How Many Days Is Turkey Incubation? Temperature, Humidity and Poult Care Guide

The turkey is a popular poultry bird on small farms for its large meat build and valuable poults. Its incubation settings are very similar to the chicken's; but the period is a week longer, and the real challenge begins after hatching: turkey poults are much slower than chicks to learn to eat and drink in the first days. In this guide we explain the turkey egg's incubation period, temperature and humidity, turning, the hatch period and poult care.

If you've read our guide to hatching eggs in an incubator, which explains the general logic through the chicken, here we'll focus only on what's specific to turkeys.

How Many Days Is Turkey Incubation?

A turkey egg hatches in 28 days. That's a week longer than the chicken's 21 days, but unlike the duck the turkey is not waterfowl; so there's no need for extra steps like cooling and misting. The incubation logic is the same as the chicken's, just on a longer calendar.

The period splits in two:

• Days 1–25: development period
• Days 26–28: hatch period

Temperature for Turkey Incubation

• Forced-air (fan) machines: 37.4 – 37.6 °C
• Still-air (static) machines: 38.0 – 38.5 °C (measured at egg level)

These are the same values as the chicken. Don't trust the machine's display — verify with an external digital thermometer.

Humidity for Turkey Incubation

• Days 1–25 (development period): 50%–55%
• Days 26–28 (hatch period): 65%–70%

As landfowl, the turkey's humidity needs are close to the chicken's; it doesn't need the high humidity or misting that ducks and geese do.

Turning and Candling

• Turning: 3-5 times a day, an odd number. Stop turning at the end of day 25. (Not day 18 as with chickens; because the period is long, not missing this date matters.)
• Candling: on days 8, 14 and 25. The turkey egg is larger than the chicken's and may be lightly speckled; still, the network of veins is usually visible — remove empty and non-developing eggs.

The Hatch Period (Last 3 Days)

1. Stop turning (at the end of day 25).
2. Raise humidity to 65-70%.
3. Don't open the lid. Humidity loss makes the poult stick to the shell.
4. Be patient; hatching is expected on days 27-29. Breaking the shell and getting out fully can take time — don't intervene.

The Real Challenge: Poult Care

The most critical part of turkey incubation comes after the hatch. Turkey poults are slower and less alert than chicks; they struggle to find feed and water on their own. So the risk of loss from not eating or drinking ("starve-out") is high in the first days.

• Teach them to eat and drink: On day one, gently dip each poult's beak in the water. Putting shiny marbles or beads in the feed and water draws their attention and teaches them to peck.
• High protein: Give turkey poults a special starter with 28% protein (turkey/game-bird feed); standard chick feed is insufficient.
• Heat: Keep the brooder at about 35-37 °C in the first week; poults are more sensitive to chilling than chicks. Lower it by about 3 °C each week.

The Most Common Mistakes

• Acting on the chicken calendar. Turkey is 28 days, not 21, and turning stops on day 25, not 18.
• Giving poults chick feed. Protein falls short; turkey-specific feed is essential.
• Skipping teaching the poults to eat. Beak-dipping and shiny feed in the first days are the most-neglected, most-deadly step.

Because the turkey's period and poult sensitivity differ from the chicken's, it's critical to track which day you're on and when to stop turning and raise humidity. The Kuluçka Takip app automatically sets the right calendar for each species (chicken, turkey, duck) and notifies you of turn-stop and hatch reminders. You can check out the app here.

Turkey incubation is as easy as the chicken's in terms of temperature and humidity; the real skill is raising the poult healthily after the hatch. Knowing the differences — the 28-day period, stopping turning on day 25, and teaching the poults to eat — is the key to success. For the general principles, see our chicken incubation guide.