Hendrix Genetics hatchery specialist Juan Carlos Lopez, DVM, PhD, stated that leg issues like splayed legs, crooked toes, and red hocks are typically brought on by an excessive amount of heat or humidity in the setter.
He told Poultry Health Today that high heat also affects the amount of yolk poults absorb, which has implications during the first week the poults are on the farm.
According to Lopez, leg issues resulting from high incubation temperatures can cause a 3% to 4% culling rate in a typical turkey hatchery, as opposed to the normal 1% to 2% culling rate.
On farms, the ideal mortality rate is less than 1% per day; however, issues caused by extreme heat and humidity can raise that rate as high as 4%, the farmer stated.
Lopez stated that if the birds with altered legs are kept apart at hatch, there shouldn’t be any significant issues on the farm.
Have you ever dreamt of hatching your own turkey eggs and raising a flock of these majestic birds? Well, with the right knowledge and equipment, you can turn that dream into reality. This guide will provide you with all the essential information you need to successfully hatch turkey eggs, from choosing the right incubator to caring for your newly hatched poults.
Essential Equipment for Hatching Turkey Eggs
Before you embark on your turkey hatching adventure, it’s crucial to gather the necessary equipment. Here’s a checklist to ensure you’re fully prepared:
- Automatic Incubator: An automatic incubator is the most convenient and efficient way to hatch turkey eggs. It maintains the optimal temperature and humidity levels, automatically turning the eggs regularly.
- Thermometer: A reliable thermometer is essential for monitoring the temperature inside the incubator. Remember, even slight temperature fluctuations can affect the hatching success rate.
- Spray Bottle: A spray bottle filled with clean water will help you maintain the appropriate humidity level within the incubator.
- Flashlight: A flashlight is used for candling the eggs, which allows you to check the development of the embryos.
- Turkey Feed: Once your poults hatch, they’ll need a nutritious diet specifically formulated for young turkeys.
- Incubating Bulb: An infrared bulb provides warmth for the poults inside the brooder.
- Brooder: A brooder is a heated enclosure where the newly hatched poults will live until they are old enough to move outdoors.
- Fertilized Turkey Eggs: Of course, you’ll need fertile turkey eggs to get started. These can be purchased from reputable hatcheries or breeders.
Choosing the Right Turkey Eggs
Not all turkey eggs are created equal. When selecting eggs for incubation, keep these factors in mind:
- Size: Turkey eggs are roughly the same size as duck eggs. Choose eggs that are clean, uncracked, and free of any deformities.
- Storage: Store the eggs in a cool, dry place (ideally a pantry or cupboard) for no more than a week before incubating them. The longer you store them, the lower their hatchability rate.
- Acclimatization: Before placing the eggs in the incubator, allow them to acclimatize to room temperature for a few hours. This helps prevent condensation from forming inside the eggs, which can harm the embryos.
Setting Up the Incubator
Now that you have all the necessary equipment and carefully selected your turkey eggs, it’s time to set up your incubator. Here’s a step-by-step guide:
- Cleanliness is Key: Thoroughly clean and disinfect the incubator before placing the eggs inside. This is crucial to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria and microorganisms.
- Optimal Temperature: Set the incubator temperature to 37.5 degrees Celsius (99.5 degrees Fahrenheit). This is the ideal temperature for turkey egg incubation.
- Maintaining Humidity: Maintain a humidity level of 55% for the majority of the incubation period. Use a hygrometer to monitor the humidity and adjust it accordingly.
- Placement of Eggs: Carefully place the eggs in the incubator, ensuring they are positioned with the broad end facing upwards.
Candling the Eggs
After the eggs have spent a week in the incubator, it’s time to candle them. Candling involves using a flashlight to examine the development of the embryos inside the eggs. Here’s what to look for:
- Fertile Eggs: A fertile egg will show a veiny blob, indicating the presence of an embryo.
- Air Sac Development: A developing air sac should be visible at one end of the egg.
- Infertile Eggs: If the egg appears clear, it’s likely infertile.
- Early Death: Red or black stains or a blood-red ring indicate early embryo death.
