How Many Days Do Turkey Eggs Take to Hatch?

For hunters, spring marks the beginning of the “turkey year” so let’s trace turkey activity through the year beginning in the spring.

The peak of the breeding season has already passed by the time the spring turkey hunting season opens April 15. Toms will breed with multiple hens throughout the spring and early summer. As the eggs develop, the hen will build a ground nest in a place with good cover and close to good brood habitat, which is normally an opening in the forest cover.

Once she starts laying eggs, a hen will lay one egg every 24 to 32 hours – taking about two weeks to lay a full clutch of nine to 13 eggs. In between laying eggs, the hen will focus on feeding and bulking up to withstand the upcoming incubation period.

Once all the eggs have been laid, the hen will incubate them, day and night, for about 28 days. Incubation is interrupted only for an occasional mid-day snack of protein-rich insects.

Newly hatched chicks – called poults – can walk shortly after hatching and usually leave the nest within 12 – 24 hours. After eight to 14 days, young poults can fly short distances and start roosting in trees.

If a hen loses a clutch shortly after laying, she can re-nest without having to re-breed because the sperm from initial mating remains viable for up to 30 days. Hunters seeing a newly hatched brood of turkeys in late August or September, might think this a hen’s second or third clutch. In fact, it’s more likely the hen has lost a brood and simply re-nested.

The biggest threat to a young turkey’s survival is within its first 10 days of life. If their down gets wet from rain, hypothermia is likely. They also are most vulnerable to predation by ravens, crows, hawks, skunks, raccoon, fox, coyote, bobcats and even stray cats.

For those interested in raising turkeys, an important question arises – how many days does it take for turkey eggs to hatch? The incubation period for turkey eggs can vary from 25 to 31 days depending on several factors. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about how long it takes for turkey eggs to hatch into adorable poults.

Overview of Turkey Egg Hatch Times

On average, turkey eggs take 28 days to hatch. However, the incubation duration can range from 25 to 31 days. This variance depends on elements like:

Turkey breed – Heritage breeds may take 1-2 days longer
Incubation conditions – Temperature and humidity levels affect development
Individual differences – Some poults develop quicker than clutch mates

While 28 days is typical, be prepared for hatch times between 25-31 days. Now let’s look closer at the incubation process.

Stages of Turkey Egg Development

Turkey eggs undergo an incredible transformation during incubation from fertilized egg to hatched poult. Here are the developmental stages

0-7 days – The embryo forms and heart begins beating. Egg is candled to confirm fertility.
8-14 days – Feathers, claws, beak develop. Egg starts receiving oxygen.
15-21 days – Yolk sac gets absorbed into body Hatching instinct activates
22-25 days – Yolk sac fully absorbed. Pipping begins through the air cell.
26-28 days – Poult uses egg tooth to pip around shell and hatch.
29-31 days – Any poults still hatching should fully emerge.

Monitoring these milestones ensures eggs stay on track developmentally during incubation.

Factors Impacting Turkey Egg Hatch Times

While the standard incubation period is 28 days, several elements can slightly lengthen or shorten this duration:

Turkey breed – Heritage breeds take 1-2 days longer than commercial broad-breasted turkeys.
Incubation temperature – Temperatures above or below 99.5°F lengthens incubation.
Incubation humidity – Levels lower than 45% RH can delay hatch time.
Egg handling – Excessive vibration, turning, or repositioning eggs can extend hatch.
Egg fertility – Low fertility causes delayed or failed embryonic development.
Egg age – Extremely fresh or old eggs may hatch slower or not at all.
Incubator issues – Malfunctioning incubators lead to improper conditions.

Paying attention to these factors helps ensure your turkey eggs hatch within the normal 25-31 day window.

What to Expect During the Hatching Process

Once poults reach the hatching stage after 25 days, these events occur:

Pipping – The poult pierces a hole in the shell, often in the air cell end.
Circling – The poult starts rotating inside the egg, poking bigger exit holes.
hatching – The poult fully emerges from the pipped egg after up to 24 hours.
Drying & resting – The wet hatchling dries off and rests before lifting itself from egg.
Absorb yolk sac – In the first days, the poult absorbs remaining yolk for nutrition.

It’s crucial not to interfere as poults pip, rotate, and hatch from their eggs. Patience leads to the highest hatch rates.

What to Do If Turkey Eggs Go Past 31 Days

While the normal hatch window is 25-31 days, some turkey eggs may fail to hatch by day 31. If this occurs:

Candle the eggs – Check for signs of live embryos still moving and pipping.
Assess incubation conditions – Review temperature, humidity, and ventilation.
Consider assisted hatching – Carefully pipping unhatched eggs may help viable poults.
Remove unhatched eggs – After 35 days, dispose of any eggs that haven’t hatched.

Going past 31 days with no hatch requires evaluating the eggs for problems and making adjustments to get the poults out!

Tips for Incubating Turkey Eggs

To help your turkey eggs hatch within the ideal 25-31 day window, follow these tips:

Maintain proper temperature of 99.5°F throughout incubation.
Keep humidity between 45-60% RH, with 65% ideal for hatching.
Turn eggs at least 3 times per day before the last 3 days.
Gently clean eggs before setting if dirty or soiled.
Candle at 7 days and again near hatch to monitor development.
Mark eggs with hatch date to track incubation days.
Avoid unnecessary opening or handling of the incubator.

With excellent incubation conditions, your turkey eggs should hatch successfully between days 25-31!

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are answers to some common questions about how many days for turkey eggs to hatch:

Can turkey eggs hatch as early as day 25?

Yes, it’s possible for some poults to hatch after just 25 days in the incubator. This is more common among heritage breeds.

Do turkey eggs hatch earlier if incubated at higher temperatures?

No, higher than recommended temperatures can negatively impact incubation and delay hatches. Ideal is 99.5°F.

Is it normal for turkey eggs in a batch to hatch days apart?

Yes, it’s perfectly normal for turkey eggs to hatch over a period of 2-3 days even in the same incubator.

Should I help poults hatch after piping if they are struggling?

Usually it’s best not to assist for at least 48 hours since the hatch struggle is important for development.

Can turkey hens still hatch eggs after 31 days of incubation?

If embryos are still viable, a broody hen may successfully hatch eggs past 31 days. But fertility declines the longer incubation goes.

How long after piping does it take turkey poults to fully hatch?

Turkey poults typically emerge completely within 12-24 hours after they first pip through the egg shell.

The Bottom Line

The average incubation period for turkey eggs ranges from 25 to 31 days, with 28 days being typical. However, several factors can influence exactly how long it takes turkey eggs to pip, rotate, and fully hatch into adorable poults. With excellent incubation conditions, most eggs should successfully hatch within this 25-31 day window.

how many days turkey eggs hatch

Winter flocks and migration

As summer progresses, hens and their growing poults will join other hens and poults. At the same time, mature toms form bachelor flocks, often of like ages. By winter, turkey flocks may grow to 200 or more birds.

As winter weather sets in, turkeys in low elevation habitats, such as valley floors, don’t need to migrate because the winter weather at these elevations is rather mild. However, at higher elevations where severe weather can put birds at risk, turkeys will migrate between lower and higher elevations as weather changes in the spring and fall. This is especially true in parts of central and eastern Oregon.

The number one killer of adult turkeys is prolonged winter storms, where crusted ice keeps them from finding food. But turkeys are tough, and can stay in a tree for several days, losing a good bit of body fat but still surviving.

Under ideal conditions toms can live up to five years (but more likely two or three), hens six to eight years. An eight-year-old hen is rare, however, and comparable to a 100-year-old person.