Turkeys For 2013

[1MrsMagoo]

Great. This is definitely a little different than turkey eggs but it sounds doable. So standing them up is ok? WOW! Great to know.

So how many days does it take for your goose eggs to hatch and what day is lock down for you?

I incubated the standing up and lying down last year with little difference in results.

Goose eggs range from 28 to 32 days total incubation depending on the variety. The candling is the most important thing when it comes to moving them to lock down. The way the air cell looks will change between 24-28 days: It will develop a significant dip on one side and grey shadowing around the edges. Once that happens, internal pipping isn't too far off. Once the air cell gets the dip (Pete has a picture of this in his hatching guide I believe) and shadow I just described, I move it to the hatcher.

Sometimes the gosling can take up so much of the egg it looks solid and if it's head isn't bouncing off the roof (air sac membrane) you just can't see it moving by candling. If I don't see any distinct movement when I candle the day I am ready to put the egg into lock down, I will do a float test to make sure the gosling is still kickin in there.

 

[Ryan521]

I've got a question about incubating turkey eggs. I'm receiving my first 6 eggs in a few days, and I've never hatched turkeys before. I've hatched out a couple batches of chicks, and when i get to lock-down what i do is set the eggs pointed end down in an egg flat that I've precut to size. Can i do this with turkey eggs or should i lie them on their sides when i get to that point. I should mention that with my method i have a 75% or better hatch rate on eggs my birds have layed, and 50% with shipped eggs. Any help or opinions would be great.

 

[Coop Cleaner]

I get excited just reading about everyones hatches! I have a small incubator and plan to try to hatch some turkeys this year. I am trying to get them bought.
Keep getting outbid on Ebay and some places won't ship to far north.

 

[Bettacreek]

I do my turkeys like the chickens, leave them upright for hatch and bump the humidity as high as I can get it for lockdown.

 

[erinszoo]

I've got a question about incubating turkey eggs. I'm receiving my first 6 eggs in a few days, and I've never hatched turkeys before. I've hatched out a couple batches of chicks, and when i get to lock-down what i do is set the eggs pointed end down in an egg flat that I've precut to size. Can i do this with turkey eggs or should i lie them on their sides when i get to that point. I should mention that with my method i have a 75% or better hatch rate on eggs my birds have layed, and 50% with shipped eggs. Any help or opinions would be great.

We leave ours air sack up until they are zipped then I lay them down on the screen so they can kick out of the shell. Some of them zip and hop out of the shell too fast to move them though with no problems. We kept losing all of our birds after lockdown when we laid them on their sides. I up my humidity from 45% to 65% or so for lockdown. The only ones I have to help are the ones that are really big. They seem to have trouble turning to finish zipping.

 

[erinszoo]

Pics of the babies ... 14 white hollands.


They are SO sweet and come running to us when we reach down into the brooder for some reason. We put in food and water last night and I started to show them how to drink. After I did about three of them, the others all came to check us out and lined up along the waterer and started drinking on their own. I haven't shown any of them the food and they are already eating it. AND they've already found my wedding band to peck at. Shiny things rule!!

 

[erinszoo]

My remaining egg was a poult this morning. She's in the brooder with the others now.

So good to hear!! Sorry for the losses. We have a couple that have quit since lockdown with seemingly no reason. I guess that's why there's the old saying "don't count your chickens til they hatch".

 

[Arielle]

Quote: Yes, we all acquire immunities in a number of ways thru exposure. WIth exposure our bodies react. The healthiest kids are th ones allowed to get dirty , eat raw foods ( not talking meat), and the immune system works hard to resist the pests. A human youngster doesn't have a fully developed immune system, so it can be overwhelmed with a new anything. From peanuts to flu. I expect chicks are the same. WHen they are exposed to coccidia they adapt to the parasite with low exposure. A heavy exposure can overwhelm the GI and the chick cannot cope with the severe infestation.

Also, someone corrected me and reports that chicks do get immunity from the parents. ?? The albumen itself has chemicals that are able to defend the egg from invasion of certain bacterias.

Eating feces is a good way to pick up parasite eggs and to pick up beneficial probiotics. Foals eat mares feces too. Very important to thier development.

Guess it is rather complicated. I just know my kids don't get ear aches while most children do.

Aquired immunity , and passive immunity.

 

[Arielle]

I've got a question about incubating turkey eggs. I'm receiving my first 6 eggs in a few days, and I've never hatched turkeys before. I've hatched out a couple batches of chicks, and when i get to lock-down what i do is set the eggs pointed end down in an egg flat that I've precut to size. Can i do this with turkey eggs or should i lie them on their sides when i get to that point. I should mention that with my method i have a 75% or better hatch rate on eggs my birds have layed, and 50% with shipped eggs. Any help or opinions would be great.

If these are shipped eggs, put upright in an egg carton to help the air cell get where it belongs. Set on its side a damaged air cell can never get to the large end of the egg.

 

[Arielle]

Catching up--

Congrats on the poults hatching. . . . sorry about those that didn't make it.

Good info on the goose eggs, I used Pete 55 info for hatching duck eggs, and Yinepu is a marvel at hatching everything! Look for her posts.