![]() Megapodes are superprecocial, hatching from their eggs in the most mature condition of any bird. All are browsers, and all but the malleefowl occupy wooded habitats. ![]() Their name literally means "large foot" and is a reference to the heavy legs and feet typical of these terrestrial birds. The megapodes, also known as incubator birds or mound-builders, are stocky, medium-large, chicken-like birds with small heads and large feet in the family Megapodiidae. This article is a shortened extract from Starting with Turkeys by Katie Thear and used with permission of the publisher.Brushturkeys can often be found in parks or gardens. For a comprehensive coverage of incubation, see Incubation: A Guide to Hatching and Rearing. Once dry, fluffed up and active, the newly hatched poults will need warmth, chick crumbs and water in a place protected from rats. Discard the infertile eggs, returning the others immediately.Īround 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%. 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. The optimum temperature at the centre of the egg is 37.5 O C, with a humidity level of 55% for the incubation period.Īfter a week remove the eggs one by one and candle them. Ensure that the manufacturer’s instructions are followed for there are slight variations with different models. A spare room in the house or a specially insulated area of a shed will suffice.Īn automatic incubator will maintain the correct temperature and humidity and also turn the eggs regularly. It should be set up in a place where there is very little outside variation in temperature. The incubator must also be clean, disinfected and already running at the required temperature before introducing the eggs. Every egg should be clean, free from cracks or other surface damage and not misshapen. The longer eggs are kept before incubation, the lower the rate of hatchability, with the reduction amounting to around 2% per day after lay. Turkey eggs are equivalent in size to duck eggs. 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. Store the eggs for the incubator in a cool pantry, broad end up in cartons for no more than a week before incubating them. When she is no longer broody return her to active service in the breeding pen. She can stay there with food and water until the broodiness has gone. If broodiness is not required, the best thing is to remove her to a small, cool coop within sight of the breeding pen. On the whole, it is better to use an incubator for incubating and hatching the eggs.Ī broody turkey will take over a nest box and refuse to budge, complaining when anyone tries to move her. They do not make particularly good mothers, although there are always exceptions. Incubating Turkey Eggsįertile eggs can be incubated naturally by the bird or artificially using a purpose-made incubator Using a Broody Turkey HenĪs with chickens, turkey hens can go broody. This will add to the profitability of the enterprise. 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. In a good year, a breeding pen of ten layers should produce more than 500 eggs. 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. 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. It need not be much extra light, and a low wattage bulb over a pen is sufficient. Providing artificial light early in the season may be needed as laying birds need about fourteen hours of light per day. Increasing Turkey Egg Production – Artificial Light 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. Laying begins at around 28 weeks onwards, depending on the breed. 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. By Jason Hollinger (Wild Turkey Egg) Collecting Turkey EggsĬollect eggs twice a day and keep records of sizes, frequency, and the number of good poults produced from each pen in a season How Many Eggs do Turkeys Lay?
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