Learn how to confidently manage hatching your own turkey eggs at home, and achieve high success rates even from your very first hatch. This article will walk you through every step, from egg to adorable poult.
A couple of years ago, while saving turkey eggs to hatch for the first time, I happened to run into a local homesteading friend at the feed store. We chatted about our various homesteading projects, and he wished me well with those turkey eggs. “Theyre wicked hard to hatch, from what I hear.”
In fact, my experience ended up thankfully being the opposite. That first batch of eggs went on to have a 100% hatch rate, and every little poult was healthy and robust.
With many successful hatches of turkey poults behind me now, I can say that this idea of turkey eggs being difficult to incubate is just not something Ive found to hold up. In my experience, turkey eggs are easier, more resilient, and hatch more quickly from pip-to-poult, than any other poultry species except quail.
If youve been considering hatching out your own turkey poults, I would heartily encourage you to give it a go! This hatching guide is based on my own successful experience, and I hope you find it helpful.
Incubating turkey eggs and hatching healthy poults is an exciting and rewarding experience for any backyard poultry enthusiast. However proper incubation requires close attention to temperature humidity, egg turning, and other factors. In this article, I’ll share everything you need to know about what temperature to incubate turkey eggs for optimal hatch rates.
Overview of Turkey Egg Incubation
The incubation period for turkey eggs is around 28 days. However, smaller heritage breeds may hatch a bit earlier, while larger commercial turkeys can take up to 30 days
Here are the key incubation parameters you need to get right:
- Temperature: 99.5°F (37.5°C)
- Humidity: 55-60%
- Turning: At least 3 times per day until day 25
- Candling: Day 7 and Day 25
- Lockdown: Day 25
During lockdown, you’ll increase humidity to around 70% but keep the temperature the same Stop turning the eggs and leave them undisturbed until they hatch
Why Temperature Matters
Temperature is by far the most important factor for successful turkey egg incubation. If the temperature deviates too far from the 99.5°F ideal, you’ll have poor hatch rates.
Slightly lower temperatures early on can slow embryo development. Later in incubation, low temps can cause deformities or even kill the embryos.
On the other hand, temperatures above 100°F will cook the embryos inside the shell.
That’s why you need an incubator with excellent temperature regulation. I recommend digital incubators with a built-in thermostat and fan for circulation. Top-rated models include the Brinsea Ovation and Hova-Bator incubators.
Always run your incubator for at least 24 hours before adding eggs to stabilize the temperature. Carefully monitor the temperature and only add eggs once it’s rock solid at 99.5°F.
Setting the Right Temperature for Incubation
When setting up your incubator, the target temperature for turkey eggs is 99.5°F (37.5°C). This temperature needs to be maintained consistently throughout the 28 day incubation period.
Some tips:
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Allow the incubator to run for 24 hours before adding eggs to stabilize the temperature.
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Position the incubator away from windows, direct sunlight or drafts that could cause fluctuations.
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Check the temperature several times a day with a high-quality thermometer. Digital is better than analog.
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Make small adjustments to the incubator thermostat if the temperature drifts up or down.
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Consider an incubator with automatic turning and fan circulation for the most stable environment.
Don’t make large temperature adjustments or frequently open the incubator once eggs are inside. This will cause spikes up or down that can be detrimental.
Does the Temperature Change for Lockdown?
Unlike incubating chicken eggs, you do not need to reduce the temperature for turkey egg lockdown. Maintain your incubator at 99.5°F through the entire 28 day incubation process.
The only change is increasing humidity to 70% in the last 3-4 days before hatching. Higher humidity helps the poults absorb the remaining egg yolk and pip out of their shells easier.
So keep the temperature dialed in throughout. Don’t make adjustments unless you see it consistently running too hot or cold.
Troubleshooting Temperature Issues
Here are some troubleshooting tips if you notice temperature fluctuations in your incubator:
Incubator running hot:
- Open vents to increase airflow and cooling
- Add more water to the reservoirs to increase evaporative cooling
- Reduce room temperature if possible
- As a last resort, adjust the thermostat down in small increments
Incubator running cold:
- Close vents to restrict airflow
- Add an additional heating source like a heating pad or light bulb
- Move incubator away from cold windows/drafts
- Adjust thermostat up slightly if needed
Temperature spiking up and down:
- Improve insulation around the incubator
- Make sure room temperature is stable
- Check that heating and cooling elements are working properly
- Consider a better quality incubator with more stable temperature regulation
How Temperature Affects the Embryo
The correct incubation temperature is critical because turkey embryos are sensitive to hot or cold conditions at every stage of development:
Early incubation (1-10 days): Lower temperatures below 98°F slow cell division and embryo growth. Development may cease entirely if temps drop too low.
