"ll put some in tonight or tomorrow. Anyone else got eggs going in their bator?

YOU ARE BRAVE but then you are much warmer than us here in New ENgland. My 4 month olds do fairly well in the cold we are experiencing now. Often the 20's at night which is our normal lows for the winter. Of course winter is just starting . . .

I put some turkey eggs in the incubator last night. I am doing an experiment with some of the turkey eggs that were placed in the fridge. I took them out of the fridge and put in the incubator. I am VERY curious to see if they will hatch from being in the fridge. Has anyone ever experimented with this before? I figure that a woman can freeze her eggs, so why can't a turkey hen's eggs be refrigerated. We'll find out in 28 days.

A guy in FL stores all his hatching eggs in the refrig. I think the results vary depending on the actual temp of the fridge. SHould work. Eggs commercially are held in a refridgerator from what I have read.

Quote: Don't remind me about the hassle of having a brooder in the back room . I had forgot about it until you just mentioned it. Maybe I should re-think those eggs that I set last night.

What I did find out about my little incubator is that the temps are holding VERY steady. With our hot Louisiana temps, my bator temps were off almost every other day when I eggs in the incubator and I had to adjust temps ALL THE TIME. Every time I checked the temps yesterday and today on the incubator it was perfect. It got down to about 37 degrees in my area last night and was cold this morning. So, it looks like my incubator does better holding the correct temp in cooler temps as opposed to water temps.
Not too late to eat them or "dog them" as we say in my house.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Arielle, yes it is a bit warmer over there. If any of these first laid turkey eggs hatch, I will place them in my brooder in the garage with a heat lamp. They will remain there for about 3 months and I will move them to the outside brooder with the sand run and will have a heat lamp out there if the weather is too cold.

Good to know about the guy in FL who stores his eggs in the fridge. I'm excited to see what the results are.

 

[Celie]

I have fired up the incubator and have started collecting BR eggs. I guess I"ll put some in tonight or tomorrow. Anyone else got eggs going in their bator?

You inspired me to try this too, so I put some in starting on the 22nd, along with some duck, since I had the last of the goose eggs to go in, too.LOL We will know on day 10, when we candle the eggs, I have put in 22 so far, since I have seen them trying to mate and I have been getting 2 to 3 eggs every day now!

Arielle, yes it is a bit warmer over there. If any of these first laid turkey eggs hatch, I will place them in my brooder in the garage with a heat lamp. They will remain there for about 3 months and I will move them to the outside brooder with the sand run and will have a heat lamp out there if the weather is too cold.
Good to know about the guy in FL who stores his eggs in the fridge. I'm excited to see what the results are.

Yes I took some goose eggs out of the frig, which is a long story, involving Ideal Poultry sending me the wrong breed last spring, so another story for another time, but these eggs have been in the frig for about 4 days. Since most people keep their frig at 40 degrees, I don't have much hope for them. If hatcheries store eggs in a frig, they are probably set to hold temps between 50 to 60 degrees, for optimum storage temps for hatching eggs held for incubation, with automatic turners, IMO !