A century of Turkey talk 2000-2100.

[OneMountainAcres]

I have a question.  I have 14 eggs in the bator but I'd like to put a couple under my silkie who has been broody for quite  a while but I have no fertile chicken eggs for her.  How many could she sit on?  They are due to hatch on the 25th so I still have a bit of time to work through it all.  I thought MAYBE three but most likely two.  I also wondered if it would be best to keep the turkey eggs in the bator until they are closer to time to hatch to ensure viability or not.  I plan to move my silkie into a brooding area tomorrow to give her time to adjust to her new surroundings and perhaps put nonfertile eggs under her just to keep her broody until I know that she is settled.  No sense in wasting eggs. 

So, how many eggs would you give her of turkey eggs?  


Another question would it be wise to try to give more poults as they hatch?

The rule I go by when it comes to how many is how many can she cover and keep warm for at least 6 weeks. I had a tiny little OEGB who went broody but could only keep 2 LF chicks warm until they were old enough to be on their own.

Now, after she hatches, if you think she can handle more, you can introduce more to her. Best to do it at night and just slip them under. She should just take right to them.


Speaking of grafting babies... I'm getting desperate with Pebbles. She's getting skinny. She's been sitting for SO LONG and is so stubborn about it. I gave her 2 poults again today because I have a bunch and no orders at the moment. She's very happy with them but I'm going to have to supervise her really close. I need to make sure that she gets up and out of the nest. I could easily see her brooding herself to death :/

 

[JadedPhoenix]

Thanks for answering. I plan to move my broody tonight and see just how she takes to the brooder I have set up for the turkeys. I have large boxes from work and I will be using packing tape to keep them together while cutting a hole in the sides to let the poults go from one box to the other. The light will be in one box and the other boxes will be unheated to allow them to get cooled off when they need to. I plan put the nest with the hen in one of the cooler boxes. I figured that then she could be cool and any poult that she couldn't keep warm could go to the lighted box. If she doesn't take to the poults, I can then move her to a separate box or two. I can get as many boxes as I need.

 

[gevshiba]

The rule I go by when it comes to how many is how many can she cover and keep warm for at least 6 weeks. I had a tiny little OEGB who went broody but could only keep 2 LF chicks warm until they were old enough to be on their own.

Now, after she hatches, if you think she can handle more, you can introduce more to her. Best to do it at night and just slip them under. She should just take right to them.


Speaking of grafting babies... I'm getting desperate with Pebbles. She's getting skinny. She's been sitting for SO LONG and is so stubborn about it. I gave her 2 poults again today because I have a bunch and no orders at the moment. She's very happy with them but I'm going to have to supervise her really close. I need to make sure that she gets up and out of the nest. I could easily see her brooding herself to death

I had one do that last year. I didn't realize how thin she had gotten. I felt terrible about it.

 

[memphis]

I always worry about broodies. Hopefully Pebbles will take to the babies & get over the broodiness.

 

[duluthralphie]

I had a turkey hen do that too. It was the hen that would not give up setting on eggs. I eventually did lose her. I think she stole a nest somewhere in the woods and just went and sat on it until something got her or she starved.

Turkeys for being smart can be so dumb..

BTW Porter Figured out he can fly over the dog kennel fence. So I have two Toms in the dog kennel and Porter outside.


Coffee, before you go thinking your getting an Einstein turkey, remember it took him two days to figure out he could fly over a 7ft fence..

 

[R2elk]

I had a turkey hen do that too. It was the hen that would not give up setting on eggs. I eventually did lose her. I think she stole a nest somewhere in the woods and just went and sat on it until something got her or she starved.

Turkeys for being smart can be so dumb..

BTW Porter Figured out he can fly over the dog kennel fence. So I have two Toms in the dog kennel and Porter outside.


Coffee, before you go thinking your getting an Einstein turkey, remember it took him two days to figure out he could fly over a 7ft fence..

If a person is in a situation that the turkey does not need to fly for its own protection, clipping one wing does wonders. All of the ones that I have done this to seem to have forgotten they can fly by the time they molt and the feathers grow back. I haven't had to clip a wing on the same turkey twice. Nowadays with the older hens setting an example for the poults, I haven't needed to clip a wing in many years.

 

[duluthralphie]

If a person is in a situation that the turkey does not need to fly for its own protection, clipping one wing does wonders. All of the ones that I have done this to seem to have forgotten they can fly by the time they molt and the feathers grow back. I haven't had to clip a wing on the same turkey twice. Nowadays with the older hens setting an example for the poults, I haven't needed to clip a wing in many years.

I would not dare clip a wing here. I have too many critters that like to sneak in for a quick meal.

This is just for my convenience ( their staying in the kennel). He is a PITA on this. Besides he is moving on Sunday to Coffee's new farm. I am sure he will need his wings whole over there.

That is interesting they do not fly after they molt. I suppose I could tie a millstone on his neck.

 

[holm25]

R2elk none of my hens fly over the fence after a season of having their wings clipped. But they still fly up in the pine trees. Btw I am talking about chickens.

 

[R2elk]

R2elk none of my hens fly over the fence after a season of having their wings clipped. But they still fly up in the pine trees. Btw I am talking about chickens.

Agreed. Having a wing clipped does not have any effect on my turkeys roosting other than making their descent look really strange as they spiral down. It also didn't stop them from making escape flights from predators once their feathers grew back.

 

[gevshiba]

We have a flock of wild turkeys whose territory makes a semi circle around my coop/run. Last year there were 13. After our horrible spring monsoon last year, we're down to 7 - 4 toms, 1 jake and 2 hens. This morning I went down to feed and, as I rounded the corner of the neighbor's barn, I kept hearing this banging noise. I thought it was pretty early for the neighbor to be up. Nope, not him. His son's truck is sitting there with a shiny chrome bumper. You see where this is going. That tom was there for hours pecking and gobbling at his reflection. I had a good laugh. So did the neighbor when he went out. He thought he had a loose piece of tin, until he saw that turkey.