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.
Hatching turkey eggs and raising turkeys from poults can be an extremely rewarding experience. However, there are some important things to know in order to hatch healthy poults and raise them properly. This comprehensive guide covers everything you need – from choosing fertile eggs to incubating, hatching, and brooding turkey eggs.
Selecting Quality Turkey Eggs
The first step is acquiring fertile turkey eggs from a reputable source. Turkey hens generally begin laying eggs in early spring. Let the eggs accumulate for 1-2 weeks before collecting them for incubating. Look for eggs that are evenly shaped and have no cracks or flaws. Only fresh, high quality eggs have the best chance of hatching. Store collected eggs pointed end down at 55-60°F until ready to incubate.
Checking for Fertile Eggs
Once you have a batch of eggs check them for fertility before setting them in the incubator. Use a process called “candling” where you shine a bright light through the egg to see inside. Fertile eggs will have a network of veins and a developing air cell on one side. Infertile eggs will be clear inside. Remove any eggs that appear infertile or have cracks before incubating the rest.
Setting Up the Incubator
An incubator provides the optimal environment for hatching eggs Ensure it is thoroughly cleaned and sanitized before use Set the temperature to 99,5°F and humidity around 55-60%, Run it for 24 hours before adding eggs to stabilize conditions, Equip with a hygrometer and thermometer to monitor humidity and temperature, Position eggs lying flat and evenly spaced,
Incubating Turkey Eggs
Turkey eggs take 28 days to hatch. Throughout incubation, temperature and humidity must remain steady, only adjusting within a narrow margin. Turn eggs at least 3 times per day, rotating 180° each time. Stop turning 3 days before hatching. Candle eggs again on day 10 and remove any infertiles. Monitor incubator and eggs daily. Hatching begins around day 28 when poults start to pip through their shells.
What’s Needed to Hatch Turkey Eggs:
- Fertile turkey eggs from a reputable source
- Incubator able to hold set temperature and humidity
- Egg turner or willingness to hand turn eggs 3+ times daily
- Thermometer & hygrometer to monitor incubator environment
- Egg candler to check for fertility and development
- Patience for 28 day incubation period
Step-by-Step Guide to Hatching Turkey Eggs
Before Incubation
- Accumulate eggs for 1-2 weeks before setting
- Store eggs pointed end down at 55-60°F
- Candle eggs and remove any with cracks, flaws, or infertiles
Incubator Setup
- Clean and disinfect incubator thoroughly
- Run incubator for 24 hrs at 99.5°F and 55-60% humidity
- Equip with thermometer and hygrometer
- Position eggs lying flat and evenly spaced
During Incubation
- Keep temperature at 99.5°F and humidity 55-60%
- Turn eggs minimum 3 times per day, 180° each turn
- Candle at day 10 and remove infertiles
- Stop turning eggs on day 25
- Raise humidity to 70% on day 28
Hatch Time
- First pips generally occur on day 28
- Let poults fully emerge from shells before removing
- Transfer poults to prepared brooder once fluffy and dry
What Happens Each Day During Turkey Egg Incubation?
Days 1-10 Embryo develops – egg turning promotes growthDays 10-25 Feathers, claws, beak form – continue egg turningDay 25 Stop turning eggs, increase humidity to 70%Day 28 Pipping starts as poults break out of shellDay 28-29 Poults fully hatch and fluff up as they dryDay 30 Move poults to brooder once dry and stabilized
Caring for Newly Hatched Turkey Poults
Once poults have fully emerged and fluffed up, they can be moved from the incubator into a brooder. The brooder should have clean pine shavings for bedding, a heat lamp to provide warmth, and chick starter feed and water. Ensure poults can access food and water easily. Keep brooder temperature at 95°F for the first week, lowering 5 degrees each week. Offer a turkey starter feed with minimum 28% protein. Poults grow rapidly and will be ready to transition to outdoor housing at 4-6 weeks old.
Troubleshooting Turkey Egg Hatching Problems
No pipping on day 28: Lower temp to 97°F, increase humidity, and give extra day or two
Pipping but no hatch: Increase humidity to help poults absorb membranes
Weak or deformed poults: Likely due to incorrect incubator temperature
High embryo mortality: Check for temperature fluctuations or improper egg turning
Hatching turkey eggs requires attention to detail but the reward of seeing poults hatch makes it worthwhile. Following these guidelines will help ensure your turkey eggs hatch successfully. Be sure to thoroughly clean and disinfect your incubator after each hatch for biosecurity. With a little practice, you’ll be hatching healthy turkey poults season after season.
How long do turkey eggs take to hatch?
The incubation period for turkeys is 28 days, just like most ducks. So four weeks from when you set your eggs, you can hope to be watching adorable baby turkeys hatch!
Turkey eggs need to be turned at least 3x daily during incubation. If youre using an automatic turner, this will turn the eggs fore you more often than that, and thats totally fine!
If youre not using an auto-turn device, youll want to manually turn all of the eggs three times a day. If you work away from home, I suggest doing this in the morning, then when you get home from work, then again last thing before bed. Its ok if the turnings arent evenly spaced throughout the day. Just do the best you can, and it will be fine! Photo Credit: Salt in My Coffee.
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.
How to Hatch Turkey Eggs (Part 1) Incubating Turkey Eggs for the First Time!
When do turkey eggs hatch?
Turkeys will hatch after about 28 days. Sometimes they can pop out earlier, sometimes later. It just depends on the egg! You’ll find that some clutches of eggs will hatch at about the same time and others will hatch days apart. Your eggs will need to be consistently incubated at 37.5°C (99.5°F) up until 4 days before hatching.
What is the best way to cook eggs?
The best way to prepare eggs are shorter and lower-heat cooking methods, as they cause less cholesterol oxidation and help retain most of the egg’s nutrients. For this reason, poached and boiled (either hard or soft) eggs may be the healthiest to eat. Also, these cooking methods, don’t add any unnecessary calories, like oil.
How do you incubate a turkey egg?
Store the eggs in a cool place, such as a pantry or cupboard, until the incubator is ready. Cool temperatures arrest the turkey’s growth. Let the eggs warm back up to room temperature for 4 to 8 hours before incubating them. Most likely, your incubator is a forced air incubator, which has a fan that distributes air evenly.
How long does it take to hatch turkey eggs in an incubator?
Follow this 28 day incubation process, and you can learn the proper temperature, humidity, and time to take when hatching turkey eggs in an incubator. Before long, you will be hatching eggs like a pro. Be sure to check out this post on properly cleaning an incubator for the best success rate when hatching out eggs.