In my experience, turkey eggs are some of the easiest poultry to hatch–even if youre a beginner. In this article, Im going to walk you step-by-step through the method Ive used to repeatedly achieve 100% hatch rates, using small tabletop incubators. Photo Credit: Salt in My Coffee.
Ive been hearing from a lot of fellow homesteaders lately, that theyre finding turkey eggs especially hard to hatch. Watching a broody hen hatch out a fluffy little brood can be especially heartwarming, but females of any poultry species arent always broody when you need them to be, and sometimes you really do need to be able to reliably hatch out eggs yourself!
Im hoping this post might help anybody who wants to confidently and successfully hatch their own turkey poults, using an incubator. Its so much fun, and so rewarding! Photo Credit: Salt in My Coffee.
This post is going to be a longer one, because I want to be thorough, and am going to talk the whole process through, right from the beginning. If youd just like to quickly get the temperature and incubator humidity settings, please feel free to tap that “jump to” button below, and it will take you right to the printable cheat sheet.
For the rest of you, lets start at the very beginning. Photo Credit: Salt in My Coffee.
If youre hatching turkey eggs, theyre going to come from one of two places: your flock, or someone elses flock. If youre looking to hatch eggs from your own flock, you definitely have an advantage of being able to control the feed and living conditions of your mother hen, as well as the way you handle the eggs once you gather them.
Raising turkeys from eggs is an enjoyable experience for any backyard farmer. While incubators provide the ideal controlled environment, it is possible to hatch turkey eggs without one. With some preparation and attentive care, you can let a broody hen or other methods incubate the eggs.
Finding Fertile Turkey Eggs
The first step is acquiring properly fertilized turkey eggs Purchase eggs from a local farm, hatchery or breeder when possible, as freshly laid eggs have higher fertility rates. Transport the eggs carefully to avoid jostling and turning them. Store eggs in a cool place, ideally 55-65°F, pointed end down until ready to incubate.
Letting your own turkey hen incubate her eggs is ideal If you don’t have a broody turkey hen, chicken hens, ducks or geese can be used as surrogate mothers. Make sure the eggs aren’t too large for the breed of hen selected
Natural Incubation with a Broody Hen
A broody hen provides warm, consistent incubation just like a machine. Her natural instincts trigger the urge to sit on a clutch of eggs until they hatch. Any calm, maternal hen of a suitable size can be used.
To encourage broodiness, provide nesting boxes with wooden or plastic eggs. Once she stays put for several days, place the turkey eggs underneath her at night. A standard clutch size is 6-12 eggs. Make sure she returns to the nest in the morning.
The hen will rarely leave her nest during incubation. Provide food and water within reach. Keep her safe from predators. Maintain a consistent environment between 99-102°F. Turn the eggs yourself twice daily.
After 28 days, the poults will begin hatching if all went well. Make sure the hen allows them to dry off and doesn’t peck at them. Remove her to a new brood pen after all eggs have hatched.
Incubating Turkey Eggs in a Homemade Incubator
With some DIY skills, you can make a suitable incubator from household materials. Converted coolers, styrofoam boxes and even cardboard boxes can work. The main components needed are a heat source, ventilation, hydrometer/thermometer, and a method for humidity.
For heat, use a light bulb or reptile heating pad (25 watt for a small incubator). Poke ventilation holes on at least two sides. Monitor the interior temperature and keep it between 99-102°F. Add water trays or damp sponges for humidity. Turn the eggs three times daily by hand.
Test different setups before trusting it with turkey eggs. Once the incubator maintains proper conditions for 24 hours, add fertile eggs. Make sure the humidity stays around 60% and continue turning the eggs. Hatching should occur after 28 days of consistent incubation.
Incubating Under a Heat Lamp
Another make-shift incubator option is a plastic tub or bucket with a heat lamp positioned over it. Use a thermometer and hydrometer to monitor the temperature and humidity. Keep extra water in the tub to maintain humidity around 60%.
Keep the heat lamp far enough above the eggs to keep the temperature between 99-102°F. Turn the eggs by hand three times a day. Add or remove bedding material like wood shavings to fine-tune humidity levels.
While less reliable than other methods, this can successfully hatch turkey eggs. Just be diligent in monitoring the conditions and making adjustments. Expect to see poults emerge after the full 28 day incubation timeframe.
Caring for Day Old Turkey Poults
Once the turkey eggs start hatching, the poults need attentive care and an ideal brooder environment to thrive. The brooder should have a heat source, bedding, food and water. Use a heat lamp or heating pad set at 95-100°F for the first week.
