Cranberry IS a MOTHER!!!!! Questions on Turkeys Raising their Own

[SandyC]

I have had awful luck hatching my own eggs, so I decided to let my Bourbon Red Hen alone when she dissappeared. We found her nest and today,
I saw her, with POULTS!!!! They must have just hatched today or last evening. Now like I said, my experience has been terrible raising baby turkeys.
I want to go out and grab them and Cranberry and lock them up in a cage, but part of me says, wild turkeys do fine around here so maybe I should just leave it up to
Cranberry, leave her and hope for the best. What do you all think?

 

[WingingIt]

I know nothing about raising turkeys but wanted to say Congrats to you and Cranberry! (OK, and beg for some pictures.

)

 

[SandyC]

Anybody with answers?????

 

[One Acre Wonder Farm]

Will she be kept in a coop with the other turkeys? Do you have somewhere they can sleep where'll they'll be isolated from the others? Sounds like she's a first timer? Will they be ranging? How many poults does she have? How many other turkeys do you have? What kind of predators do you have?

 

[SandyC]

Apparently she had poults last year (I bought her in the fall. This is what the previous owner told me). She is free ranging, but I do have a place in my barn I could put her with the poults where I could keep her
separated from the chickens , but the would still be around. I know many here don't raise turkeys and chickens together, but I have never had a problem. I have the normal critters around, fox, racoon, skunks...etc.
I've only seen her from a distance, so I'm not sure how many she has and they could still be hatching possibly...there were 9 eggs, which must have taken several days to lay. She is hidden well under a tree with high
grass all around her. I have two other turkeys...a tom and another hen, who is out somewhere nesting too. I haven't found her nest yet. My guess is that she would be hatching in about 2 and 1/2 weeks. I also have
about 13 chickens that all free range. We have lots of wild turkeys around too.

 

[One Acre Wonder Farm]

Sounds like she could do it! If you can get them to sleep somewhere predator-safe at night, then let her have them

So much easier than raising them in a brooder and there is nothing cuter than a momma and her poults

 

[SandyC]

Thanks for your comments!