Incubating Shipped Turkey Eggs (Tips?)

[DemeterAD9]

I'm being impulsive, again... Been wanting heritage type turkeys since last year and now that my brooders will be empty soon and my meat bird grow out pen is likely to be empty in another month I've decided I'd give it a try by hatching eggs. I know it would be cheaper and more certain to get chicks by simply buying some from the feed store (I saw some heritage types at TSC a week ago) but I enjoy incubating. If any eggs hatch they will mostly be pets but any extra males will either be sold or butchered. I've hatched shipped chicken eggs before with not great but not terrible results so I do have some experience with the added difficulty of shipped eggs.

When looking at all the listings on ebay I decided to choose sellers fairly close to home so the eggs won't have to travel as long, meaning they are less likely to be scrambled upon arrival. I've purchased 2 batches of mixed breed turkey eggs from 2 different sellers, half a dozen mutts from WI and 10 blue and black mottled from MI. The WI half dozen should arrive Monday while I expect the MI eggs to show up hopefully Tuesday (assuming they are shipped out Monday). I plan to let the WI eggs rest until the MI eggs get here but if I have to wait more than a couple days I'll get them going and do a slightly staggered hatch. Going by the reviews it looks like a couple extras will be sent so I'll possibly have 18 or so eggs to set. Hopefully they all fit in my incubator, I plan to vertically incubate and turn them by tilting the incubator every which way several times a day. It's a cheap 24 (chicken) egg capacity horizontal forced air incubator. I was able to fit 35 chicken eggs while sitting vertical and I'm not too sure how much bigger a turkey egg is, we shall see! Hopefully I can keep track of things on this thread.

What I would like to cover is the general guidelines for turkey incubation. Sounds nearly identical to chickens but they take an extra week? Is the target weight loss percentage about the same as chicken eggs? I'd like to dry-incubate right up till lock down, my humidity w/o water tends to hover around 40%. I plan to mark all eggs and keep track of their progress.

What about when/if they hatch? I hear turkey chicks are a bit more fragile than chickens. Of course they'll be getting game bird starter and proper brooder setup but is there anything that is particularly different/difficult?

 

[Debbie292d]

Yes, turkey eggs are hatched at the same settings as chicken eggs but take 28 days.

@KF0002 @Koko Acres and @casportpony just incubated some in our Easter Hatchalong and they as well as others might have some pointers for you.

Good luck!

 

[KF0002]

I'm being impulsive, again... Been wanting heritage type turkeys since last year and now that my brooders will be empty soon and my meat bird grow out pen is likely to be empty in another month I've decided I'd give it a try by hatching eggs. I know it would be cheaper and more certain to get chicks by simply buying some from the feed store (I saw some heritage types at TSC a week ago) but I enjoy incubating. If any eggs hatch they will mostly be pets but any extra males will either be sold or butchered. I've hatched shipped chicken eggs before with not great but not terrible results so I do have some experience with the added difficulty of shipped eggs.

When looking at all the listings on ebay I decided to choose sellers fairly close to home so the eggs won't have to travel as long, meaning they are less likely to be scrambled upon arrival. I've purchased 2 batches of mixed breed turkey eggs from 2 different sellers, half a dozen mutts from WI and 10 blue and black mottled from MI. The WI half dozen should arrive Monday while I expect the MI eggs to show up hopefully Tuesday (assuming they are shipped out Monday). I plan to let the WI eggs rest until the MI eggs get here but if I have to wait more than a couple days I'll get them going and do a slightly staggered hatch. Going by the reviews it looks like a couple extras will be sent so I'll possibly have 18 or so eggs to set. Hopefully they all fit in my incubator, I plan to vertically incubate and turn them by tilting the incubator every which way several times a day. It's a cheap 24 (chicken) egg capacity horizontal forced air incubator. I was able to fit 35 chicken eggs while sitting vertical and I'm not too sure how much bigger a turkey egg is, we shall see! Hopefully I can keep track of things on this thread.

What I would like to cover is the general guidelines for turkey incubation. Sounds nearly identical to chickens but they take an extra week? Is the target weight loss percentage about the same as chicken eggs? I'd like to dry-incubate right up till lock down, my humidity w/o water tends to hover around 40%. I plan to mark all eggs and keep track of their progress.

What about when/if they hatch? I hear turkey chicks are a bit more fragile than chickens. Of course they'll be getting game bird starter and proper brooder setup but is there anything that is particularly different/difficult?

Turkey eggs are roughly twice as big as chicken eggs, depending on if you are sent eggs from younger hens or fully mature ones. Dry incubating is best for turkey eggs, especially if your ambient humidity is higher. I wouldn't add water until lockdown. The temp for incubating turkey eggs is 99.5, the same as chicken eggs. However, drop the temp in the hatcher to 99.0 for turkey eggs during lockdown and have good hatch rates. Make sure the vent is open on your incubator at all times.

Turkey poults can be a little slower to get started eating and drinking than chicks but they will eventually get with the program. You can use your finger to pick at the feed and poke your finger in the water and they will watch you and peck at it. Make sure to only offer lukewarm or room temp water to turkey poults, never cold water as poults are easily chilled and more tender overall than chicks. Never give turkey poults medicated chick starter.

Aside from feeding them 30% gamebird starter, I brood turkey poults the same as chicks. I use only coarse pine shavings, not the fine pine shavings as bedding. The first few days you can sprinkle some starter on a paper towel to make it easier for the poults to see and find. A lot of people hatch chicks around the time their poults are due so the chick or chicks can act as a turkey tutor and teach them to eat and drink. While this is helpful, it isn't entirely necessary and the poults will learn to eat/drink if you show them where the food and water is. They are a curious creature by nature and peck at everything, so as long as you help teach them they will learn.

Keep them in a warm and draft free place. I keep poults in and indoor brooder building in a tub brooder and then at 2 weeks they go in a wire bottomed brooder until they are around 6-8 weeks as they are prone to blackhead and coccidiosis. I recommend calling your local co-op extension office and asking if Blackhead has been reported in your area. If so, take the necessary precautions and keep metronidazole on hand. You can do a thread search and find plenty of info about Blackhead on BYC.

I hope I answered all of your questions. Best of luck with your hatch!