Water needs to be added to the incubator to grow properly. The eggs need to be turned every 12 hours. When placing the eggs into the incubator do NOT wash them. Eggs naturally have a protective covering over the eggs to keep diseases out. Washing the eggs removes this. If the egg has some defecate on it, it will continue to mature without an issue. However if you have a bird that seems to like to sit you can put her in her own room away from the other birds and place fertile eggs under her. She will turn them twice a day and keep them properly warm and moist. It is ok if the eggs get a little cooler at night but the hen should stay on the egg most of the time. If the hen doesn't stay on the eggs try using a different bird. With Pilgrim geese be aware the they can become defensive around their eggs and young.

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When the Eggs Hatch

It can take up to 12 hours for the chick to come out of its shell. If you help it before the 12 hours are up you could injure the chick. A hatchling can survive 24 to 48 hours after it hatches without food or water. During this time it will be surviving off the nutrition it absorbed from the yoke. The first thing a newborn should eat or drink is sugar water. You mix 1 to 2 teaspoons to 1 cup of water. The chick might need to be shown how to drink. But once one chick learns how to drink/eat the others will follow. The chicks only need the extra energy from the sugar for the first 2 or 3 days. I only give the chicks food and water in saucers for the first few days. Reduces waste of food and prevents drowning. I give the chicks food as soon as they are dry or arrive from the shipper. After the first 48 hours I upgrade the food and water dish to the ones this the covers on them. These covers have oval shaped holes in them to let the chicks eat out of them.

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Feed

	Broilers	Layers	Geese	Quail	Guinea Fowls	Turkeys
Day1 to 4 weeks	Broiler Maker	Chick Starter	Game Starter	Game Starter	Game Starter	Turkey Starter
Week 4 to 8	Broiler Maker	Chick Starter	Game/Turkey Grower	Game Starter	Game Starter	Game/Turkey Grower
Week 8 to Adult*	Broiler Maker	Chick Grower	Game/Turkey Finisher	Game Starter	Game/Turkey Grower	Game/Turkey Grower
16 Weeks +					Game/Turkey Finisher
18 Weeks +		Egg Layer	Game/Turkey Finisher	Game Starter
22 Weeks +						Game/Turkey Finisher

*Adult age being one other three last boxes in the table.

Please note that the Quail could follow the same feed pattern as the Guinea Fowls if the pieces of food were small enough for them to eat.

Also the above is a time table to when I feed my bird what type of Agway feed. Please check with your local feed dealer for their feed recommendations.

Guinea Fowl tend to dump their feed more then other birds.

Geese need a feeder with a wide edge to prevent wasting of feed. Geese seem to have a harder time to eat small pieces of feed without wasting it.

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Watering

Type of Bird	Amount consumed*	Recommended Watering Type
Chicken	1 Gallon	Metal or plastic water fountain
Bobwhite Quail	1 Cup	Plastic water fountain
Broiler	3 Gallon	Metal or plastic water fountain
Guinea Fowls	1 Quart	Plastic water fountain
Turkey	3 Gallon	Metal or plastic water fountain

*The above amount is based on housing 10 birds for a 24 hour period. Please note that the amount consumed can vary depending on climate.

Guinea Fowls tend to not completely swallow their food in that's their mouths so the water needs to be changed more often and the container washed (with bleach 1:10 water) twice a week.

With my Geese I give them a large bucket of water that is deep enough to submerse their entire head. Geese are extremely susceptible to eye diseases if they don't wash their eyes regularly. Since I give them the large bucket it is hard for me to tell how much water is consumed and how much is used else where.

Quail require a waterer with a small drinking edge about 1/4 of an inch in width.

Wash Chicken, Quail, Broiler, Geese and Turkey waterers a least once a week with 1 part bleach and 10 parts water.

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Incubation Information

Bird	Temperature oF	Do NOT Turn After	Open Vent	Incubation Time (Days)
Broiler	100	18th Day	18th Day	21
Chicken	100	18th Day	18th Day	21
Geese	99	25th Day	25th Day	28-34
Bobwhite Quail	100	30th Day	20th Day	23-24
Guinea Fowls	100	25th Day	24th Day	28
Turkey	99	25th Day	25th Day	28

Appropriate Housing

When building a poultry or fowl house it is a good idea to think ahead. With chickens it's a good idea to get new chickens or replace chickens every year to maintain maximum egg production. Therefore you might want to plan a house large enough to hold twice as many birds that you want in your primary herd. Three square feet per bird is a good size standard to go with for broilers, chickens, geese, and guinea fowls. Five square feet per turkeys. As for bobwhite you can breed them in an area of 24 inch. x 30 inch.. For example for chickens a 6 foot by 8 foot house would hold 16 birds. I use pine shavings for bedding for my birds. I start with a thin layer of lyme on bottom, this keeps that smell and moisture down. Then I put about 2 inches to 4 inches of shavings. And then I put a thin layer of garden and animal dust on top. This dust reduces the amount of "fur" mites. It just makes the rabbits happier being in the next room and the chickens don't seem to mind. With the poultry and fowl I change the bedding as soon as it starts to produce heat or feels wet to the touch. As for the turkeys and broilers I change the bedding every week. I do not use the garden and animals dust the last two weeks before I butcher the turkeys or broilers.

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