How to Hatch Turkey Eggs Naturally

How to Hatch Turkey Eggs Naturally (Without Incubator)? When you have produced eggs on your farm or household you have a broody hen. These hens are naturally willing to brood the eggs. Though turkey hens are not good mothers like other domestic birds, they can properly hatch the eggs. You will get some benefits as well as have to face some limitations. Let’s take an overview of the pros and cons of incubating turkey eggs naturally.  The benefits of hatch turkey eggs naturally   No need for an incubator, brooder box, power supply, and heat lamp. The hen will work all of them! So, incubating turkey eggs naturally is costfriendly. Not having to rotate eggs, take care of the environment, and so on. The hen will rotate eggs and will ensure that each side is getting an equal  amount of heat. Even they will rotate the edges of the eggs to center and center to edges to reach equal warming to all eggs! It’s an amazing matter, isn’t it? The hen will take care of the checks. She will teach the child to eat and drink. The problems of hatch turkey eggs naturally Broody hens become unproductive and their weight decreases. It is not possible to produce large scale turkey chicks with a natural incubation system.  If eggs are not produced in the household it may be difficult to collect broody hen.  Sometimes turkeys don’t want to sit full 28 days incubating. It causes problems. For a small scale production of turkey chicks, natural incubation will be effective and efficient. You should follow the following process.   If you don’t provide enough focus on the prerequisite of incubation, you may encounter a very poor result. So, let’s discuss the preparation guide. Hatching Turkey Eggs without Incubator 1. Choose suitable seasons Breeding seasons of turkey varied because of variation of species and geographic locations. Among all seasons spring is the very perfect season for breeding. 2. Collecting Fertile Eggs First of all, you must collect or produce fertile eggs. The eggs of all hens are not fertile. Fertile eggs only can get from the hens which have mated with toms within a maximum of 10 days before laying eggs. Here, I would like to inform you that in North America and some European regions, female turkeys are called Hen and male turkeys are called Tom. If you have determined to produce eggs yourself, you need proper management of the folk. To get a high hatchability rate and healthy check you must be careful to select breeding stock. Embryos of low-grade eggs cannot survive. There is a direct connection between the egg’s quality and the condition of hen and tom. You need to consider the following things- 3. Selecting Brooder Chick Your selected flock should have female turkeys with a minimum of 24 weeks and male turkeys with a minimum of 30 weeks. Generally, female turkeys live 7 to 8 years. At the age of 2 to 3, they have the maximum ability of reproduce. Male turkeys live 8 to 10 years and their sperm count starts dropping at 4 to 5 years old. To get the optimum output you must collect the eggs of the flock which has maximum reproduction ability. 4. Caring Brooder – Health and nutrition rips I previously mentioned that the health condition of both the hen and tom has a direct influence on the fertility of eggs. The selected flock must be strong and free from deformities, defects, or any disease. Embryos of unhealthy father and mother lack the power to survive. The offspring of ill father and mother get poor vigor. To get fertile and healthy eggs, you must focus on the health and nutrition of the turkey flock you have selected. The signs of healthy flocks are       Proper balance while walking The breasts are wide enough Legs are medium in size Thighs are large and fleshed The backside is wide and flat Early matured and rapid feathering Weight not too high 5. Nest Management Dirty and wet nests are harmful to the turkeys. When you take care of the nest and litter, the flock of turkeys will get a healthy environment. If the nest and litter are dirty, the eggs will also be dirty. As a result, the eggs need to wash or clean. It can be a threat to getting healthy eggs. So, always take care to keep the litter dry and the nest clean. However, maintaining the nest and litter properly, sometimes you may encounter dirty eggs. So, in an unavoidable situation, you should wash eggs using a damp cloth. The water you will use for cleaning must be a little bit warmer than the egg. Excessive warmth will boil the egg and cold will harm fertility. You should avoid soaking eggs in water. Soaking eggs in water can create an environment of bacterial attack. Be sure the eggs are dry and dirt free before you keep it in storage. 