Hatching turkeys in an incubator

KiwiKim · **Joined:** Sun Aug 21, 2011 9:24 am **Posts:** 3

What do you get % from the number of eggs set to the number that hatch?

andre · **Joined:** Tue Oct 13, 2009 5:21 pm **Posts:** 612

If all the planets align then you should get 80% or more.

KiwiKim · **Joined:** Sun Aug 21, 2011 9:24 am **Posts:** 3

Is that a smart ass answer? I was only asking for an average

andre · **Joined:** Tue Oct 13, 2009 5:21 pm **Posts:** 612

No that just means that if you start with good eggs and do a good job incubating then you'll hatch 80%. The term 'if all the planets align' must be an Australian thing to say?

KiwiKim · **Joined:** Sun Aug 21, 2011 9:24 am **Posts:** 3

So sorry had not heard that saying before please accept my apologies

Rhode Red · **Posted:** Mon Aug 29, 2011 12:40 pm

80% is a good average hatch. That is based on all eggs being fertile. There is a tendency for the larger incubators to get a higher average. I have often found that the hatchability is a little lower in August ( linked to the season cooler temperatures etc) but by the end of September as the weather warms the hatchability and fertility are close to 95%.

Rhode Red

QLDGAMEFOWL · **Joined:** Wed Sep 14, 2011 10:08 pm **Posts:** 1

Last year was our first try with bronze eggs in the bator and we were very surprised to get 96% of them hatch and I have to say that is higher than the game eggs we have set in the past so we shall see if we have the same success this year and let you know how many we set and what % hatch hopefully we can match last year with any luck

topender · **Joined:** Sun May 29, 2011 9:54 am **Posts:** 30

I'm having a second attempt in my manual-turn incubator, with some precious slate turkey eggs. I've had a few setbacks lately, one being the slate hen dying one week into sitting on 11 eggs. Three were crushed, so 8 are being nurtured to hatching - hopefully! The other major setback, is that the larger automatic incubator I bought from interstae arrived broken (badly). Living in the Top End does have its disadvantages sometimes.

OzTurkeys · **Joined:** Wed Oct 05, 2011 1:32 pm **Posts:** 1

My attempts at incubating eggs failed on all 3 attempts I think the humidity is just too hard to get right in my old incubator so maybe time for a new one, what brand would you all recommend for turkey eggs? has to be cheap as I can't afford allot

andre · **Joined:** Tue Oct 13, 2009 5:21 pm **Posts:** 612

You can get them to hatch in one of the cheap incubators. I used to use an old foam Bellsouth. But all the cheap ones take more tweaking and watching on your part to maintain the temperature and humidity right.

A plan might be to practice on some chicken eggs???
Put the incubator in a room with the most stable temperature ~ like a cellar or a downstairs bathroom? The cheap incubators struggle if temperature is below 15oC or over 25oC or thereabouts.
I think its a good idea to get a digital hygrometer so you can see at a glance the relative humidity.

Turkey eggs tend to be at their best for the next couple of months only (outside the tropics). In the tropics they can lay any old time of the year.

AUSTRALIAN POULTRY FORUM™

Hatching turkeys in an incubator

Who is on the Forum