How to hatch turkeys

How to hatch turkeys

How to Hatch Turkeys: From Egg to Poult in 28 Days 🦃✨

Ready to level up your hatching game from chickens to turkeys? Hatching turkey eggs is just as magical—but it does come with its own quirks, longer timelines, and extra TLC.

Whether you’re doing it for fun, food, or to grow your backyard flock, here’s everything you need to know to successfully hatch your own turkey poults (that’s what baby turkeys are called!).

🦃 Turkey vs. Chicken Eggs: What’s Different?

Turkey eggs are larger, creamier in color (often speckled), and take 28 days to hatch instead of 21. They also require slightly higher humidity and careful handling—they're more fragile than chicken eggs.

But don’t worry—you’ve got this!

📦 What You’ll Need:

  • Fertile turkey eggs (from your own flock or a trusted farm)

  • Incubator (forced-air recommended for turkeys)

  • Egg turner (manual or automatic)

  • Thermometer + hygrometer (accurate readings are a must!)

  • Patience (seriously—it takes 4 weeks)

🔥 Step 1: Prep the Incubator

Before adding any eggs, run your incubator for 24 hours to stabilize.

  • Temperature: 99.5°F (forced-air incubator)

  • Humidity: 55–60% for days 1–25

  • Increase humidity to 65–70% from days 25–28 (hatch time!)

Pro tip: Keep the incubator in a room with a stable temperature—no drafts, direct sun, or sudden chills.

🥚 Step 2: Set the Eggs

Place turkey eggs pointy-end down in your incubator. If you’re turning by hand, mark one side with an “X” and the other with an “O” to keep track.

  • Turn 3–5 times daily

  • Stop turning at day 25 for lockdown

💡 Step 3: Candle for Development

Use a bright flashlight or egg candler to check development:

  • Day 7: Look for veins and a tiny embryo

  • Day 14: Movement and growth

  • Day 21–23: Large dark mass, air sac is visible

Toss any clear, smelly, or blood-ringed eggs to avoid bacteria contaminating the hatch.

🚨 Step 4: Lockdown (Days 25–28)

  • Stop turning

  • Boost humidity to 65–70%

  • Don’t open the incubator!

You may hear peeping before hatching starts—this means your little poults are preparing to break through.

🐣 Step 5: Hatching Day!

Turkey poults can take a long time to hatch—sometimes 24–48 hours from pip (first crack) to zip (full hatch).

Resist the urge to help unless it’s absolutely necessary and you know what you’re doing. A rushed assist can hurt more than help.

Once they’re out:

  • Let them dry and fluff in the incubator (up to 12 hours)

  • Transfer to a warm brooder

🧺 Brooder Setup for Poults

  • Temperature: 95°F the first week, drop by 5°F each week

  • Feed: Turkey starter (higher protein than chick feed, around 28%)

  • Water: Shallow dish with marbles to prevent drowning

  • Space: Poults need more room than chicks as they grow faster

They’re more sensitive than chicks, so keep stress low and monitor closely!

💡 Turkey Tips from the Mini Farm

  • Always wash your hands before handling eggs or poults

  • Label your eggs if you’re hatching different breeds

  • Don't mix turkey poults with chicks at first—turkeys are more fragile and need higher protein

  • Consider using a wet hatch method if you’re in a dry climate (slightly higher humidity throughout)

🦃 Final Thoughts: From Egg to Flock

Hatching turkeys isn’t just a fun farm project—it’s a rewarding experience that teaches patience, care, and the beauty of new life. Whether you're growing your Thanksgiving dinner, building a heritage breed flock, or just obsessed with fluffy poults (guilty!), this journey is something special.

Need fertile turkey eggs or want to see what we’ve got hatching this season? Message me to get on our poult waitlist!

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