Incubation and rearing young

In short

• Turkey eggs take 28 days, guinea fowl eggs 26–28. Temperature in a fan incubator 37.5 °C (99.5 °F).
• Store hatching eggs for up to 7 days at 12–15 °C (54–59 °F), pointed end down, and don't wash them.
• Turning stops 3 days before hatch, and humidity then goes up to 65–75 %.
• Brooder: 35–37 °C (95–99 °F) in the first week, then roughly 3 °C less each week down to about 21 °C (70 °F).
• Teach poults to eat and drink in the first days: dip the beak in water, scatter feed on paper, shiny objects catch their attention.
• Keets must not get wet: shallow drinkers with pebbles, no dewy grass in the first 6 weeks.

What's inside

Chapters

1. Turkey hen, broody hen or incubator
2. Hatching eggs: choosing and storing
3. The turkey hen as a broody
4. Guinea fowl and foster broodies
5. The incubator: setting up and conditions
6. Day by day and candling
7. Hatching
8. The brooder: the first eight weeks
9. Poults that can't find food and water
10. Problems in young birds, and sexing
11. Going out on the range
12. Common mistakes
13. Printable checklist

Worksheets

• Incubation diary
• Candling and hatch rate
• Hatching calculator
• Brooder diary
• Hatching and rearing calendar
• Shopping list and labels