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Starting with Turkeys, Incubating & Hatching
Turkey Eggs
- by
Katie Thear
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This is based on the chapter Breeding Turkeys from Starting With
Turkeys by Katie Thear the definitive guide for keeping turkeys.
It describes the traditional breeds and how to cater for the free-range
and organic Christmas markets with full colour photographs.
Eggs
Collect eggs twice a day and keep records of sizes, frequency,
and the number of good poults produced from each pen in a season.
Lighter breeds can lay up to 100 eggs in a season and come into
lay earlier, whereas the heavier types may lay as few as 50, with
the laying season lasting from 16 to 20 weeks. Laying begins at
around 28 weeks onwards, depending on the breed.
Turkeys normally lay between April and June although there may
be some eggs laid in March and July, with the earliest eggs producing
the heaviest birds at Christmas. Providing artificial light early
in the season may be needed as laying birds need about fourteen
hours of light per day. It need not be much extra light, and a low
wattage bulb over a pen is sufficient. It should have a timer so
that the amount of light can be programmed, unless it is a digital
system that calculates the amount of light automatically and compensates
accordingly.
Start with lighting at the beginning of February, adding an extra
hour each week so that there is a total of fourteen hours (artificial
+ natural) by early March. In a good year, a breeding pen of ten
layers should produce more than 500 eggs. If you hatch more than
you need, the surplus can be sold as poults, although it makes sense
to sell to those outside the immediate area, who might otherwise
end up as competitors. This will add to the profitability of the
enterprise.
Incubation
Fertile eggs can be incubated naturally by the bird or artificially
using a purpose-made incubator.
Broodiness
As with chickens, turkey hens can go broody. They do not make
particularly good mothers, although there are always exceptions.
On the whole, it is better to use an incubator for incubating and
hatching the eggs.
A broody turkey will take over a nest box and refuse to budge,
complaining when anyone tries to move her. If broodiness is not
required, the best thing is to remove her to a small, cool coop
within sight of the breeding pen. She can stay there with food and
water until the broodiness has gone. This could take a week or two.
When she is no longer broody return her to active service in the
breeding pen.
Artificial incubation
Store the eggs for the incubator in a cool pantry, broad end up
in cartons for no more than a week before incubating them. Allow
them to get to room temperature before introducing them into the
machine and dip them in an egg sanitant to help ensure that they
are free of pathogens. Turkey eggs are equivalent in size to duck
eggs.
The longer eggs are kept before incubation, the lower the rate
of hatchability, with the reduction amounting to around 2% per day
after lay. Every egg should be clean, free from cracks or other
surface damage and not misshapen. The incubator must also be clean,
disinfected and already running at the required temperature before
introducing the eggs. It should be set up in a place where there
is very little outside variation in temperature. A spare room in
the house or a specially insulated area of a shed will suffice.
An automatic incubator will maintain the correct temperature and
humidity and also turn the eggs regularly. Ensure that the manufacturer’s
instructions are followed for there are slight variations with different
models.
The optimum temperature at the centre of the egg is 37.5 O C,
with a humidity level of 55% for the incubation period.
After a week remove the eggs one by one and candle them. This
will show up those eggs that are not fertile and will also reveal
whether the humidity level is correct from the size of the air sac.
Discard the infertile eggs, returning the others immediately.
Around day 25 the eggs will begin to pip and the temperature should
be reduced to 37.0 O C with the humidity increased to 75%. The eggs
should hatch by day 28. Once dry, fluffed up and active, the newly
hatched poults will need warmth, chick crumbs and water in a place
protected from rats. (See Page 36). For a comprehensive coverage
of incubation, see Incubation:
A Guide to Hatching and Rearing.
Starting With Turkeys
© 2005 Katie Thear |
