Winter Hatch

Who in their right mind would put 60+ chicken eggs in their incubators in January? Unless, of course, they live in a milder climate. Well, this is exactly what I did over a week ago. The incubators are humming along keeping a fairly constant temperature. I’m turning the eggs 3 to 5 times a day, filling the humidity trays, and checking off the days on the calendar. Soon I’ll need to get my brooder room cleaned out and ready for the little ones.

I’m testing each incubator to make sure my IncuKit Upgrade was successful and I’ll have the best chance of hatching lots of turkey babies in a couple months. I have an untested breeding trio of heritage turkeys I’m hoping will provide plenty of young birds for the freezer this fall. Since turkeys only produce eggs reliably in the spring and early summer, I need to make the most of them. Every single turkey egg will be tucked into an incubator!

Now, mind you, I didn’t really need to put over 30 eggs in each incubator to test them. But you never know how many will hatch, how many will survive, and how many of those will actually be pullets! I hope to start collecting eggs from them in summer, and then I’ll put all of the old hens and extra roosters in the stock pot come autumn.

This is just one point in the cycle of life here on the homestead.

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