Please tell me these will be turkeys?!

[Mariella posey]

My tom turkey died 3 months ago and my hen turkeys are living with roosters. For the last three months none of the eggs have been firtile (tested by putting them in the incubator for a week) we stopped trying 2 weeks ago as NONE of the eggs ever developed babies. Well I found one of my Muscovy hens sitting eggs, I was taking anything that wasn't a Muscovy egg including some turkey eggs. I candaled everything I got from her and one of the turkey eggs had a baby in it!!! 3 of the others looked like they might have babies as well. Is it possible they are still full turkeys? The Muscovy only just started setting a week or so ago and the turkey is laying an egg a day still.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Your turkey hens haven't laid fertile eggs since 2 or 3 weeks after the tom died.

 

[Huntmaster]

It is still possible for turkey hens to lay fertile eggs after insemination for 60 days.

My tom turkey died 3 months ago and my hen turkeys are living with roosters. For the last three months none of the eggs have been firtile (tested by putting them in the incubator for a week) we stopped trying 2 weeks ago as NONE of the eggs ever developed babies. Well I found one of my Muscovy hens sitting eggs, I was taking anything that wasn't a Muscovy egg including some turkey eggs. I candaled everything I got from her and one of the turkey eggs had a baby in it!!! 3 of the others looked like they might have babies as well. Is it possible they are still full turkeys? The Muscovy only just started setting a week or so ago and the turkey is laying an egg a day still.

 

[Huntmaster]

Also known that turkeys have had eggs grow embryos from unfertilized eggs.

 

[Aapomp831]

Also known that turkeys have had eggs grow embryos from unfertilized eggs.

??? This is not possible.

 

[Isadora]

Also known that turkeys have had eggs grow embryos from unfertilized eggs.

Really? How is this possible?

 

[Molpet]

Also known that turkeys have had eggs grow embryos from unfertilized eggs.

Yes but it's extremely rare. The poults are all males

 

[Huntmaster]

Really? How is this possible?

Parthenogenesis in turkeys. Just looked it up again and this is stated. Parthenogenesis occurs in turkeys through the doubling of haploid cells. Biologists have discovered the rate at which this occurs can be increased by selective breeding. Poults produced can grow viable toms indistinguishable from toms of more traditional parentage.

 

[R2elk]

??? This is not possible.

Parthenogenesis has been proven possible in turkeys. Even when bred specifically for this trait, the success rate was less than 2%. Beginning development was higher but actual hatching was that low. Any poults that were hatched were always male.

The study was done on Beltsville Small White turkeys.

Parthenogenesis in Eggs of a Beltsville Small White Turkey.

 

[R2elk]

Really? How is this possible?

It is possible because Turkeys are unique and much closer related to each other than any other kinds of poultry. There are some lower species of life that rely on parthenogenesis as their means of reproduction.