Management Measures During the Incubation Period in Turkey Farming

(1) Temperature: It is the most important condition in turkey incubation. Since the fat content and heat production of turkey eggs are both higher than those of chicken eggs, the incubation temperature should be slightly lower than that for chicken eggs throughout the entire process, and the temperature should decrease as the embryonic age increases. Turkey incubation can generally be divided into variable-temperature incubation and constant-temperature incubation. 1. Variable-temperature incubation: suitable for the mode in which all hatching eggs are set at one time, all in and all out. In the early stage of incubation, the temperature is slightly higher, and afterward, as the embryos grow and develop and generate their own heat, the incubation temperature should be gradually lowered to prevent overheating in the middle and late stages. 2. Constant-temperature incubation: suitable for the mode in which hatching eggs are set in batches.

 (2) Humidity: The humidity required by turkey eggs during incubation is relatively stable. The suitable humidity inside the incubator is 50%-60%, and the humidity inside the hatcher is 65%-75%. High temperature and low humidity both affect embryonic development, and high temperature with high humidity must be prevented. Low humidity causes more water in the egg to evaporate, which easily leads to adhesion between the embryo and the eggshell membrane and dehydration of the turkey poults; excessive humidity causes the poults to have large bellies and poor umbilical healing. The environmental humidity required in the incubation room is 75%. (3) Ventilation and air exchange: During the development process, except for the first few days, the embryo must continuously exchange gases with the outside, and this intensifies as the embryonic age increases. Especially in the later stage, when the embryo shifts from allantoic respiration to pulmonary respiration, the demand for oxygen becomes even greater. Embryonic death in the early hatching stage is largely related to poor ventilation. Ventilation and air exchange are closely related to temperature and humidity: good ventilation with low temperature means low humidity; poor ventilation means high humidity; and excessive ventilation makes it difficult to maintain temperature and humidity. Ventilation and air exchange are also greatly related to embryonic heat dissipation. Especially in the late incubation stage, embryonic development is more vigorous and produces more heat. If the heat cannot be dissipated, it will seriously hinder normal embryonic development and may even kill the embryos by overheating. Therefore, the averaging fan inside the incubator not only provides oxygen to the embryo and discharges carbon dioxide, but also makes the temperature inside the incubator uniform and disperses residual heat. Ventilation and air exchange in the incubation room is also an issue that cannot be ignored, and exhaust equipment should be provided. (4) Turning eggs: The main purpose of turning eggs is to change the position of the embryo, prevent embryonic adhesion, and promote amniotic movement. Manual or mechanical egg turning is less frequent than that of broody turkeys, because the purpose of egg turning by broody turkeys also includes regulating the temperature of the inner and outer egg positions. Manual egg turning is done once every 2 hours, turning 90 degrees each time. (5) Cooling eggs: In the late incubation stage of turkey hatching eggs, because their own temperature increases sharply, attention should be paid to cooling the eggs when the development speed accelerates, and even more attention should be paid to cooling the eggs in summer. Cooling the eggs can stimulate the embryos and adjust the development speed. The method is: open the incubator, push out 2/3 of the egg trolley, and when the surface temperature of the hatching eggs drops to 33°C, push it back in to continue incubation. Cooling eggs is not a mandatory incubation procedure and should be flexibly controlled according to the specific conditions such as embryonic development, incubation days, air temperature, and incubator performance.