Best egg incubator for turkeys free#

I don't suggest others do this, because all experts explicitly say not to, but I haven't seen ill effects. I do this because I incubate a large amount of eggs at a time, and poults tend to be really active and clumsy, bumping all of the rest of the eggs around. That being said, I usually get mine out periodically before all are hatched. It is best to let them all hatch before opening the incubator to remove any. Opening the incubator to get poults out will cause a temperature and humidity fluctuation, which is bad for the rest of the unhatched eggs. I've read up to 48 hours, but this makes me nervous. Turkey poults can be left in the incubator for 24 hours without food or water. It isn't nearly as common to have poults that hatch late as it is with chicken chicks. Many times, the poults will begin hatching, or all may even hatch, on day 27. Surface area, not depth, of the water source is key. That being said, the babies need oxygen (throughout the whole incubation period) so don't plug all of the holes! Wet sponges placed in the incubator may help, as well.

They tend to bleed moisture out of the cracks. A tip for those using styrofoam table top models: If your humidity keeps dropping quickly, try putting a little weight (a book works well) on top to keep it shut tightly. If there is condensation forming on the viewing window the humidity is probably too high, although this is rarely a problem. If the temperature is too high when the humidity is that high it can be fatal. If the humidity gets too high the poults can drown inside the shell. If the humidity gets too low, the poults may become shrink wrapped inside the egg. Maintain a close eye on the temperature and humidity. 'You look with your eyes, not with your hands.' Opening the incubator causes temperature and humidity fluctuations, which are always bad during incubation, but can be especially detrimental during the last few days. After that, Leave It Alone! That is easier said than done! My son always repeats what I spent a large part of his life telling him. Decrease the temperature to 98.5 degrees F and increase humidity to 80%. No more turning! The babies need to get into hatching position and absorb the rest of the yolk to prepare for the big outside world. I like to turn them number side up so I can keep an eye on which eggs are doing what. On day 25 your eggs need to go on 'Lock down'. I love to see the babies hopping around in there (usually more active than chicken embryos) but I mainly candle to get any undeveloping eggs out before they turn into rotten egg bombs. It is tempting to candle constantly, but the more often you do it the higher the chances that something happens to harm the egg. I usually candle around day 14 and again on day 20, but this varies slightly. Always wash you hands before handling eggs to prevent bacteria contamination that could kill the embryos.

Also, because the eggs are hand turned 3 times a day, more attention is paid to the temperature, humidity, and general goings on with how things are progressing. Because there is so little information on raising turkeys it is difficult to verify this, but I prefer to incubate them on their side and hand turn just to be safe. I never use an egg turner for them because I was told by someone with a lot of turkey hatching experience, that turkeys hatched from eggs that are incubated on end (like in a turner) have a tendency to be more prone to leg and hip issues. Turkey eggs are too large for most turners. The eggs need to be turned at least 3 times a day for the first 24 days. The incubation period for turkey eggs is 28 days, versus 21 days for chicken eggs.

The constant storms have made it difficult to find them before they get soaked, so a lot of precious eggs have been going to waste.

Best egg incubator for turkeys free#

The turkeys free range and unless I keep them put up until they lay in the tee-pee, they make new nests all over the property and every day turns into a perpetual Easter-egg hunt. Because it has been raining so much lately I thought it would be a good time to let her sit. I have been collecting the eggs and incubating them or selling them all season, therefore, trying my best to keep the girls from sitting, much to the ladies' dismay. She has been doing such a good job! I have had to keep an eye out to keep the chickens from hijacking her nest and either laying their own eggs, or kicking hers out of the turkey tee-pee when she goes to take her potty and lunch break. My turkeys are still laying! I expected them to slow down or stop by now, but they are still cranking them out! I'm so proud of my girls! Tallow, my Blue Slate hen, started sitting on a batch of eggs about 4 days ago.