Turkeys For 2013

[RusticDreamer]

Is anybody hatching Heritage Auburn or Silver Auburn turkeys this year? I need some new blood in my stock for next year!!

 

[Arielle]

Is anybody hatching Heritage Auburn or Silver Auburn turkeys this year? I need some new blood in my stock for next year!!

Happy to meet another person with AUburns!!!!

I have about 10 poults wintered over for breeding this year. I'm sorry I don't have adults yet, so cannot tell you when they will be laying. April? May?

Do you have pictures of the SIlver AUburns??? How much are they related to the AUburns?

 

[kuntrygirl]

Such great responses Celie and Arielle. A lot of great information posted. I will have to print all of this out and keep this information in my records at home to try to learn the "high humidity" method. I guess I'm just afraid that I may lose some eggs if I change up my present method. I will have to see what the humidity changes to if I put a sponge in both water trays. I only have a sponge in 1 water tray at the time.

Thanks for all of your knowledge and input. Much appreciated.

 

[1MrsMagoo]

Yes it does sound like a good one, can you elaborate as to what you do with the eggs and how cold and how ofter? I usually just go from gathering eggs right into the bator!

How are you measuring humidity? When last was your humidity meter calibrated? I worked in a lab where we used wet bulb calibration and converted to dry bulb taking temp. into consideration, and according to my calculations 80% @100 degrees suggested for Turkey eggs would equal to 42% on your incubator's readout. Charts are always at sea level, too, so you have to adjust for any increases in atmospheric pressures.

Wouldn't it be easier using a large syringe?
Thanks !

Not in the Brinsea. The way it is built...the straw is the only way to go. That way, I can put it directly between the eggs in the tray below. I don't worry about that now, since I only incubate in it and don't hatch in it anymore.

Now, the following is in regards to styrofoam incubators in LOCK DOWN and used for hatching only...not incubating, since egg turners take up the whole bottom of the incubator.

With my regular Styrofoam unit that I hatch in, I keep a small square glass dish with very tall sides (I got two of them in a lunchbox container set) right under the vent hole that doesn't have the fan installed under it: The deeper the dish, the less chance a chick is going to find its way into it and drown (certain jars may work as well). I keep a 1/2 inch strip of cloth, in my case cut out of a sock with too big a hole to fix, in the dish with a corner draped over the side. This acts as a wick. I line the bottom of the bator with paper towels and make sure the corner of the glass dish with the sock wick is directly over the built in water pans.

I never open the incubator to add water. If the humidity drops below where I want it, I get a cup of warm water from the sink, remove the red plug from the incubator, insert a small funnel, and add water. No mess, no worries, no opening the lid.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Question.................. How often should eggs be turned in an incubator? The reason that I'm asking is because if I were to get a cheap Styrofoam incubator with no egg turners and if I turned the eggs 2 times a day, would that be enough? I have a full time job and I leave out at 7AM and I don't get home until 5:30PM. Would the time at home be enough for me to hand turn if I am away from home all day. Could I turn the eggs when I wake up, when I return from home and possibly before I go to bed. Is that day time turn crucial in the incubation period. Any thoughts?

 

[r4eboxer]

Question.................. How often should eggs be turned in an incubator? The reason that I'm asking is because if I were to get a cheap Styrofoam incubator with no egg turners and if I turned the eggs 2 times a day, would that be enough? I have a full time job and I leave out at 7AM and I don't get home until 5:30PM. Would the time at home be enough for me to hand turn if I am away from home all day. Could I turn the eggs when I wake up, when I return from home and possibly before I go to bed. Is that day time turn crucial in the incubation period. Any thoughts?

That is how I turn my eggs, I work full time too and our schedules are almost the same. I turned my eggs at 7, as soon as I got home and then right before I went to bed. This worked for my goose eggs and I had a 100 percent hatch. '

I have been reading and re-reading this thread. I've got my bators set up. Both are Styrofoam and I have an egg turner in one. I've got some chicken eggs ready and I'm going to put them in and get my temps stable so I know I can put my Turkey eggs in when the time comes and have a steady temp that has settled when full.

I'm glad y'all are talking about the vents. I did not know when or why I was suppose to pull the plugs out of the bator. I also was reading on the chicken incubation thread where some people who have Styrofoam bators put sanitized rocks in the bottom to keep the temp steady. Anyone ever try that?

 

[kuntrygirl]

Question.................. How often should eggs be turned in an incubator? The reason that I'm asking is because if I were to get a cheap Styrofoam incubator with no egg turners and if I turned the eggs 2 times a day, would that be enough? I have a full time job and I leave out at 7AM and I don't get home until 5:30PM. Would the time at home be enough for me to hand turn if I am away from home all day. Could I turn the eggs when I wake up, when I return from home and possibly before I go to bed. Is that day time turn crucial in the incubation period. Any thoughts?

That is how I turn my eggs, I work full time too and our schedules are almost the same. I turned my eggs at 7, as soon as I got home and then right before I went to bed. This worked for my goose eggs and I had a 100 percent hatch. '

I have been reading and re-reading this thread. I've got my bators set up. Both are Styrofoam and I have an egg turner in one. I've got some chicken eggs ready and I'm going to put them in and get my temps stable so I know I can put my Turkey eggs in when the time comes and have a steady temp that has settled when full.

