Hen and turkey chicks

[sodbusterakaclod]

So how long does it take to hatch a turkey egg,I believe its about 3 weeks for a chicken egg.

[Deleted]

Aug 13, 2009 12:38:13 GMT @sodbusterakaclod said:

So how long does it take to hatch a turkey egg,I believe its about 3 weeks for a chicken egg.

It takes about 28 days, but I think these were out in 26 - eggs had been in post, so probably begun to develop if warmish.

I put them in the Buffs' nest box as there's always a broody there and the little black hen had already been sitting up on the byre wall on a plastic eggs for 2-3 weeks before the turkey eggs arrived.

She is too small for the 7 eggs that came and I didn't think she'd last another 4 weeks, but eventually I gave her the 5 remaining eggs a couple of days before the 3 hatched.

The Buffs are a bit hit and miss at staying broody but my bantam types are very good mothers.

[sodbusterakaclod]

Thanks Joyce,been involved with turkeys,mainly for christmas,all my life but never had anything to do with hatching their eggs,similarly with hens,my father used to have an incubator and I can just remember when he had hatched some off and got them under the brooder which set on fire,must have been about 4 or 5 at the time,more interested in the fire engine. ;D

[Deleted]

Aug 15, 2009 19:37:15 GMT @sodbusterakaclod said:

Thanks Joyce,been involved with turkeys,mainly for christmas,all my life but never had anything to do with hatching their eggs,similarly with hens,my father used to have an incubator and I can just remember when he had hatched some off and got them under the brooder which set on fire,must have been about 4 or 5 at the time,more interested in the fire engine. ;D

Typical boy ;D

I really love hatching birds, incubator or broody. I usually have 2 incubators going in the spring and the third for any problem hatchers.

My friend rears the turkeys for Christmas, the only time I reared one who was a bit backward I would never have managed to eat him - he was more like a dog following me round - he got a wife on another croft eventually

This year for the first time I hatched pheasants - Phil would laugh at my small scale - but I was pleased to get 7 out of 13 in the incubator and 5 out of 6 under a hen.
The first 7 are now free, they turn up for food and disappear at night.

There are a few pheasants roaming here and I hope mine will come home with chicks next year....that's if my raven doesn't find their nests

Last year I hatched 3 Jungle fowl for a friend, gave them to him when they were well feathered and a gale blew his hen house down and killed them

[phil]

You did very well joyce...proves the point that you can't beat incubating eggs under a broody!

I bought some quail eggs for Jane & the kids to hatch in the smaller incubators...they have had some very good results!
Will try and find time to take some photo's.

This years Ducks.

[Deleted]

Yes Phil the broody did better than I did

That's a lot of ducks - how many? Do you lose many during brooding?

The game keeper was quite astounded that all 7 of my pheasants survived and grew up with the 11 chickens hatched at the same time. I sold 8 of the chicks at 8 weeks.
One of the pheasants was recently bullied and had to be separated but she's outside again now and just keeps her distance. I was warned that they stress more than tame poultry while in a pen.