Complete Guide To Incubating Turkey Eggs (Beginners Guide)
Welcome to Nagro, in this article, we will be walking you through Complete Guide To Incubating Turkey Eggs, how long does a turkey egg incubate? what is the incubation period for a turkey egg?, Things required for incubating turkey eggs etc.
One of the most addictive aspects of the backyard farming pastime is hatching eggs in an incubator at home. Few things are more fulfilling than watching new life emerge from the eggs you’ve patiently incubated for weeks. Turkeys are one of my favorite types of poultry to hatch and nurture.
Turkeys are excellent meat birds since they develop quickly and produce a large amount of meat, as well as being docile and easy to care for.
It takes time and cares to incubate turkey eggs, but it’s well worth it to witness those tiny poults hatch and grow into adults. We’ll go over the basics of incubation turkey eggs in this post, as well as some pointers to get you started. Complete Guide To Incubating Turkey Eggs
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Instruments Needed for Incubating Turkey Eggs
The first step in incubation turkey eggs is to double-check that you have everything you’ll need. Everything from a fully functional incubator to fertile turkey eggs, as well as a candler, thermometer, and hygrometer, is included.
Below are the various instruments you will need for Incubating Turkey Eggs:
1. Egg Incubator
An egg incubator is the most important piece of equipment you’ll need. An egg incubator can be bought or created from scratch. If you’re looking for a commercial incubator, the Brinsea Ovation 56 EX Egg Incubator is a good choice.
2. Thermometer and Hygrometer
The incubation process requires the use of a thermometer and a hygrometer. A thermometer is a tool or device that measures the temperature in the incubator, whereas a hygrometer is a tool or device that measures the humidity.
During the incubation phase, you must keep a tight eye on the temperature and humidity of your turkey eggs. The thermometer will tell you how hot or cold your incubator is, while the hygrometer will tell you how much water vapor is there.
To determine whether the temperature inside your incubator is suitable for the chicks, you must first determine the temperature inside. The incubation process will not work if the temperature is too low, and the chicks will not hatch.
The recommended thermometer to use is the Triplett RHT22 Digital Indoor Hygro-Thermometer and SMARTRO SC42 Professional Digital Hygrometer and Thermometer because they both are inexpensive and provide accurate temperature and humidity readings in real-time within the incubator. Again, this is the most affordable option; you can always upgrade later.
3. Candling Device
This is a piece of equipment that is used to determine whether turkey eggs are fertile. Because you need to know if the eggs are viable, infertile, or dead, this gadget is essential.
A turkey egg candler can be found online or at most farm supply stores. If you don’t have one, use a strong light source and hold the egg close to your eye to get a visual representation of what’s within.
4. Fertile Turkey Eggs
You’ll also need turkey eggs that are viable. The goal is to hatch turkey poults, whether you buy turkey eggs or gather them from your flock. Make sure you understand the distinction between fertile and infertile eggs. Eggs that are infertile will not hatch. This is why you should use the candling procedure to screen for egg fertility.
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Complete Guide To Incubating Turkey Eggs
Step 1: Check To See if the Eggs are Fertile or Not
Only fertile eggs are capable of developing and hatching. It’s critical to assess the fertilization status of the turkey eggs you intend to incubate to avoid wasting time, energy, and money.
Candling turkey eggs will reveal if they are fertile or not. Candling is the process of illuminating the contents of an egg using a strong light. Candling is the safest and most straightforward method of determining an egg’s fertilization. An egg candler is a device or tool used for egg candling.
Candling allows you to view inside the egg and establish whether or not it contains a developing embryo. Hold the egg up to a light source, such as a flashlight, to accomplish this. On one end of the egg, a developing embryo will appear as a black dot. The size of the black speck indicates the embryo’s developmental stage. The dark spot will get larger and larger over time.
If there is a white ring around the black dot, the egg is most likely infertile and should be discarded. If the egg is viable, the embryo will begin to grow and eventually move towards the large end of the womb’s air space.
Step 2: Prepare the incubator by setting it up
If you want to hatch turkey eggs, you need to utilize an egg incubator, especially if you don’t want the turkey hen to handle everything. You’ll need to do the following before you start using the device:
- Make sure it is hygienic for use and you’ve properly cleaned and sanitized it
- After the incubator has been cleaned, heat the device for 24 hours before the placement of any eggs.
- Add enough water to maintain the right level of moisture (humidity) as well as place a thermometer and hygrometer to monitor the temperature and humidity respectively.
Step 3: Pre-incubation steps
Now you are ready to use the incubator. However, you still have a couple of key steps you’ll want to take to ensure high hatchability.
- Clean any accumulated dirt or residue on the shell of any warm eggs that have just been laid using a clean cloth.
