Bourbon Red Turkeys, several questions

[EP Rabbitry and Homestead]

Beginning in March 2022, I bought bourbon red turkey chicks from my local feed store. When they reached about the 6-month old mark, my hens started to lay eggs. This was in early fall, and we only got one once in awhile. By the end of October, we had collected enough eggs to incubate, which we did. Beautiful chicks hatched Thanksgiving weekend. The hens continue to lay, so we hatched out another batch on New Years Day.

Fast forward a bit, we kept 2 hens from each of these batches and rehomed the toms. Everyone stopped laying and the end of December, but picked right back up at the end of February. In the late spring/early summer, we were getting 3-4 eggs per day from 6 hens. They slowed up a little in August, but they are picking back up again. Also, during this time my tom lost all of his chest feathers from rubbing against the fence. They have grown back, only to have him lose his beautiful white tail feathers. These are being replaced by the darker brown feathers.

So my questions are:

1. I was always under the impression that turkeys only mated in spring, and hens will only lay a clutch of eggs, then begin sitting. Since I am taking the eggs, does this cause the hen to lay more trying to get her clutch?

2. I have at least 2 hens that like to lay on eggs, chicken eggs, in the chicken coop in the chicken nest boxes. Turkeys and chickens free range during the day and the turkey hens can get into the chicken coup. This is not hurting anything, but I feel like my turkey hens have "gone broody?" If I lock them out of the chicken coop, I end up playing Easter egg hunt for all the eggs.The chickens are very put out that the turkey hens invade their space! LOL

I would like to add that I gave the turkey hen a clutch of eggs to sit on. They were turkey eggs. She sat on them for 1 day, then abandoned them for non-fertile eggs, which she will remove from the nest box it was laid in, and move it to a place more convenient for her.

3. I do have 2 hens that will lay in the turkey coup, occasionally with a chicken egg. Does the chicken think this is a new nest for them? I do occasionally find a turkey egg directly under the turkey roosting bars which leads me to thinks that the turkey is laying while on roost?

I have tried to research extensively on this, but all I find is what I already know. There is not a lot out there on turkey hen behavior. My tom is the stereotype of a turkey tom, except that he is sweet and loving. Only got mean to another tom at the beginning of mating season. Any answers is greatly appreciated! Pics of my crazy girls in question.

 

[R2elk]

Beginning in March 2022, I bought bourbon red turkey chicks from my local feed store. When they reached about the 6-month old mark, my hens started to lay eggs. This was in early fall, and we only got one once in awhile. By the end of October, we had collected enough eggs to incubate, which we did. Beautiful chicks hatched Thanksgiving weekend. The hens continue to lay, so we hatched out another batch on New Years Day.

Fast forward a bit, we kept 2 hens from each of these batches and rehomed the toms. Everyone stopped laying and the end of December, but picked right back up at the end of February. In the late spring/early summer, we were getting 3-4 eggs per day from 6 hens. They slowed up a little in August, but they are picking back up again. Also, during this time my tom lost all of his chest feathers from rubbing against the fence. They have grown back, only to have him lose his beautiful white tail feathers. These are being replaced by the darker brown feathers.

First since you are into turkeys, it is time to start using turkey terminology. Newly hatched turkeys are poults, not chicks.

1. I was always under the impression that turkeys only mated in spring, and hens will only lay a clutch of eggs, then begin sitting. Since I am taking the eggs, does this cause the hen to lay more trying to get her clutch?

Turkey mating and laying behavior is controlled by the amount of daylight there is. If you are providing supplemental lighting it will throw off their normal schedule. The farther south you are also affects their breeding and laying behavior.

Taking the eggs laid daily will prolong the period of time a hen will lay. My hens start laying in March and usually stop in October. I do not provide any supplemental light.

If I let a hen keep her eggs, she will go broody and stop laying while she is sitting. If I let her keep the poults and raise them, she may not lay another egg that year or she may start another clutch if she is through with her first clutch early enough.

