Broody Tom!

[Haida]

Avery is going to drive me crazy. He's back to trying to be broody... he spends all day sitting on my dud eggs (eggs I leave for the hens that say "HEY, LAY EGGS HERE!!!") but he gets up a LOT. Any time he hears a sound, he has to run off the eggs, gobble at it, then run back. My dud eggs are perfectly fine turkey eggs, they're only about a week old, so I'm not sure if anything is going to hatch from them or not.

I have tried using chicken eggs and fake eggs, but my girls are smart! They'll peek in the box and see "someone else's" eggs, so then they won't use it.

It's like he's babysitting the nest box. You silly bird, you.

 

[Haida]

Hey! You have a Pepper too! It must be a common name! Gerald kind of keeps everyone in line. He keeps the girls from fighting (or escalating into serious fights, I should say) and keeps Jeffery in line from picking on all of the other turkeys (he is the bully like your last turkey). However, as long as Gerald is within seeing distance of all of the turkeys, no one really acts up. The biggest trouble maker I have is my hen, Pepper, who is a huge bully to every one.

I think it is all in personalities of the toms. Gerald is the "police officer" like I said. I think you have to have one tom that is the protector. When it is not breeding time, Gerald and Jeffery hang out like buddies. It is crazy! Then, when I just had two girls, they would choose a boyfriend and hang out with them mostly. It was always Pepper and Jeffery, then Poppy and Gerald. During breeding time though, Jeffery is a bully and no one wants to be his friend (I do not blame them).

That was how I was told to do it. To leave a few eggs in the nest so the girls know where to lay at. I get about 2-4 eggs every other day for mine. I think toms go broody because it might be a natural instinct. Just like how some girls never go broody, maybe some boys just go broody (until they find out that they just aren't quite made for it). Gerald doesn't have time to go broody any more because he has so much to do. If he is crushing eggs, take some old dog houses (like these: http://img.diytrade.com/cdimg/563091/3805009/0/1210812451/plastic_dog_house.jpg ) and take the tops off of the bottoms. BAM! Two nesting areas! The boys do not go into these houses (they are slightly too big to fit into them comfortably) but the girls ABSOLUTELY love them! I have all three sizes. If you want, you can paint them to look more cute.

The funny thing about Pepper is... at first, I called her Penny! But she's definitely a Pepper... she's so spunky, just like yours! How awesome!! She used to be a bully, too, but she's mellowed out since she hit egg-laying age. Now she's second in command and spends all day copying my 'alpha hen', Bronwyn. I love their little hierarchies. Before I was introduced to turkeys, I would never have guessed they were like this. I like it, lol.

OMG. On my way home from work yesterday, someone had TWO of those exact doghouses on their curb FOR FREE. I did a little dance and took them home. They need a serious cleaning, though! I think they'll work perfectly! Thank for for that idea (and thank you, whomever left those doghouses out for me, hahahah).

What do you put on the bottom of the doghouses for them to lay in? I currently use hay, but I'm not sure if its the best thing or not.

 

[Mary in GA]

I was so glad to find this. I have a pair of Royal Palm turkeys and the lady I bought them from had other turkeys from them. She told me the hen was a good nester and mother. The first month I had her, she never laid an egg, but I figured it was just taking her time to adapt to her new home. She did finally start laying and was laying regularly, but wouldn't sit her eggs. She was also laying them all over the place, not in her nest. I researched nests for them and set her up a new one and she apparently liked it because she started laying her eggs there. She still wouldn't sit them though. About 2 weeks ago, I went out and the Tom was sitting them. He has been sitting them consistently since. I hope he'll see the job through!

 

[PalmRoyal]

Quote: My Pepper definably sounds like your Pepper. It is crazy! I wonder how popular the name Pepper is for turkeys, LOL! It is awesome to sit out with the turkeys and study them. I rescued a chicken (a light Brahma that we call our "Mini Palm" and it was ... interesting to say the least ... to see how they added him into their herd).

Since I collect my eggs, I do not put a lot in to the dog houses. Since all of my turkeys have lived "wild" before coming to live with me, I add anything. Grass clippings (that are completely dried out), hay, straw, shavings and sticks. They prefer the houses in partial sun, partial shade. I have some in full sun, some in full shade, then some in partial. Like I said, I do not add a whole lot of anything into them though. It is interesting to see which houses they all like the most, but they seem to like the house with nothing in it the best (weird). But I still offer them things to nest in just as a nice little option for them. I just use it sparingly to encourage them to love their houses even more.

That is AWESOME that someone left their houses out there for free, LOL! It was a calling. Recycled dog houses are perfect, cheap turkey houses and nest boxes.

 

[PalmRoyal]

I was so glad to find this. I have a pair of Royal Palm turkeys and the lady I bought them from had other turkeys from them. She told me the hen was a good nester and mother. The first month I had her, she never laid an egg, but I figured it was just taking her time to adapt to her new home. She did finally start laying and was laying regularly, but wouldn't sit her eggs. She was also laying them all over the place, not in her nest. I researched nests for them and set her up a new one and she apparently liked it because she started laying her eggs there. She still wouldn't sit them though. About 2 weeks ago, I went out and the Tom was sitting them. He has been sitting them consistently since. I hope he'll see the job through!

