Do Toms Normally Hang Around Nest? Hen Is Missing.

[melanie]

I have a pair of Rio Grande turkeys. They free range all day with the chickens and guineas. Everything goes to the barn to roost at night. We are far from roads or other neighbors and have lots of places for a hen to hide. I have never noticed my hen missing for very long. She normally hangs in the yard right near the house all day, then goes to the barn (about 100 yards away) to roost at night. I can't find her today. The tom is in the yard with the chickens. If she is nesting somewhere, would he be checking on her, or hanging around the nest?

 

[R2elk]

I have a pair of Rio Grande turkeys. They free range all day with the chickens and guineas. Everything goes to the barn to roost at night. We are far from roads or other neighbors and have lots of places for a hen to hide. I have never noticed my hen missing for very long. She normally hangs in the yard right near the house all day, then goes to the barn (about 100 yards away) to roost at night. I can't find her today. The tom is in the yard with the chickens. If she is nesting somewhere, would he be checking on her, or hanging around the nest?

One of the reasons turkey hens hide their nest is to protect the eggs and themselves from the tom. If the tom finds the nest he will take the fact that the hen is laying down and assume that is permission to breed her. It is an unwanted breeding attempt which the hens attempt to avoid often ending in broken eggs and an injured or dead hen.

Hopefully your hen has a well hid nest. Until they go broody most hens don't take very long to lay their egg and leave the nest in order to keep it well hidden. One of the problems with a well hidden nest is always the possibility of a predator finding the hen on the nest. If everything goes well however, you may see her showing up in about a month with newly hatched poults.

Good luck.

 

[melanie]

Thank you!!!