If you are looking for a guide on Turkey Egg Incubation here is what you ever need to know. Here I have covered the incubation process and information regarding that.
In General, the turkey egg incubates for 28 days. It can be done with an incubator or naturally without incubators.
Over 20 million years ago Turkeys were evolved in North America. As wild turkeys are successful to incubate their eggs in the jungle, it also might be an easy thing to incubate them in a farmhouse. Isn’t it?
But some farmers or households claim that their habitability is very poor. So, why do people encounter poor habitability of eggs?
The answer is that they cannot maintain a favorable environment of incubation. If you want a high hatching rate of turkey eggs, you must have proper knowledge of incubation. Knowing the following things will enhance your performance in incubating turkey eggs.
Turkey Egg Incubation
When you are about to incubate turkey eggs there is some basic information that can help. Now, not every weather is suitable for hatching.
To have a successful breeding session here are the basic but essential requirements-
| Topic | Details |
|---|---|
| Incubation time | 27 -28 days. |
| Incubator temperature | 99.5°F. |
| Incubator humidity | 50%-55% (Wet Bulb Thermometer). |
| Candling eggs Frequency | Once in a Week. |
| Egg Turning Frequency | 4 times a day. |
| Hatch Close | 24th Day of incubation |
| Humidity When Closed | On Average 65% |
| Temp. When Closed | At most 99.9°F. to 101 °F. |
Equipment for Hatching in Incubator
- Fertile Eggs
- EGG Candling Lights
- Thermometers
- Spray bottle
- Incubator
Incubator Temperature and Humidity Requirements
The temperature and humidity fluctuation may cause fewer hatch and an increase the chances of crippled or deformed chicks.
Maintaining the temperature is somewhat troublesome. The commercial incubator machine that we find in the market is not that reliable.
Hence, you should check it regularly.
- Optimal Temperature (Incubator) –99.5 ºF in forced air incubator, 100.5 to 101.5 ºF still air incubator.
- The optimal Humidity is 55%-60%.
Choosing Turkey Eggs For Hatching
Whether you want to incubate naturally or incubate with an artificial incubating system you have to maintain some prerequisites. Some people claim that they frequently encounter poor results despite proper care in the incubation time.
Anyone having experience of hatching the eggs of any bird can say that the preparation was not enough.
Well, How long can you keep turkey eggs before incubating?
Turkey eggs can be kept at room temperature up to 8-12 days before they need to be placed in an incubator.
The more you refrigerate them, the less likely they will hatch. Turkey hens tend to lay their eggs in the late afternoon, early evening, or during rainy days.
Hence, if you do not plan on incubating them until later, store them in a cool place where there will be no sunlight or heat as both conditions are not good for embryos and can cause damage.
Egg more than 7 days older or stored inside a freeze is not recommended for hatching.
Farming Method
The common turkey breed lays about 50-100 eggs in a season. So if you are into turkey farming for a while, you may use a dozen of eggs from those. Hence use an egg candler to check the fertility of an egg.
In case you are buying it from the market, you have to make sure that they are fresh and not more than 7 days older.
Here are some tips for beginners selecting eggs–
- The Best time to collect turkey eggs is March and July.
- Store the eggs in natural temperature & in a dry place.
- Do not freeze them.
- Do not use eggs more than seven days old.
- Choose medium sized eggs that weighed within 75 to 95 grams.
- I also recommend starting with 6-12 eggs if you’re a beginner.
The Easiest Way to Hatch a Turkey
A lot of people think it’s difficult to hatch turkey eggs, but in reality, it’s quite easy if you follow these tips and techniques.
Before you know it, you’ll have your own baby turkey and will be enjoying fresh turkey meat! Here are some steps you can take to easily hatch your turkey eggs at home.
Step 1: Buy fertile turkey eggs
If you want to hatch eggs, you’ll need fertile turkey eggs. You can get these at most any hatchery. It’s important that they are fertile—unfertilized eggs don’t have embryos and will not hatch.
When choosing your eggs, look for ones with clean shells without cracks or holes. With a little practice, you should be able to find ones that have been well-cared for by their mother.
Step 2: Create humidity
Turkey eggs need humidity in order to hatch. If you live in an arid climate, it can be tough to ensure that your incubator has adequate moisture levels.
To solve this problem, all you need is a storage container and some sphagnum moss (also known as peat moss). The best part about sphagnum moss is that it contains sufficient amounts of water without saturating your eggs.
Step 3: Provide heat for the eggs
If you’re looking for an easy and effective way to hatch turkey eggs, your best bet is artificial incubation. All you need is a heat lamp and thermometer, which you can set up inside an insulated cooler.
First, preheat your brooder box for at least half an hour—ideally until it reaches 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Then, place all of your turkey eggs in one spot on top of egg-incubation material like pine shavings or sawdust.
Step 4: Incubate at 37 to 38 degrees Celsius
The best way to incubate turkey eggs is in an insulated box at 38 degrees Celsius, or 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit. The incubation period lasts between 28 and 32 days, with hatching occurring between 24 and 26 days.
Start counting when you place eggs in your egg incubator, not when they were laid by your turkey hen.
Step 5: Use slow-turning incubators
Typically, turkey eggs will hatch between 28 and 32 days. Hatching in an incubator that turns at less than one rotation per minute gives you more control over their environment.
This way, you can better maintain optimal temperature levels without worrying about sudden changes, which might shock your turkeys and prevent them from hatching successfully.
Step 6: Check Eggs Every Day
Keep an eye on your turkey’s eggs. If you see they’re beginning to hatch, pull them out of their nest and put them into an incubator so they don’t get crushed by their mothers.
It’s not necessary but can help increase your hatch rates when you try hatching turkey eggs at home. Another thing you might want to do is make sure only one mother is laying in her nest box.
Final Tips
Hatching eggs is simple and easy if you follow these steps: Set up an incubator. Buy turkey eggs. Place them in an incubator set at 99 degrees Fahrenheit for about 28 days. Wait for a peep!
Congratulations, you have successfully hatched turkey eggs! Although hatching can be difficult, there are many different ways to hatch other types of bird eggs as well. Chickens, emus, ostriches—the list goes on and on.
Now let’s learn- what do baby turkeys eat?
