All About The Six Guidelines To Hatching Turkey Eggs
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By :
Corey Rozon
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If you come here looking for information on turkey eggs, this article is all about how to successfully hatch young turkeys from eggs. The following 6 steps should be followed:
#1 First off you want to make sure the incubator is clean and sanitized. Once cleaned it is advisable to warm up the incubator for at least 24hrs prior to putting the turkey eggs in. Next you will want to ensure there is sufficient water in the incubator to achieve an adequate humidity level. And finally place two thermometers in the incubator so you can keep track of the temperature inside.
#2 While the egg is still warm from being laid, it can be cleaned by removing any debris or dirt on the shell surface with a clean rag. The storage of turkey eggs will affect their hatchability, so if possible it is advisable to do a pre-storage period of 12 hours at 15.5 ºC or 60 ºF. This #will make the turkey egg more resistant to egg handling. After you take the eggs out of storage and before you place them in the incubator for the 28-day incubation period a 10 to 12 hour preheating process at around 22 ºC or 71.5 ºF will assist in a uniform and predictable hatch of all turkey eggs.
#3 Before you place the eggs in the incubator make sure the temperature is 37.5 ºC or 99.5 ºF. Within the first 48 hours you may see the temperature fall, it is advised not to raise the temperature because the cooler eggs being introduced into the incubator cause this. By raising the temperature at this point you may end up cooking the eggs. Since turkey eggs are generally placed in an incubator a few days after they have been laid it is recommended to add 1 additional hour to the incubation period for each day that the egg has been in storage. For example, if the turkey eggs have been in storage for 6 days, the incubation period would be 28 days and 6 hours.
#4 Turkey eggs should be turned at least five to seven times each day as an odd number of turns is recommended to prevent the egg from sitting on the same side each night. You also want to make sure you are turning the eggs a full 180 degrees. The easiest way to do this is by placing a small mark in pencil on either side of the egg. Please note that you should not use a colored pencil, a pen, or a marker as these may contain chemicals that will be harmful to the turkey poult. In the same respect you should always wash your hands before turning the turkey eggs as the oils from your skin can permeate the eggshell and harm the turkey poult.
#5 When it gets close to hatching time you want to make sure you have stopped turning the eggs. It's best to stop for the last 3 days before they hatch. Since turkey egg incubation period is 28 days, stop turning them on day 24. You should also keep an eye on the water level and make sure the humidity during hatching is around 65% or more. Above all make sure you do not help the turkey poults out of their shells. You can actually do more harm than good. Just let nature take its course, turkeys have been hatching in the wild for thousands of years. Overall the hatching process can take anywhere between 5 and 10 hours, so just be patient.
#6 After the turkey poult is fully out of its shell they will probably be peeping, wobbly, tired and wet. The best thing you can do for it is let it stay warm and dry up in the incubator. After about 6 to 12 hours after they hatch you can remove the turkey poults when they are fluffy and dry.
For more information on caring for baby turkeys you can read my other article on how to properly care for your turkey poults.
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Author Resource:-
Corey Rozon offers ghost writer services in Ottawa.
This article about turkey eggs was written with the help of the people at Valley of the Moon Turkeys, a great site to buy turkey eggs or turkey poults online.
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2010-02-03 12:54:11
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