- Pre-chill the eggs for at least 12 hours at 60 degrees Fahrenheit (16 degrees Celsius). It’s a good idea to store the turkey eggs before incubation to make them more resistant to handling.
- You’ll also want to pre-heat the eggs for 12 hours before starting the incubation process. To ensure hatching, set the incubator to 72 degrees Fahrenheit (22 degrees Celsius).
If you’re storing your eggs, add one hour for each day they’re in storage. As a result, the normal incubation period for turkey eggs is 28 days. The incubation period would be 28 days and two hours if the egg had been in storage for two days.
Step 4: Setting and incubating the eggs
Heat the incubator to 99.5°F (37.5°C) after you’ve finished the prep work. In the incubator, place each egg. If the incubator temperature goes below the above-mentioned degree, don’t try to raise it, as your eggs will be fried instead of hatched. The temperature decline is normal since any cooler eggs added to the incubator will cause the air temperature to drop.
Step 5: Turning the eggs
You should turn your turkey eggs five times a day during the incubation phase. To ensure that the egg does not lie on the same side every night, turn the eggs an odd number of times.
Before rotating each egg, wash your hands and rotate it 180 degrees. Hands must be washed since they contain oils that can penetrate the egg shell and harm the newborn turkeys. So, before handling or rotating the eggs, make sure you fully wash your hands.
Three days before the eggs are set to hatch, or about day 24 of the 28-day incubation period, stop turning them. Ensure that the relative humidity level during hatching is between 68 and 70 percent.
Step 6: Hatching of the eggs to poults
It could take up to 10 hours for the turkey poults to fully hatch and break free from their shells. As a result, don’t try to hasten the process by assisting them, as this may end up harming them. Remove the poults from the incubator after 8 to 12 hours.
Hatching turkey eggs may be a pleasant and rewarding procedure if you follow the guidelines above.
For anyone raising turkeys, a turkey egg incubator is a must-have piece of equipment. You can give your poults the best chance of a healthy existence by providing the correct conditions for the eggs to hatch.
Tips On How To Raise Your Newly Hatched Baby Turkeys
- Heat or warmth is something that turkey poults enjoy. For an ambitious turkey farmer, a reliable supply of heat is essential. Temperatures of 37°C are ideal for turkey poults, especially during their first week of life.
- Keep them dry and clean at all times. Smooth surfaces, especially those lined with newspapers, should be avoided.
- It’s a no-no to raise turkeys on land that was previously used to raise chickens. Birds carry a parasite/worm that makes its way through their bodies.
- During the first week after the poults hatch, put spotlights above the feeders and drinkers. Poults’ eyesight is weak during their first week, thus they may not be able to find water or food in the drinkers/feeders.
- Lukewarm water should be used to feed turkey poults. Extremely cold water has the potential to kill them.
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Some Frequently Asked Questions
What are the Common Turkey Egg Incubation Problems?
If you’ve gone through the process of incubating turkey eggs and didn’t get many – or any – turkeys, I realize how frustrating it may be. You’ve been incubating your eggs for at least a month and haven’t seen much progress. Now it’s time to troubleshoot. What are some of the more typical reasons for low hatch rates?
- Setting old eggs
- Eggs with low fertility
- Improper turning
- Improper handling
- Uneven incubator temperature
- Uneven incubator humidity
- Nutritional deficiencies with the breeding stock (remember when I suggested meeting the birds?)
- Contaminated incubator
How Long Does a Turkey Egg Incubation?
For someone that wants to incubate and hatch turkey eggs, it is important to know the turkey egg hatching time or turkey incubation period.
Turkey eggs take 28 days to hatch. Hence, the incubation period for turkey eggs is 28 days. The eggs, however, should be kept at 99.5oF or 37.5oC and 55-60% relative humidity (RH).
What is the incubation temperature for turkey eggs?
The temperature needs to be maintained at 99 degrees Fahrenheit
What Are The Key Summary Of Turkey Egg Incubation?
- Incubation time: 19-35 days, depending on breed
- Incubator temperature: 37.2°C (99°F)
- Incubator humidity: 55% or 84.5°F if you use a wet-bulb thermometer
- Egg turning: 4 times a day
- Candling eggs: Day 7
- Lockdown Date: Day 24
- Lockdown temperature: 37.2°C (99°F)
- Lockdown humidity: 65% or 88°F if you use a wet-bulb thermometer
How Do You Select a Quality Turkey Egg to Hatch?
Picking the right eggs to hatch is the first and probably most important step in incubating eggs. Turkey eggs aren’t usually sold in markets, but it’s worth advising that you don’t try to incubate supermarket eggs – they probably won’t hatch. Instead, look for a local, trusted seller of fertilized eggs. Find a farm that will allow you to see the flock of turkeys being bred for eggs. This will ensure that you’re getting what you’re paying for and that the birds are treated well. Complete Guide To Incubating Turkey Eggs