Turkey hatching

[NewBirdOwners]

I have been letting my turkeys have free range of the yard I have one male and one female. The female has disappeared for a couple of days reappearing once to eat and then disappeared for 3 days I just so happened to catch her crossing the road she evidently is slipping back home for food and has made a nest across the dirt road. We know where the nest is and was wondering can we move her back in with her eggs or should we leave her to hatch them in the wild? There are a lot of wild turkeys around us but I am afraid that a predator will get her since she is on the ground. But I don't want to disturb her if I shouldn't. Plus I'm afraid she will pop out on the road and someone would shoot her for food.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

More than likely she won't move. Your choices are to leave her or break up the nest. Most broody birds refuse to be relocated. They attach themselves to the nesting site, not just the eggs.

 

[NewBirdOwners]

Thank you for the quick response.... I will definitely keep a watch on her (daily) and hopefully she will bring her babies home and I will definitely keep a watch in the future and ensure she has a pen to have her babies in. I can't believe how attached you get to them. haha

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Wishing you luck, it would bother me too that she was sitting there.

 

[FLBOY2]

I bought my grandfather some turkeys a year ago and the last month or so they have been slipping off to go lay eggs. I bought a tracker called Marco Polo pet tracker and a medium dog harness. It supposedly works up to two miles and I haven't had any trouble with it, and it doesn't require any phone or operating services.

 

[BOrion]

More than likely she won't move. Your choices are to leave her or break up the nest. Most broody birds refuse to be relocated. They attach themselves to the nesting site, not just the eggs.

Well, guess that answered my question. I have one tom and two hens, one yr old. They are Rio Grandes. The hens have been laying eggs for at least a month now. One in the kidding barn, so there will be no privacy there; and one two fields over on the neighbors property. Haven't found the nest yet, but am concerned because it's unprotected. But I guess there is nothing to be done about it. Neither hen has begun sitting yet. Are the eggs still going to hatch if and when they do start to sit. A friend told me the eggs were only good for 10 days. Thanks. This is my first year with turkeys. Didn't realize just how different they are from chickens, but I love them.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I think I read that an egg kept at an optimal temperature can be viable for around 20 days, but the older they get the less possible it becomes. More likely when they start sitting the older eggs won't develop.