6. Collecting Eggs Excessive hitting or chilling of the eggs can damage the quality of the eggs. So, you should collect eggs from nests as soon as possible. You should frequently visit the nest of the turkey during the day to collect eggs. Some turkeys may lay eggs late at night. So eggs should be collected in the early morning. Choose middle-sized eggs for incubation Different research shows that medium-sized eggs have a high hatchability rate. So, you should provide priority to avoid very small and very large-sized eggs to incubate. A medium-sized egg of turkey weights within 75 to 95 grams. 7. Store Eggs at Proper Temperature & Humidity Until Start Hatching Newbies always make mistakes in the storage of the eggs. It is better to wait some days before setting the eggs to incubate. But, storing too many days hampers the hatchability. It is best to store the eggs for 5 to 7 days. Research reports show that storing turkey eggs for more than 14 days significantly reduces the hatchability. The temperature of the storage should be 55 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit and humidity should be 70% to 85%. Keep in mind that the temperature cannot be higher than 70 degrees Fahrenheit and humidity cannot be less than 40%. Now you can decide how you should incubate the turkey eggs you have. You can hatch naturally or can use artificial incubators. Make Broody Hen Perfect for Natural Incubation After collecting eggs you need a broody hen for incubation in a natural process. Generally, a hen becomes broody after laying 12 to 15 eggs. You will find them sitting on eggs in a nest, stopped roaming around, and their eating and drinking habits have changed. If you find a broody hen don’t hurry to put eggs underneath her. You should wait for one or two days to observe the hen. Sometimes, the hens don’t become full broody for the first couple of days. It is also found that the broodiness has gone. So, you should take her to a separate room and put some artificial eggs under her. Then observe for one or two days. If the hen sits 24 hours on the eggs it is suitable for incubating. Ensure a Suitable Environment for Hatching Before putting eggs underneath the hen make sure that the environment is suitable for the hen. Check the following list.      The nest should be comfortable. You can make the nest with a square box. But, the balance must be strong. If it cannot keep balance while the hen will keep weight on the edges of the box the eggs will be broken. It should be big enough. At least it needs to be 1.5 times wider than the turkey hen and the height should be 1 to 3 feet. The room also needs to be safe so that harmful animals like snakes, rats, and so on cannot ham the eggs. Besides, managing the area in such a way no one can disturb the hen. Keep water and food near the hen. When the hen is hungry it needs not go outside in search of food. If it has to go outside to find foods the temperature will be decreased and that will affect hatchability. The room should not be very cold or not very hot. Place the nest in a suitable place. Ensuring all these setups put the eggs underneath the broody hen. It will take nearly 28 days to complete the incubation process and to break out of their shell. Check Fertility After 7 Days of Incubation (Candling) Check the development of the embryo inside the egg. Checking fertility with the help of light is called candling. When the surroundings are dark, light a candle, bulb, or torchlight and hold up eggs toward the light. If the egg is viable you will see spider-like veins inside the egg. If a spider or fiber-like vein is not shown, the eggs are not fertile. Remove them from the brooding nest and bury them to prevent contamination. Be Extra Careful to the Hatch Day Turkey eggs hatch within 28 days. The last three days are the final days. You should wait and take care of the hen and the environment. When the checks will struggle to break the eggshell, don’t try to help them. It may damage their health and strength. When all the chicks are dry properly move them to the brooder. Now note down your hatchability rate. Hatching Turkey Eggs Naturally A turkey hen preparing to lay eggs and nest, can get very territorial and broody. Once she has established her nesting place, she will not budge from it and will get very aggressive if you try to. She can injure you painfully with pecks and jabs and if you touch her eggs, she may decide to abandon them. So leave her to nest, with sufÏcient food and water and let nature take its course. After the eggs have hatched, move the mother and her brood of chicks to a secure pen. The pen should protect the newly born chicks from predators as well as be covered and warm enough to protect them from the weather. Once the chicks are born, it is time to follow the right rearing and breeding practices to grow healthy and hearty turkeys. It may seem difÏcult at first, but the incubating and hatching process with any fowl’s eggs, needs patience, research, and attention to detail to succeed. If you want to keep chickens as pets, then bantam chickens are the best option. The word bantam implies a miniature chicken. Hence, these chickens are way