Middle incubation (11-24 days): Embryos grow rapidly and begin moving inside the egg. Temps below 98°F can cause deformities and organ damage. Above 102°F can be fatal.
Late incubation (25-28 days): Embryos prepare to hatch by absorbing yolks and orienting themselves. Temperatures above 100°F at this stage will likely be lethal. Cool temps delay hatching.
So maintaining 99.5°F throughout is crucial for normal, healthy development and the highest hatch rates. Don’t take shortcuts on the incubator temperature settings.
Ideal Temperature by Incubator Type
There are two main incubator designs – still air and circulated air. The temperature settings vary slightly:
Still air incubators: Require a higher temperature of 100-102°F to account for uneven hot and cold spots inside the unit.
Circulating fan incubators: Air movement distributes heat more evenly. Ideal temp is 99.5°F.
I recommend circulated fan incubators for turkey eggs. They offer very stable temperatures and the best hatch rates in my experience. Top choices are the Hova-Bator or Brinsea models.
Tips for Regulating Incubator Temperature
Here are my top tips for keeping your incubator temperature constant at the ideal 99.5°F for turkey eggs:
- Run the incubator for 24 hours before adding eggs to stabilize temperatures
- Position incubator away from windows, drafts and direct sunlight
- Use a high accuracy digital thermometer to monitor temperature
- Make small tweaks to the thermostat if needed, and wait 12 hours to see the impact
- Maintain stable room temperatures around the incubator
- Consider an automatic turner model for maximum environment stability
- Don’t frequently open the incubator or make large temperature adjustments
- Add water to reservoirs for evaporative cooling if running hot
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if the temperature is too high when incubating turkey eggs?
Incubator temperatures higher than 100°F will likely kill the developing embryos inside turkey eggs. Especially in late incubation, high temperatures quickly become lethal.
What happens if the temperature is too low when incubating turkey eggs?
Cool temperatures below 98°F will slow embryo development and potentially cause deformities or other issues. If the temperature drops too low early on, the embryos may die.
Should I increase the temperature for the last 3 days before hatching?
No, maintain the incubator at 99.5°F throughout the full 28 day incubation. Do not increase the temperature for turkey egg lockdown. Just increase humidity levels.
Can turkey eggs still hatch if the temperature varies a few degrees?
Minor temperature fluctuations are usually fine. But if the temperature consistently deviates more than 1-2°F from 99.5°F your hatch rates will suffer. Strive for maximum stability.
How often should I check the incubator temperature?
Check the temperature several times a day to make sure it’s remaining steady at 99.5°F. Be diligent, especially in the first days of incubation while the embryos are fragile.
Humidity for hatching turkey eggs
The general recommendation for hatching turkey eggs, is a humidity range of 40-45%. Here in Maine, with heritage breed eggs, Ive had good results with a target humidity of 42%.
If youve had to wash your eggs, removing the protective coating in the process, youll want to bump that up a tad. 45-47% would be a good target. This is because washing and removing that coating renders the eggs more permeable, facilitating a faster loss of internal humidity. To counter that, the higher incubator humidity becomes necessary. (Its still worth it to wash eggs if theyre filthy, and make this small adjustment.)
Turkey eggs need to be turned regularly while incubating. If youre lucky enough to have an auto-turner with a tray thats big enough to safely handle turkey eggs, its ok to plug this in and let it start turning the eggs as soon as you set them.
If youre going to be turning the eggs by hand, start by putting a mark on one side of each egg. This will let you keep track as you turn the eggs.
With manual turning, it works best to leave the eggs undisturbed for the first 24 hours. Then start turning the eggs at least 3-5 times each day. Turning less frequently does result in lower hatch rates, and less robust poults.
When you turn the eggs, turn them a full 180 degrees. As the eggs are laying on their side, this means if your mark was on top of the egg previously, its now on the bottom, the part of the egg thats resting on the floor of the incubator.
Continue this turning until day 25, when you set the eggs on lockdown.
Gathering Turkey Eggs for Hatching
Gather turkey eggs frequently, if youre wanting to hatch them in an incubator. Some turkeys lay reliably at the same time of day (mine always have laid in the afternoon), while others can be less predictable. While youre collecting eggs for hatching, its worth checking their nesting area every few hours if possible.
Turkeys have a strong instinct to hide their nests, so if youre pretty sure you should be seeing eggs but arent, its worth taking some time to observe your turkey hens closely. Are they sneaking off to the edge of the yard every day? They may be hiding their nest. They love to lay next to rocks or fallen branches, and if dry leaves are available for cover, they often tuck their eggs in when leaving the nest. Those spotted eggs can prove tricky to spot, but once youve found the nest, chances are your hen will return to the same spot each day.
