Turkey Egg Incubation Calculator
Turkey eggs hatch after about 28 days (Mississippi State University Extension), normally between 27 and 29 days from the start of incubation. A typical clutch is 10-14 eggs.
Turkey egg incubation calculator
Expected hatch date
Saturday 5 December 2026
Earliest
4 Dec 2026
Latest
6 Dec 2026
0 of 28 days elapsed
A turkey does not have a gestation period. Birds do not carry developing young inside the body: the female lays an egg and the embryo develops inside that egg, outside her, warmed either by a sitting parent or by an incubator. The correct term is incubation, and it is measured from the day the eggs are set or the parent begins sitting, not from mating and not from the day the first egg appears.
Key turkey incubation facts
- Turkey eggs hatch after about 28 days of incubation, with a normal range of 27 to 29 days.
- A typical clutch is 10-14 eggs.
- Incubation only starts when the eggs are sat on or set, which is often days after the first egg is laid.
- Poultry eggs are usually set in an incubator at 37.5°C and 55% humidity, with turning stopped a few days before hatch.
How to count the days
Day one is the day the eggs go into the incubator or the day a parent starts sitting continuously, not the day the first egg was laid. Eggs can be held for up to a week before setting without much loss of hatch rate, and holding them keeps the clutch hatching together. Stop turning around day 25 and raise humidity for the final days. If nothing has happened by day 31, candle the eggs before discarding them: a cool incubator can delay a hatch well past the average.
What incubator settings do turkey eggs need?
Turkey eggs incubate for about 28 days at 37.5°C (99.5°F) in a forced-air incubator. Keep humidity around 50–55% for the first 25 days, then raise it to about 65–70% for the hatch. Turkey eggs are larger than chicken eggs, so check that they fit the turner trays.
When should you stop turning turkey eggs?
Turn turkey eggs at least three times a day and stop on about day 25. Moving the eggs to the hatching tray at the same time keeps poults from falling through the turner.
When can you candle turkey eggs?
Turkey eggshells are thick and speckled, so candling is easier from about day 10 than in the first week. A final candle around day 24–25 shows a dark embryo filling most of the egg and a large air cell. Remove any clear or blood-ringed eggs.
What should you do once turkey poults hatch?
- Leave poults in the incubator until they are dry, usually within a day.
- Brood them warm, around 35°C at first, and lower the heat by a few degrees each week.
- Show them food and water: dipping beaks in the water helps poults that are slow to start drinking.
- Use a high-protein turkey or game starter feed rather than ordinary chick crumb.