CSI: Turkey Pen

[shedinator]

We've had our breeding trio of Narragansetts for a couple weeks now, and got our first egg two days ago. And maybe (?) our second egg yesterday. Now we have no eggs, and I'm trying to do some crime scene reverse engineering.

Last night, we were doing our evening rounds, and wife thought she saw a second egg. This morning, there was just the one - no shell, nothing. We weren't sure if she'd been mistaken, or if a rodent made off with it in the night (too early for snakes, and pen is too secure for anything bigger)

This evening, they started making a ruckus, so we popped out to see what the fuss was about and found half an egg outside the pen, blood on the wire mesh in several places, and a distinctly yellow tinge on the beak of Hiddleston, our Tom.

We inspected all three birds, and found blood on one Jenny's right wing and the other's left, but no evidence of any wounds.

So, what's the most likely thing to have happened? Should I be worried Hiddleston has developed a taste for eggs? Proud of them for showing some rodent who's boss? Or chalk this up to first time breeders making mistakes with their eggs?

 

[FredsGobblers]

I had a similar thing happen of finding eggs removed from nesting area and in the pen. After finding a broken one I removed my tom from the pen. No problem since. If you make the nest an area the tom can not get to your problem may stop. I believe @R2elk or @duluthralphie mentioned elsewhere a tom will destroy eggs to keep the hens in a breeding mood.

 

[R2elk]

We've had our breeding trio of Narragansetts for a couple weeks now, and got our first egg two days ago. And maybe (?) our second egg yesterday. Now we have no eggs, and I'm trying to do some crime scene reverse engineering.

Last night, we were doing our evening rounds, and wife thought she saw a second egg. This morning, there was just the one - no shell, nothing. We weren't sure if she'd been mistaken, or if a rodent made off with it in the night (too early for snakes, and pen is too secure for anything bigger)

This evening, they started making a ruckus, so we popped out to see what the fuss was about and found half an egg outside the pen, blood on the wire mesh in several places, and a distinctly yellow tinge on the beak of Hiddleston, our Tom.

We inspected all three birds, and found blood on one Jenny's right wing and the other's left, but no evidence of any wounds.

So, what's the most likely thing to have happened? Should I be worried Hiddleston has developed a taste for eggs? Proud of them for showing some rodent who's boss? Or chalk this up to first time breeders making mistakes with their eggs?

One of the problems that can occur when a tom has access to hens on their nests is that the tom will take the hen laying down as an invitation to breed. When the hen resists the breeding attempt, the tom gets dislodged from her back. This often causes eggs to get broken and hens to get injured or in a worst case the hen may get killed.

Hens have been known to carry broken eggs away from the nest and both hens and toms have been known to become egg eaters once they encounter broken eggs.

 

[duluthralphie]

I have an egg eating epidemic on hand here. If the weather ever turns spring like I will be moving my Tom out of the pens. Some rooster will reside in the freezer. The hens I have caught eating eggs will be moved to cages with roll-a-way boxes (hopefully they will use them).

The hens that I know do not eat eggs will be bunched together.

Make sure you have oyster shells for them, as lack of calcium can sometimes cause them to start eating eggs. Mainly it is an egg is broken they get the taste and one of them is smart enough to learn to break the eggs and then they all learn how.

I caught one RP hen waiting for a toad to lay her egg in the nest box, I was just outside the fence waiting for the egg too. The toad laid the egg and the RP hen reached under her with her head and ate the egg before I could get the gate open and get to it. That is how smart they can get.

 

[shedinator]

So you all think it was probably the turkeys?

I put a dog crate in there and will move any future eggs in to avoid him mistaking laying as an invitation. Also refilled their shell bowl and put some protein snacks out, just in case.

 

[shedinator]

quick follow up - One laid again this afternoon, and I moved the egg into the crate. Went out a couple hours later and someone had buried the egg in shavings, while the other hen was in the crate, chirping a lot before, I assume, laying the 2nd egg that's in there now. Does that probably mean she's accepted the new nesting area? Obviously we're gonna repeatedly either way, but I'm still learning how to read behavior. If it helps, the one who was laying was chirping a lot, which I think I read somewhere on here could mean she really needed to lay but hadn't found an ideal spot...

 

[duluthralphie]

Buried egg means she plans to nest there, in my book. Mine to that. I take all eggs and leave them 1 golf ball. too many eggs and they go broody.

 

[shedinator]

Buried egg means she plans to nest there, in my book. Mine to that. I take all eggs and leave them 1 golf ball. too many eggs and they go broody.

We're planning to let them brood their own, so that'll be fine by me, but if their boyfriend causes more problems, I'll use the golf ball as incubator bait.

 

[duluthralphie]

Move him to another pen. They have no need of him any more this spring.

 

[Lisa Florida chickMom]

How are you setting up waterers for the babies. Would love pictures of your setup. My hens eggs just started hatching and all of a sudden it dawned on me the babies can’t use the adults bucket watered.