Can you use a turkey hen to hatch chicken eggs?

[Fombellchicks]

Hi, I got my first 4 chicks this summer and now I have the chance to get a 4 year old turkey hen. She's been living with chickens her entire life and seems very protective of chickens.

Can I use the turkey to hatch out chicken eggs? How do I know that the turkey is broody? Will she take care of the little ones after they hatch? My other hens have not even laid an egg so I don't think they would be of any help.

 

[ricklo]

I guess you can. She should go broody after laying eggs, chirping all the time and wanting to sit on the nest overnight.
I will tell you though my 2 female turkeys are not good teaching mothers, so now I now put the turkey eggs under my chickens, even Banty's if broody (they are the best mothers). I also put in a few chicken eggs after 7 days so the baby chicks hatch at the same time and also teach the the poults.
They seem to teach the poults better, and the turkey poults seem much harder to raise. I lost 1 at 2 months and 1 at 3 months.
Hope this helps!