I'm glad y'all are talking about the vents. I did not know when or why I was suppose to pull the plugs out of the bator. I also was reading on the chicken incubation thread where some people who have Styrofoam bators put sanitized rocks in the bottom to keep the temp steady. Anyone ever try that?

Glad to hear that is what you do. WHEW! That gives me hope. Congrats on the 100% hatch for the goose eggs. Man, you are lucky. I want to try to hatch goose eggs but I hear that it is SOOOOOOOO difficult. Didn't seem difficult for you.

Do Styrofoam bators have vents?

 

[kuntrygirl]

This was posted on Facebook if anyone is interested.

Brinsea Products Inc.
We have the following demo incubators available:
- Three Mini Eco regular price $89.99 demo price $59.99
- Two Mini Advance regular price $169.99 demo price $109.99
- One Mini Advance EX (without cooling feature) regular price $389.99 demo price $269.99
- Five Octagon 20 Eco regular price $169.99 demo price $109.99
None of these have been used with real eggs or chicks and only have some small marks or scratches. They are in perfect working condition and all come with our full 2 year warranty (please register online within 30 days of purchase).
These are not posted on our website yet. We thought we’d give you guys first pick. If you’re interested send us a message on Facebook or email [email protected]

 

[Celie]

Such great responses Celie and Arielle. A lot of great information posted. I will have to print all of this out and keep this information in my records at home to try to learn the "high humidity" method. I guess I'm just afraid that I may lose some eggs if I change up my present method. I will have to see what the humidity changes to if I put a sponge in both water trays. I only have a sponge in 1 water tray at the time.

Thanks for all of your knowledge and input. Much appreciated.

I say if it isn't broken, why try to fix it? If you are getting a great hatch rate, keep doing it the way you have!

Question.................. How often should eggs be turned in an incubator? The reason that I'm asking is because if I were to get a cheap Styrofoam incubator with no egg turners and if I turned the eggs 2 times a day, would that be enough? I have a full time job and I leave out at 7AM and I don't get home until 5:30PM. Would the time at home be enough for me to hand turn if I am away from home all day. Could I turn the eggs when I wake up, when I return from home and possibly before I go to bed. Is that day time turn crucial in the incubation period. Any thoughts?

3 times a day should be fine. The reason 3 times is better than twice is the eggs will not lay on the same side every night, it will alternate the turns that go through the longest time on each side.

That is how I turn my eggs, I work full time too and our schedules are almost the same. I turned my eggs at 7, as soon as I got home and then right before I went to bed. This worked for my goose eggs and I had a 100 percent hatch. '

I have been reading and re-reading this thread. I've got my bators set up. Both are Styrofoam and I have an egg turner in one. I've got some chicken eggs ready and I'm going to put them in and get my temps stable so I know I can put my Turkey eggs in when the time comes and have a steady temp that has settled when full.

I'm glad y'all are talking about the vents. I did not know when or why I was suppose to pull the plugs out of the bator. I also was reading on the chicken incubation thread where some people who have Styrofoam bators put sanitized rocks in the bottom to keep the temp steady. Anyone ever try that?

Congradulations on the geese! Rocks make a lot of sence rock will hold and stabilize heat and if a chick hatches out early, it is less likely drown with the rocks in the water.

Glad to hear that is what you do. WHEW! That gives me hope. Congrats on the 100% hatch for the goose eggs. Man, you are lucky. I want to try to hatch goose eggs but I hear that it is SOOOOOOOO difficult. Didn't seem difficult for you.

Do Styrofoam bators have vents?

I hatched a pair of geese for a friend a couple of years ago, the third egg of the 3 wasn't fertile. I would love to hatch out some geese, but out of my 3 geese, I don't know who is male and who is female? I guess I'll have to wait for them to lay to see!

 

[Arielle]

Question.................. How often should eggs be turned in an incubator? The reason that I'm asking is because if I were to get a cheap Styrofoam incubator with no egg turners and if I turned the eggs 2 times a day, would that be enough? I have a full time job and I leave out at 7AM and I don't get home until 5:30PM. Would the time at home be enough for me to hand turn if I am away from home all day. Could I turn the eggs when I wake up, when I return from home and possibly before I go to bed. Is that day time turn crucial in the incubation period. Any thoughts?

The more the better. Looks like you can get in three turns. While they will uneven in the number of hours: 10-4-10, the next day the opposite side would have the longer times therefore even out in the long run. Honestly I don't see how a broody can complete turn an egg; my impression of a broody chicken hen is that she is fussing at the eggs trying to rearrange things but honestly I can't see how she can get all the eggs turned. This is from observing a hen on a make shift pit of a nest packed full of eggs. Eggs three layers down hatched-- just don't see how it could get major turning like the top eggs could. IMO i think just budging the eggs has an mpact on the embryo as if to say, I'm here, I'm keeping you warm, and I'll fuss over you. My impression is that she does a great job of keeping the temp fairly steady. I have read some studies on the hatch rate of WHEN the eggs are turned, beginning, middle and end, The more the eggs are turned the better, and eggs do need turning thruout for the best results. Even a hen is fussing right thru hatching ( lockdown).

So if you have a day when only two turns are possible, in the end it won't really matter, especially if you are using a fored air type and the temp is even all around the egg. IMO still air ( top of egg closest to heating element) needs careful and regular turning.

I don't have a turner. ANd don't plan to. Sorry for the long winded lecture.