Turkey Eggs 7+ days overdue, but still alive?

Jrose

Songster
8 Years
Jun 6, 2013
497
127
181
My hatching-fiend turkey hen sat her first clutch of the year. 12 of 14 eggs have made it to hatch... kind of...

She went broody and I put eggs under her April 2nd. (I collect and store until they're ready to sit). She was technically due to hatch them April 29/30-ish. I've been fussing with the eggs and nest this last week, checking for poults almost daily.
I just candled again tonight, convinced I'd have to throw them all away; a few of the eggs look marginally iffy but don't smell- they're not obviously dead 'yet'. Others clearly have pulses and moving embryos. If I had to guess strictly by candling, I would otherwise guess they were about 5 days from hatch based on development.

But how is this possible? She's a sit-aholic and virtually doesn't leave the nest when she's broody. If she does, she's back on it in 5 minutes flat. She's a wonderful broody! I'm completely perplexed. There's no chance of eggs having been added to the nest and there have been no incubation upsets. My other broody turkey hatches have all had excellent and predictable hatch rates/times. Thoughts?
 
Last edited:
I am in the same situation, one of my RP hens has been sitting on some eggs for over a month, last night I checked and finally the eggs are piping. I don't know if it is because she used to get up and free range for hours before she went back to her nest.
 
I am in the same situation, one of my RP hens has been sitting on some eggs for over a month, last night I checked and finally the eggs are piping. I don't know if it is because she used to get up and free range for hours before she went back to her nest.

I had hens hatch out eggs on time this year that sat cold over night for several nights! (not in a row). She kept switching nests and I'd discover in the morning and have to bring eggs to her new nest. They all hatched out fine, maybe 1 day past day 30...
 
They started to hatch, I checked under her and I felt a few fluffy poults, here is one of them.
400
 
UPDATE!
All but 3 of the eggs have hatched last night! The last 3 feel like they're pipped. She's been sitting on them for 40 days! I have no idea how this is possible, but praise God!


wee.gif
jumpy.gif
ep.gif
ya.gif
yippiechickie.gif
 
Well, the 12th egg was a dud- it was the only one that looked 'really dead' when I candled earlier, and it was kind of poopy- normally the mussed eggs don't make it, I find. But! 11 healthy poults wobbling about! My beautiful mystery chicks!

The second mystery is why my sweetgrass tom and sweetgrass hen throw white poults...
 
Well, the 12th egg was a dud- it was the only one that looked 'really dead' when I candled earlier, and it was kind of poopy- normally the mussed eggs don't make it, I find. But! 11 healthy poults wobbling about! My beautiful mystery chicks!

The second mystery is why my sweetgrass tom and sweetgrass hen throw white poults...

From Porter's site.

Day old Sweetgrass poults

http://www.porterturkeys.com/SweetGrass Poults.jpg

Three week old Sweetgrass poults

http://www.porterturkeys.com/SG 3 wks.jpg
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom