Can I put 2 babies under a setting turkey hen??

[jksranch]

I hatched just 2 babies in my last setting of eggs. I have a brooding hen that has been setting for at least a month. Doesn't leave the nest except to eat and drink. I don't know if she has any eggs under her that are going to hatch, they should have already hatched if I'm counting correctly. Will it be safe to put the 2 that are 2 days old under her tonight??? I would like to see how she does with babies also need to clear the brooder, have 10 baby ducks delivering sometime next week.

 

[kuntrygirl]

That's a tricky question. Do you know the exact number of days that she has been setting? Since it takes 28 days (and you said "at least" a month), those numbers are not too far off. There still is time for the eggs to hatch with that "at least" being thrown in there. I would check the calendar to get the exact hatch date before making the decision to put babies under her. If you would have said that it had been 35 days that she has been setting on the eggs, then I would say yes, but it sounds like the eggs still have a chance to hatch. It may be late hatchers. If you put the babies under her, she may think that her eggs have hatched and stop setting on the eggs when in fact the eggs are close to hatching.

 

[jksranch]

that's what I was thinking. I might be able to candle them to see how far along they are. Then make the decision how handle the babies.

 

[kuntrygirl]

I think that's a good idea. Do that and let's see what the eggs look like. Keep us posted. I hope they are about to hatch, so that you will have babies.

 

[jksranch]

went out to candle turkey eggs. The hen nailed me good on the arm. Can't candle the eggs but do know she has lost over half the eggs she was setting on, possible snake. I killed 2 large ones this week in the chicken pen next to the turkeys. Think I'll just keep the babies in the house.

 

[kuntrygirl]

OUCH!!!! I know how it feels to get nailed by a turkey. It hurts !!! Sorry to hear about the egg lost. Snakes are creepy!!! Glad that you killed the ones that you found.

Good idea to keep the babies in the house. You wouldn't want a snake to get them.

 

[Mykee]

That snake doesn't sound like good news for anything small hatching. Hopefully those two were the only ones. When my turkeys hatched poults, they trampled them for some reason. We normally had to take the poults away so they wouldn't be trampled. I don't know if your hen has hatched chicks before, but something to keep in mind.