- Bacterial Infection: Speckled eggs may have a bacterial infection and should be discarded.
The Hatching Process
After 25 days of incubation, the turkey eggs will start to hatch. You’ll hear faint pipping noises as the poults begin to break free from their shells. At this stage, adjust the incubator temperature to 37 degrees Celsius (99 degrees Fahrenheit) and increase the humidity to 75%. By Day 28, the poults should have fully hatched and dried out into fluffy little balls.
Moving to a Brooder
Once the poults have hatched and dried, it’s time to move them to a brooder. A brooder is a heated enclosure that provides a safe and comfortable environment for the young birds Make sure the brooder is equipped with a heat lamp, chick feed, water, and sawdust bedding Check on the poults regularly and ensure the brooder is protected from predators like rats.
Raising Your Turkey Poults
Congratulations! You’ve successfully hatched your turkey eggs and raised them to the poult stage. Now the fun part begins – raising your poults to adulthood. Here are some essential tips for raising healthy and happy turkeys:
- Nutrition: Provide your poults with a high-quality turkey starter feed. As they grow, gradually switch them to a grower feed and eventually a finisher feed.
- Water: Ensure your poults have access to clean, fresh water at all times.
- Temperature Control: Adjust the temperature in the brooder as the poults grow. They should be comfortable and not too hot or cold.
- Disease Prevention: Keep your poults’ environment clean and sanitized to prevent the spread of diseases.
- Socialization: Turkeys are social animals, so it’s important to provide them with opportunities to interact with each other.
Hatching turkey eggs and raising your own flock can be a rewarding experience. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can increase your chances of success and enjoy the satisfaction of watching your poults grow into healthy, happy turkeys. Remember, patience, attention to detail, and a love for these magnificent birds are key ingredients for a successful turkey hatching adventure.
Too hot to handle
From day 1 to 25 of incubation, turkey eggshell temperature should be between 99. 4° F and 100° F (37. 4° C to 37. 7° C), Lopez said.
Incubation temperature profiles must be modified because hatching eggs vary in size; larger yolks from older hens generate more heat than smaller yolks from younger hens.
During incubation, heat can be applied to accelerate or delay hatching, and higher temperatures may facilitate hatching. But, he clarified, excessive heat causes an imbalance in the embryo’s thyroid gland, which results in uneven yolk absorption and, eventually, leg issues. 1.
When the yolk isn’t fully absorbed by the poults, the excess yolk in their bodies results in low appetites, which makes them refuse food and water on the farm and ultimately leads to their death a few days later. 2.
Turkey eggs in the separator should lose between 2011 and 2012 percent of their initial weight, forming an air cell large enough for the poult to shatter the shell and escape. According to Lopez, high humidity during incubation reduces the size of the air cell, which causes poults to hurt their hocks when they erupt.
Hatchery managers have many tools available to achieve optimum eggshell temperatures, especially in multi-stage incubators.
They can avoid placing eggs on the highest shelf in the setter. According to him, if the eggs are becoming too hot, fewer can be added to each tray, and they can be taken out of the setter on day 22 rather than day 25.
Lopez stressed that the hatch window needed to be accurate: three hours prior to the planned pulling time, between one and three percent of the eggs (20%E2%80%94%), but no more than five percent (20%E2%80%94%). That indicates the temperature profile is correct.
However, he stated that if more than 25% of the eggs hatch more than 30.6 hours ahead of the planned pulling time, that could cause issues. Due to dehydration, those poults will be small, and because the later-hatching poults will be heavier, the flock will not be uniform.
Another useful tool is calculating poult yield, which indicates how the incubation process is going, Lopez said.
Beginning with an egg weighing E2%80%99 grams, for instance, the newly hatched poult should weigh between 2067% and 2068% of the initial weight. If the eggs weigh between 2063 and 2064 percent of the total weight of the egg, the eggs have been incubated for an excessive amount of time, either due to high temperatures or incorrect calculations of the incubation period.
According to him, the hatchery manager can make sure that the proper hatching temperatures, humidity levels, and ventilation are being used by using all of these tools: eggshell temperature, moisture loss at transfer, hatch window, and poult yield.