Anyone ever heard of a turkey hatching a duck egg??

[southern oaks]

I have one turkey hen that runs to my chicken house everyday to cover all my eggs before i can get to them. I have to literaly take her off the boxes to get my chicken eggs. this has been going on for a couple of months. Do you think she can successfully hatch duck eggs, since she is so determined to sit on eggs?? any info would be great.. thanks

 

[kangababy]

I have never tried that but Chickens can hatch turkey and ducks eggs so I wouldn't see why not. my only concern would be her size being on smaller duck eggs.
My Turkeys went broody and you can't get within 5 ft of them and they are ready to attack!

 

[chickenzoo]

My turkeys have hatched ducks, peachicks, chickens and poults. One person told me no way that they could hatch ducks because of the lack of moisture.... But m y turkeys like to go stand in the water trough from time to time, and they've hatched a lot of ducks.

 

[afeatherfan]

I got silkies and bantam and they hatch out everything for me call ducks
peacocks turkeys.I use them as my incubator..
The best mommies ever.

 

[southern oaks]

Quote:
Mine lets me take her out of the box everyday so I can make sure she is eating and drinking. But she goes right back to where the boxes are and waits patiently for someone to lay an egg she can claim. I know it sounds crazy. She had started laying eggs before this and quit when she decided to adopt every other hens eggs. I might put some domestic eggs in there and give her a try.

 

[southern oaks]

Quote:
The size does concerm me also. But she has claimed some guinea eggs in the past so I would think they would be about the same size, am i correct? I didn't let her hatch them. Maybe letting her sit on the guinea eggs and a few domestic duck eggs for a couple of weeks and get them going and put them in the bator,, I am just not sure . But thanks for the reply.

 

[kangababy]

Quote:
The size does concerm me also. But she has claimed some guinea eggs in the past so I would think they would be about the same size, am i correct? I didn't let her hatch them. Maybe letting her sit on the guinea eggs and a few domestic duck eggs for a couple of weeks and get them going and put them in the bator,, I am just not sure . But thanks for the reply.

I am not sure on teh size of guinea eggs but I know some of my waterfowl/duck eggs are very small and I won't even let the Cochins sit on the only the Silkies. I guess that is the difference though. I have domestic and ornamental waterfowl and teh size of the egg varies greatly. My duck aggs can be just alittle bigger then a golfball to some of them are the size of a quarter depending on the bird. I know the domestic lay a pretty big egg though, though I have not been succefful at gettng them to lay on eggs. Last year they literally dumped all of them in the water at teh edge. This year I have two that are sitting on big nest and I hope they hatch, even though I am not looking forward to trying to catch them!

 

[kangababy]

Quote:
Mine lets me take her out of the box everyday so I can make sure she is eating and drinking. But she goes right back to where the boxes are and waits patiently for someone to lay an egg she can claim. I know it sounds crazy. She had started laying eggs before this and quit when she decided to adopt every other hens eggs. I might put some domestic eggs in there and give her a try.

I think you will be okay. I might worry more when they were born but ducklings are about the same size as turkeys.

My hens won;t let me get close to them. I have 2 taht were laying really good and I was getting 20+ eggs a week out of that pen. Then they went Broody and are sitting on two different nest and I won;t get within 5 feet of them. They blow up like big balloons and hiss at me. They both seem to be sitting on about 20 eggs so hopefully they will hatch them. My other pen that only has 3 hens (blue slates) and 1 tom (bourbon red) lay about 10-12 eggs a week. We didn't think they were breeding but I was wrong because one of my cochins who had been sitting on turkey eggs hatched one out.. It was red as can be and confused me for alittle while

 

[southern oaks]

Update: I gave the turkey 2 domestic duck eggs to try. Well she left them and went to the chicken eggs again. So no success. She has her preference to the chicken eggs I guess. On an upbeat note. I hatched 9 domestic duck eggs ( sweedish,cayuga) and 5 wood ducks in the bator.

It was my first try on incubation. Now I have pulled all my wood ducks eggs and just praying that I can have success in these. my Mandarins and my hottentots are doing nothing but eating and swimming. NO eggs

Hope there is still time to get some. I did move them into the new aviary late and was told his could effect my laying season. Thanks for all the comments and advice.. I love this site.........

 

[jene149]

yes, my turkey she hatched them, the only broublem you will run throught is: the comunucation ,it will take them couple days to understand her . She will follow them instead of them following her , the best way to keep them inside of the pine four couple days tillthey undrestand her .