I wonder if this is more common in Royal Palms. Gerald, my dominant male, used to go broody when I had a nest box out and the hen would lay eggs in the nest boxes. Unfortunately, he weighed extremely too much and would crush the eggs. It is an interesting concept to maybe look into.
I have read that turkeys will not sit on their nests until they feel like they have enough eggs to justify sitting on it for 28 days. So, she might not sit on her nest for several day until she has a clutch large enough to justify it, then she will go broody and start to sit on the nest. That also makes it so all of the eggs hatch around the same time and all of the babies get to experience things at the same time (as opposed to having a baby hatch every day for several months and the mother not being able to leave the nest because there is several unhatched eggs still).

 

[Mary in GA]

Hi Palm Royal!
I may not have let the hen have enough eggs to think it was worth her while. I would leave 5 or 6 and then get frustrated and collect them. How many would you think the hen would consider enough? Anyway an interesting development today, the guy that goes up once a week to help with our livestock called and told me the hen has now made a nest right beside the one the Tom is sitting and they are now sitting side by side together. It will be interesting, we have raised pigs, goats and chickens, and my husband has raised cattle, this is our first experience with turkeys, right now I've decided to let nature take it's course and just watch!

 

[Haida]

Hi Palm Royal!
I may not have let the hen have enough eggs to think it was worth her while. I would leave 5 or 6 and then get frustrated and collect them. How many would you think the hen would consider enough? Anyway an interesting development today, the guy that goes up once a week to help with our livestock called and told me the hen has now made a nest right beside the one the Tom is sitting and they are now sitting side by side together. It will be interesting, we have raised pigs, goats and chickens, and my husband has raised cattle, this is our first experience with turkeys, right now I've decided to let nature take it's course and just watch!

My hen in my avatar (RIP Spangles!) laid 24 eggs before she sat on them. Turkey eggs stay good quite a long time (some say up to one week, but I've read you can hatch eggs that are over two weeks old) so I would just let her do her thing. That's so cute that they're sitting side by side!

Also, what part of GA are you in? I used to live in Dahlonega, Alpharetta, Marrietta... my grandfather used to live in Ellijay.. it's so pretty up there... and I do NOT believe how much I miss boiled peanuts!

 

[Haida]

Avery's swapped nests again. He was doing very well on his last one, had about 6 that were still very clean and unbroken and about a week into incubation... but he abandoned them for the hen's new nesting box (the doghouse). He left them on Friday night, I didn't know until Saturday morning... so I candled his abandoned eggs and they look like they had died (blood rings

). I had a very heated conversation with him about it, lol... but he's more determined than ever to hatch some. He no longer parades around when he hears someone coming, he just sits on his nest and gobbles. Lol. I gave him all that I have (about 14 eggs) so I'm hoping he won't leave these. I need to put more bedding down, he broke two of them yesterday.

I set up other nesting boxes for the hens away from Avery/out of his sight, but the hens won't use them. They just impatiently stomp around him and his box and then swarm it when he gets up. So I put up a temporary wall around the nesting box they are using, and I'm hoping this will prevent him from wanting to be where all of the action is. So far, the hens are doing what they should be doing.

My broody hen is due next week, so that will free up another nest. I never thought it would be this crazy.. having a broody tom.

 

[Mary in GA]

Haida,
Well, my Tom is still sitting, but he got up when I was in there this weekend and he's only sitting on 2 eggs, which really disappointed me because I thought he had 4 or 5. Maybe he broke a few, I don't know. He needs more bedding too, so I need to take care of that. The hen is no longer sitting any beside him, just walking around non concerned. By the way, I am in the Augusta area. I can only imagine how much you must miss boiled peanuts, I sure would! Pork skins too!!!

 

[PalmRoyal]

My hen in my avatar (RIP Spangles!) laid 24 eggs before she sat on them. Turkey eggs stay good quite a long time (some say up to one week, but I've read you can hatch eggs that are over two weeks old) so I would just let her do her thing. That's so cute that they're sitting side by side!

I hear that it is really common that they do not sit until there is around 20 eggs. Mine will start going broody when there is only a 5-10 eggs, so I collect some for incubation, then let them sit on some.

Hi Palm Royal!
I may not have let the hen have enough eggs to think it was worth her while. I would leave 5 or 6 and then get frustrated and collect them. How many would you think the hen would consider enough? Anyway an interesting development today, the guy that goes up once a week to help with our livestock called and told me the hen has now made a nest right beside the one the Tom is sitting and they are now sitting side by side together. It will be interesting, we have raised pigs, goats and chickens, and my husband has raised cattle, this is our first experience with turkeys, right now I've decided to let nature take it's course and just watch!

Each hen is different. Poppy goes broody before she even hits her fifth egg in a nest. Pepper rarely goes broody. However, Posie and Pansy are broody right now with about seven eggs each. Penny helps lay eggs in Pansy's nest, but still is not broody (matter of fact, Poppy is no longer laying this year and is helping sit on eggs with the other two girls). Haida's turkey lays 20 before she starts to sit on the eggs. I am still VERY new to turkeys and still ask others for help every day, so I understand where you are coming from, LOL! Caroline, my first turkey, never really got to sit on any of her eggs because we always collected them. Turkeys are easy though and very fun.
If you want, you can try to do what I do and collect a few weeks worth of batches for incubation then allow them to sit on a batch. I feel it at guarantees me at least one baby turkey for the year.