We Have Baby Turkeys!

See what greeted me this morning when I got up.










There are three hatched and some more have pipped but no action as of yet. I will be very thrilled if we only get these three. I have 15 more eggs slated to hatch on the 29th and seven goose eggs for a few days after that...that will be plenty. Plus, we have the 15 turkey eggs coming that we ordered. Also, I am going to fill up the incubator with all the other eggs that I have been gathering since I put these in. I have eggs from the Bronze hen to put in too. We have two Bronze hens but only one is laying. She started laying much later than the Palms did. I wonder if that is normal.

Here's my little guy!

I got to take some pictures while the third one was hatching. There was a hole but it was not all the way around yet. You can see where he was working his way around on the hole. The other babies were tripping all over it so I took them out and put them in the brooder so this one could have some peace and quiet.

See it's little beak poking out? After about an hour it finally pushed it's way out and started squawking.

It looks like a dinosaur!

It is so cool how they just popped off the tops of the shell. I numbered the eggs as I put them in so I could see if the ones I held longer would hatch. Also, I wanted to see if both hens were fertile. I was not sure if the one was laying down for the tom. For instance, I have two number two's, four's and eight's and maybe only one number six because one of the hens did not lay that day. If only one of any one number hatches thatn for sure she was not bred.

Here they are in the temperary brooder until we get the big one set up in the chicken house.

I can't believe how the month has flown by. I was looking at old posts and when I saw the one with the snow it seemed so surreal. The day I took that picture I thought spring would never get here and all of a sudden......BAM!... it snuck up on me. We have been so busy with spring maintence that I need to be still and enjoy. It seems that my mind has been racing. There are so many things I would like to get accomplished in these next few weeks.

We need to build a chicken tractor, get the brooder ready, finish the barn floor, build our plucker, get fish for the pond, order my turkeys (today!), finish trimming my dog, get ready for bonfire party on Saturday, get the garden going and on and on. We planted 100 hybrid willows and six blueberry bushes this last weekend. I couldn't walk for a day, my legs were killing me! Just ten more cherry bushes and we are done planting trees for now.

Phewwwww, now I can relax, I am not a failure at egg hatching! An update soon on how the final hatch turned out.

Happy, happy days,

Beth

Incubating Turkey Eggs!

I am so beyond excited! We are going to start some eggs in our incubator today. We have saved up 14 eggs and we will add any that are laid today. I am really afraid that some may have gotten too cold before we brought them into the house but it will be a learning experience that I will thoroughly enjoy. I have kept them in a box, covered with a towel, on the floor by an exterior door. This picture show 3 turkey eggs next to an Americana egg.

We do not have a basement so the only place that was cool enough was on the floor near the door. It is a little drafty so it is cooler than the room temperature so I was hoping it would work. I have done some research and it said that the eggs can be kept for a couple weeks in a cool dark place. Here is the incubator that Kevin gave me for my birthday. I will have to turn the eggs by hand two or three times a day. We have an automatic egg turner but it will not work for turkey eggs, only chicken eggs. Something about turkey's legs being hurt by standing on end through the incubation period or something like that. Not sure but I don't mind turning them. " And oh, by the way, lucky us!" (she said sarcastically) We got four, five or maybe even six more inches of snow last night. It is a record snow fall for the month of March for our area.

We left for work 10 minutes early this morning only to turn back when we realized we would still be late. The roads had not been plowed at all. Oh well, I got to come home and pay bills and blog, way better than working.
Lovey, lovely snow!

My turkeys have been fighting! We may separate them but for now we are hoping they will get over it. I took a video of them and have attempted to upload it and have it here so we will see what happens after I post this. Here's hoping it works!

They said warmer weather next week, mid to upper 50's. I'm really happy except I get to wade through poopy mud for a month or two, NICE!

We ordered six blueberry bushes (two each of three different varieties) and three bush cherry trees. I have never seen cherry bushes before but they say all kinds of good things about them. Can't wait.

Spring is coming....sob, sniffle...soon.

Here's to warmer weather dreaming,
Beth