Chick starter feed has the right nutrition balance for young poults. They should also have access to clean water to stay hydrated. Lower the temperature by 5°F each week until feathers develop and they no longer need supplemental heat.
Monitor poults closely for signs of illness and injuries while in the brooder. Keep their enclosure clean and sanitary to prevent disease. Turkey poults grow rapidly, so be prepared to expand their brooder space.
Special Considerations When Incubating Turkey Eggs
Compared to chicken eggs, hatching turkey eggs requires some special consideration:
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Turkey eggs are more sensitive and susceptible to embryo death during incubation. Sanitize eggs before setting them.
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Turn turkey eggs more frequently – at least 4-5 times daily rather than 3 times for chicken eggs.
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Turkey poults are not as hardy. Higher humidity is needed – around 60% rather than 50% for chickens.
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Development takes longer with turkey eggs. Allow 28 days for hatching rather than 21 days for chicken eggs.
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Discard any eggs remaining unhatched after 30 days to avoid rotting and bacteria.
With extra diligence, turkey eggs can successfully hatch without an incubator. Pay close attention to their finicky incubation needs for the best results.
Frequency of Entities:
eggs: 24
turkey: 18
incubator: 10
broody hen: 5
heat: 4
humidity: 4
temperature: 4
poult: 3
hatch: 3
Where to source hatching eggs if you don’t have your own
Hatching shipped eggs always comes with its own challenges, so I usually suggest trying to source fertile turkey eggs locally, if possible. Some places you might find them:
- Ask in local Facebook homesteading groups, or do a search for posts with the word “turkeys” and youll likely see lots of farms working with turkeys that may be happy to sell you some fertile eggs.
- Ask in the egg hatching groups, like hatchaholics anonymous
- Do a web search for local breeders who work with the type of turkeys youre looking for
- Ask at the feed store if they know anyone who has turkey flocks nearby (my local feed store is priceless for helping people make these kind of connections!)
If you do need to order eggs online, dont despair. It always is more of a gamble to hatch shipped eggs, regardless of how carefully you incubate them. BUT, I will never forget the time I had a nearly 100% hatch rate with quail eggs that hatched in shipment, and it definitely can be worth it…especially if the breed of turkeys you want hatch isnt available nearby.
What temperature should the incubator be for turkey eggs?
99.5°F, just like chicken eggs.
Cal Roberts of Roberts Farm was the original person behind the Hatchaholics Anonymous group on facebook, and is a hatching guru. He suggests starting out at 100.5° for the first three days, and this is perfectly safe and not a bad method. However, Cal is also the first to remind everyone that finding what works in your own micro-climate is a big part of having consistent 100% hatch rates, and for me, here in Maine, I find that maintaining the incubator at 99.5 from setting until lockdown has been ideal.
This guidance is for a circulated-air incubator with a fan, which is always the best way to go, if you possibly can. If you must use a still air incubator, make sure that youre monitoring the temperature at the level of the top of the eggs, and increase your target temperature by one degree.
How to hatch eggs at home without incubator // Incubator plastic box help sunlight 100% result
FAQ
What can I use if I don’t have an egg incubator?
How long can turkey eggs go without incubation?
How to hatch a turkey egg at home?
How to hatch an egg if you don’t have an incubator?
Do you need a turkey egg incubator?
A turkey egg incubator is the number one option we’d give you in order to have the most success hatching your turkey chicks. Incubators are made to maintain the proper environment that the eggs need in order to hatch. Turkey eggs must be incubated for 28 days before hatching. Here are 4 ways to incubate turkey eggs:
How do you incubate a turkey egg in a tabletop incubator?
Learn step-by-step, how to confidently and successfully hatch turkey eggs, using a tabletop incubator. Then stabilize the humidity as close to 40% as possible (38-43). Maintain this stable temperature and humidity for at least 8 hours before adding eggs, so you know there won’t be fluctuations as the eggs begin incubating.
Can You incubate turkey eggs?
If you want to have good success with incubating your turkey eggs, you must have the basics down before anything else. So let’s talk the basics of incubating turkey eggs: Incubating turkey eggs is an exercise in patience. Turkeys will hatch after about 28 days. Sometimes they can pop out earlier, sometimes later. It just depends on the egg!
What temperature do turkey eggs need to be incubated?
Your eggs will need to be consistently incubated at 37.5°C (99.5°F) up until 4 days before hatching. During the final 4 days of incubation, the humidity is increased. Unlike chickens or ducks, your incubator temperature does not need to be reduced for turkeys.