Do Turkeys need nest eggs?

[possumblossum]

I have six year-old Narragansett hens. Do I need put a couple of wiffle balls or something similar in their nest boxes to stimulate laying? Based on temp and length of day, I don't expect any activity for a month or so, but I'm trying to get everything ready.

thanks

 

[erinszoo]

I've never had to put anything in the nest. We have white hollands and ours always start laying before they are a year old. Our girls have been laying for over two months now pretty non stop. Are you up in elevation? Do you have a tom? Before we had a tom our girl only laid about twelve eggs, one every three or four days, that she immediately covered with straw. We only found them by accident or if we knew she had laid one. Once we got a tom, laying became a regular thing. If they free range or have a big yard, you might want to check around to see if they are already laying somewhere. They can be sneaky.

 

[possumblossum]

Interesting...what's your climate right now? I'm in East Tennessee and we're having one of the wettest winters in many years. The temperature is constantly in flux going from the low 60's to low 30's and back up every week since before Christmas. I work with a few guys who have raised Narri's before and they said their's always started around the first of March.

 

[kuntrygirl]

I don't think that you have to do that. My girls always lay without any fake eggs.

 

[Celie]

Turkeys seem to want a quiet, private place to lay. If you find yours laying where you don't want them to, I would definitely try the fake eggs! I had one last year lay in the brambles of a wild blackberry bush. Turkeys are creatures of habit, so try not to let them get habits you will have to break them of. Fake eggs may be an easy way to do this, before it becomes a problem!