If I take the poults away the hen will usually start laying again within a week or two.

2. I have at least 2 hens that like to lay on eggs, chicken eggs, in the chicken coop in the chicken nest boxes. Turkeys and chickens free range during the day and the turkey hens can get into the chicken coup. This is not hurting anything, but I feel like my turkey hens have "gone broody?" If I lock them out of the chicken coop, I end up playing Easter egg hunt for all the eggs.The chickens are very put out that the turkey hens invade their space! LOL

I would like to add that I gave the turkey hen a clutch of eggs to sit on. They were turkey eggs. She sat on them for 1 day, then abandoned them for non-fertile eggs, which she will remove from the nest box it was laid in, and move it to a place more convenient for her.

Each turkey will have its own quirks. You are demonstrating one of the many reasons why turkeys should be kept separate from chickens. If you don't mind the turkey being broody, replace the chicken eggs in her chosen nest with fertile turkey eggs. Do it over a period of time so she doesn't notice the big change all at once. Some turkeys really don't like their nests being messed with.

3. I do have 2 hens that will lay in the turkey coop, occasionally with a chicken egg. Does the chicken think this is a new nest for them? I do occasionally find a turkey egg directly under the turkey roosting bars which leads me to thinks that the turkey is laying while on roost?

Chickens are well known for making deposits where other eggs are especially if the other eggs are really big eggs. I had a turkey hen hatch out a chicken chick this year because I missed noticing the chicken egg in her nest.

Some hens especially new layers will drop their egg wherever they happen to be at the time the urge hits them. It is not uncommon for that to occur while they are on the roost at night.

 

[EP Rabbitry and Homestead]

First since you are into turkeys, it is time to start using turkey terminology. Newly hatched turkeys are poults, not chicks.

Turkey mating and laying behavior is controlled by the amount of daylight there is. If you are providing supplemental lighting it will throw off their normal schedule. The farther south you are also affects their breeding and laying behavior.

Taking the eggs laid daily will prolong the period of time a hen will lay. My hens start laying in March and usually stop in October. I do not provide any supplemental light.

If I let a hen keep her eggs, she will go broody and stop laying while she is sitting. If I let her keep the poults and raise them, she may not lay another egg that year or she may start another clutch if she is through with her first clutch early enough.

If I take the poults away the hen will usually start laying again within a week or two.

Each turkey will have its own quirks. You are demonstrating one of the many reasons why turkeys should be kept separate from chickens. If you don't mind the turkey being broody, replace the chicken eggs in her chosen nest with fertile turkey eggs. Do it over a period of time so she doesn't notice the big change all at once. Some turkeys really don't like their nests being messed with.

Chickens are well known for making deposits where other eggs are especially if the other eggs are really big eggs. I had a turkey hen hatch out a chicken chick this year because I missed noticing the chicken egg in her nest.

Some hens especially new layers will drop their egg wherever they happen to be at the time the urge hits them. It is not uncommon for that to occur while they are on the roost at night.

Thank you so much for the information! I realize my mistake in calling them chicks, when I advertise they are poults. Turkeys are very quirky and just when I think I have them figured out, they do something to throw me off again! We don't supply artificial light and are on the east coast where we have about 12-13 hours of daylight right now. I don't mind the broodiness; I just collect eggs more often to avoid a mishap like broken eggs. Thanks again for the info - this was very helpful!

 

[R2elk]

Thank you so much for the information! I realize my mistake in calling them chicks, when I advertise they are poults. Turkeys are very quirky and just when I think I have them figured out, they do something to throw me off again! We don't supply artificial light and are on the east coast where we have about 12-13 hours of daylight right now. I don't mind the broodiness; I just collect eggs more often to avoid a mishap like broken eggs. Thanks again for the info - this was very helpful!

At least one person's night light is what was throwing off their turkeys from normal laying behavior. Turned out it was close enough to the roost to be affecting them.