How to Hatch Turkeys in an Incubator

Turkeys are usually raised for consumption on large farms, but if you are just starting out as a turkey farmer, or if you would like to keep them as pets, you can buy turkey eggs and hatch them yourself in an incubator. Read on to learn more.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Poultry incubator
• Thermometer
• Hydrometer or a wet bulb (recommended)
• Fertile turkey eggs

1. Set up your incubator. Make sure that it's clean, and maintain it at a constant 99.5 degrees Fahrenheit for 2 days before adding the eggs, with a wet bulb temperature of 86-88 degrees (relative humidity 60 percent). Adjust these settings by opening or closing air vents and adding water pans.
2. Prepare the eggs for setting. Mark the date you put them in the incubator on one side of the eggs with a pencil or crayon. Number the eggs.
3. Set the eggs in the incubator with the date sides up.
4. Turn the eggs at least three times daily. Be sure that all the eggs are always date side up or date side down. Turn them an odd number of times each day to be sure that they're not lying on the same side every night.
5. Candle the eggs (shine a bright light through them) after 1 week and record any development. If after 10 days you see no growth, the egg probably isn't fertile and should be removed so that it doesn't spoil and contaminate the incubator.
6. Stop turning the eggs at 26 days and increase the humidity to 90-94 degrees by the wet bulb reading. Let the turkeys hatch unless you notice that a hole is made but the chick doesn't make any progress for more than 12 hours.