Nest sharing with a goose.....

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FarmGirlPam

FarmGirlPam

Chirping
7 Years
Mar 9, 2016
15
1
84
Lower Alabama
My husband and I have had chickens for years, we've added turkeys to our flock and they all get along fine. This year we have added geese and ducks. This time of year they are all laying. My concern is my turkeys (I have to females) and my one female goose are all laying in the same nest. I even saw the two turkeys in the nest at the same time today. I watched my goose to see her reaction to the turkeys in her nest, she didn't seem to mind. Of course the turkeys were laying there first. My concern is when they actually start sitting. Should I move the turkey eggs to another nesting spot and if I do will they go to the new nest? They are laying in a place we made for the goose that is a half of a plastic barrel full of hay and has a cover. I have two more made and was thinking of putting the turkey eggs in another one and showing it to the turkeys......

We have an acre lot fenced with woven wire and inside that we have a large chicken/turkey house that has a smaller lot fenced that is attached. We let the chickens and turkeys out so they can roam around the acre lot. Also inside the are lot is a small pond where my geese stay. We have a large pond outside the fenced area where the ducks stay, but the geese seem to like to stay in the acre lot. So we have three of the half barrel for nesting thinking each turkey and the goose would use one, but all are using the same one.

Any help or suggestions would be great.

Thanks!
 
FarmGirlPam said:
My husband and I have had chickens for years, we've added turkeys to our flock and they all get along fine. This year we have added geese and ducks. This time of year they are all laying. My concern is my turkeys (I have two females) and my one female goose are all laying in the same nest. I even saw the two turkeys in the nest at the same time today. I watched my goose to see her reaction to the turkeys in her nest, she didn't seem to mind. Of course the turkeys were laying there first. My concern is when they actually start sitting. Should I move the turkey eggs to another nesting spot and if I do will they go to the new nest? They are laying in a place we made for the goose that is a half of a plastic barrel full of hay and has a cover. I have two more made and was thinking of putting the turkey eggs in another one and showing it to the turkeys......

We have an acre lot fenced with woven wire and inside that we have a large chicken/turkey house that has a smaller lot fenced that is attached. We let the chickens and turkeys out so they can roam around the acre lot. Also inside the are lot is a small pond where my geese stay. We have a large pond outside the fenced area where the ducks stay, but the geese seem to like to stay in the acre lot. So we have three of the half barrel for nesting thinking each turkey and the goose would use one, but all are using the same one.

Any help or suggestions would be great.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
Simple answer, no they will not move to the new nest. If you want them to abandon the current nest, just keep taking all of the eggs away and they will decide to find another nesting place. Unfortunately their next nesting area may also not meet your approval and may not be as easy to find.
 
One year one of my turkey hen had a nest in the woods, I took all her eggs from there and moved them to the new pen. I carried the hen to the new nest. Once she saw the eggs, she went right into the nest. Right now I have three hens, one is broody sitting in a clutch of fake eggs and two still laying. I have fake eggs in their nest boxes so they know that they can lay their egg there. So far I have not had a problem with them laying eggs where the broody hen is sitting.
These are the nest boxes I built for my turkeys last year. I had two of the boxes blocked with wire so the chickens stayed out .

 
R2elk said:
Simple answer, no they will not move to the new nest. If you want them to abandon the current nest, just keep taking all of the eggs away and they will decide to find another nesting place. Unfortunately their next nesting area may also not meet your approval and may not be as easy to find.
Click to expand...
I guess I have high standards of approval. I want my hens to have their own nest in a safe environment.
 
Well I decided to move the goose eggs to a new nest. Did that first thing this morning, this afternoon I went to check on her after she watched me move them......this is what I found :)
 

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