1st Eastern Wild Turkey egg laid today,I moved it was that OK?

[chicks and hens2]

Hi all,

I am very new to "turkeydom". We have 3 Eastern Wild turkey hens ( and one Jake) that are 1 to 1- 1/2 yrs old. One of them laid an egg today, our first one! We only got these turkeys about 1 and a half weeks ago.
Anyway, We saw the egg just laying on the dirt so I picked it up and put it in the nesting box where I want her to lay inside their hoop coop. If I had left it there out in the open I am sure something would have carried it off.
She hasn't laid on it so how long should I leave it in the box before removing it(so it doesn't rot)
Was moving it a bad thing? if so, I won't do that again.I guess I could just cover it with something.
Right now they are temporarily in our soon to be garden area so I don't really want her making a nest there.It is possible that this egg is NOT fertile,I presume in which case would she just abandon it anyway?
Also,
Have many questions o they just lay part of the year or all year like chickens.
on a previous "egg" posting someone mentioned they moved their "Tom" away from the Hen, wondering why??
Thanks for any help you can give me

 

[markb816]

Leave it in the nest. It's a hint to the hen that the egg is safe there. And may help her decide that this is where she will nest. But that instinct will kick in anyway. Is this your hens 1st egg ever? In other words, was she born last spring? If so, sometimes it takes a while for the mommy thing to kick in. You will see the first few eggs just randomly about. As if she just drops them anywhere, which usually happens. Its also common for her 1st egg to be at night. and then you see it in the morning. A few more eggs and instinct will start kicking in. Then she will start producing more and laying them in a more central location. The more eggs come out, the more comftorable she feels about laying on them. Rain and dampness is bad, especially when the turkey chicks are born. Make sure the nest has absolutely no contact with outside moisture from weather conditions. Turkey hens are great mothers and very protective. No matter how domesticated she is, ultimatley it is up to the hen and her personality on how much she will let you interact with her and the process.
I hope this helps.

 

[markb816]

turkey hens usually only lay in the spring. Unlike most chicken hens.
A tom only has one thing on his mind and its not being a responsible dad.
Tom's can easily crush the eggs or try to mount the hen while she is sitting on the eggs. Either way this can be very risky to the eggs and stressful to the hen. Once the hen starts to sit on the eggs, broody, then she should be left alone, if at all possible.

 

[markb816]

to clarify, move the egg you found to a nest that is safe dry, and protected. A nest that mother hen will know and be familiar with. If she lays eggs randomly, collect and put in the same nest. Only if she is spitting out eggs randomly all over the place, which usually happens at first. If she has a bunch of eggs together and starts sitting, wherever that spot is, is where eggs are going to call home and it will be more of a challenge to move at that point.

 

[Celie]

turkey hens usually only lay in the spring. Unlike most chicken hens.
A tom only has one thing on his mind and its not being a responsible dad.
Tom's can easily crush the eggs or try to mount the hen while she is sitting on the eggs. Either way this can be very risky to the eggs and stressful to the hen. Once the hen starts to sit on the eggs, broody, then she should be left alone, if at all possible.

That depends where you live! Further down South, where I live, turkeys will start laying in December and continue on until their fall molt starts!

 

[markb816]

Very true Tickfawl. Lucky you! One of the advantages of warmer weather in LA compared to here in Middle TN! I bet you get alot of turkey eggs in that kind of time frame! Either way, you'll have to agree that turkeys do not lay year round. Thanks for the clarification.

 

[chicks and hens2]

Thanks everyone the information was very helpful

 

[chicks and hens2]

That depends where you live! Further down South, where I live, turkeys will start laying in December and continue on until their fall molt starts!

I live in the Pacific Northwest in (Washington state)

 

[chicks and hens2]

She is our first turkey hen.We just got her 2 weeks ago.Her former owner thought she might have been laying (or one of the other hens I bought at the same time) but when she separated them from the rest of her huge flock of various types of fowl and poultry she hadn't laid in those 2 weeks.
I have not seen my Jake try to mate and if, like the chickens, they don't mate when it's dark, so don't know if the egg is fertile. I suppose a Tom could have mated with her, but he was a Narranganset at the other place.
I am not sure which one laid it,but it was laid around 6:00 PM. She did not lay another egg today, so I'll keep an eye out. I put the egg in the big "dog" kennel that is in their coop, which they roost on top of. I put it in with some dried grass clippings around it. NOT sure if she knows it's in there.Do they smell it or sense it or she'll just know it's there if she will actually go inside the kennel?Dumb questions I know, But like I said, I'm a newbie

Do the rest of you "turkey people" close your turkeys in a coop for the night?

 

[chicks and hens2]

Thanks, I'll do that!