different from standard breeds and need proper care. This post will help you learn how to raise and care for these unique species of fowl. Bantam chickens are one of the earliest and oldest known domestic birds. Like I had mentioned earlier, bantam means small, hence raising these bantams in a small place is possible which would otherwise be a little difÏcult in case of a standard size chicken. You can keep 2 to 3 bantams in the space required for 1 standard chicken. Keeping these chickens for commercial purposes does not sound a very good idea because the size of these chickens is too small to make a profit out of their meat and eggs. Tips for Raising Bantam Chickens Bantam chickens are extremely curious and energetic birds by nature, hence you will have to be very careful with their food, water, and other needs to keep them composed. Take a look at the following points that will tell you exactly how to raise this specific type of chickens. Food Although bantam chickens can survive on human food, they cannot survive on it for long. They need food that is specific to their diet, which includes:  Whole grains  Greens  Protein As part of a regular diet, whole grains are the best sources of nutrition for bantams; sufÏcient supply of it should be available in the coop all the time. Feed only whole grains; avoid feeding cracked ones as the former is way healthier. One good thing about bantam chickens is that they can search for food on their own unlike other chicken breeds. This will help you when you are out and cannot feed your pet. It will save a lot of time for other activities as well as you don’t have to keep monitoring the feeding timings of the pet. But do check on their food from time to time. Let them roam around in a fenced area filled with grass, weeds, and fresh green vegetable leftovers to feed themselves. As far as protein is concerned, bantams can obtain protein from insects, worms, and bugs in the summer. However in winter, their diet should include soy, milk, fish, etc., to fulfill the protein amount. Water is essential for the survival of chickens as it is for all living things. They need lots of water, especially when laying. A bowl of water should always be kept near the door of their coop where they can get it easily whenever they want. Make sure that you clean the water bowl every day and fill it with fresh water to prevent diseases. Shelter Bantam chickens stay in a chicken coop. The most important thing to be considered while setting the coop, is the temperature of the area. A heat lamp has to be placed above the coop, to provide sufÏcient warmth to the chicks if they are not with the brooding hen. The placement of the lamp is extremely important for proper heating. Notice how the bantam chicks behave in the coop, to understand whether the coop’s temperature is correct or not. If your chicks huddle up beneath the lamp, the coop is too cold for them. On the other hand, if they are spread out in different corners of the coop, the coop is hot and the temperature should be reduced. The standard temperature of the coop must be between 90-95° F for the first week and a gradual decrease of 5° F for the following weeks. The chicks need to stay indoors at least for the first four weeks. Protection Every living thing is always at risk of experiencing a threat from its predators and so are bantam chickens. It is the responsibility of the owner to keep his pet protected from such dangers and provide a safe and healthy atmosphere for survival. Animals that prey on bantams are snakes and raccoons, which may attack them on land. Hawks, owls and other flying predators can attack from above. Hence, you should fence the bantam shelter properly, securing all the possible access points. Caring Tips: Although personally raising bantam chicks is a fun task , if you have a broody bantam hen to do the job, it will be good for the chicks. She can provide warmth to the little ones, teach them how to find and eat food, and show them what to do when they sense danger. She will try hard to save her young ones from any predator even risking her own life. Bantam chickens can fly better than standard chickens, hence, if you want to prevent them from fleeing the coop, a covered run is essential. Some keepers even trim their chicks’ feathers to keep them from flying. However, it is wrong because if they’re in danger, far away from their coop, they won’t be able to fly up a tree or onto a fence to save themselves. Keep trays of hardwood ash in the coop to allow the chicks to have a dust bath. This helps them get rid of parasites. You can also spray roost paint on the chickens to prevent lice or any other disease. All in all, raising chickens can bring you a bundle of joy, provided, you take good care of them and offer them a comfortable atmosphere to live in. Make sure that you look after your bantam chicks well when they fall sick and arrange for proper medical treatment immediately.