Eastern Wild Turkeys in captivity?

[FowlKing]

hello, today me and my dad found 9 eastern wild turkey eggs in the pasture, we are incubating them and i would like to know how they act in captivity and when they start laying eggs, any extra info is appreciated, thanks!

 

[ColbyNTX]

They will be fine but it is illegal in most states to pick up eggs, have eggs or wild turkeys!

 

[FowlKing]

They will be fine but it is illegal in most states to pick up eggs, have eggs or wild turkeys!

i think it is legal to keep eastern wild turkeys in wisconsin, i also live in a county where a lot of wild testing was done on eastern turkeys, and it is legal to keep turkeys in michigan. but in the south it sounds illegal in most of the states to keep a wild turkey, we aren't going to sell, butcher, or release them anyways.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Wisconsin
29.354  Possession of game birds and animals.
(1)  Approval necessary. No person may possess or have under his or her control any game bird or game animal or the carcass of any game bird or game animal unless the person has a valid hunting license, sports license, conservation patron license, taxidermist permit, or scientific collector permit. This subsection does not apply to a person who takes possession of a bear, deer, or wild turkey under s.29.349 (2) (a) and who complies with the requirements under s. 29.349 (2) (b).
(2) Nests and eggs.
(a) Except as provided in par. (b), no person may take, needlessly destroy or possess or have under his or her control the nest or eggs of any wild bird for which a closed season is prescribed under this chapter.


You might want to talk this over with your dad. Perhaps a call to a local DNR game office might be in order?

 

[FowlKing]

Wisconsin
29.354  Possession of game birds and animals.
(1)  Approval necessary. No person may possess or have under his or her control any game bird or game animal or the carcass of any game bird or game animal unless the person has a valid hunting license, sports license, conservation patron license, taxidermist permit, or scientific collector permit. This subsection does not apply to a person who takes possession of a bear, deer, or wild turkey under s.29.349 (2) (a) and who complies with the requirements under s. 29.349 (2) (b).
(2) Nests and eggs.
(a) Except as provided in par. (b), no person may take, needlessly destroy or possess or have under his or her control the nest or eggs of any wild bird for which a closed season is prescribed under this chapter.


You might want to talk this over with your dad. Perhaps a call to a local DNR game office might be in order?

the hen abandoned the nest anyways. Life is better than no life, the eggs may not hatch anyways. we are doing the most humane thing, giving the eggs a chance to hatch and a chance at life. I love birds and I would do anything to save them.

 

[ColbyNTX]

I really don't care what you do with them but I was just saying you could get in trouble with the law and the fine is per egg. How can you be sure she abandoned them? She does have to get off to eat and drink. She also could have been eaten off the nest but not likely because they usually return for the eggs. The best intentions still won't get you out of trouble with the law. Can't say I wouldn't have done the same but just would have checked on the eggs for a day to make sure she was not coming back and wouldn't post about it on the internet.

 

[FowlKing]

I really don't care what you do with them but I was just saying you could get in trouble with the law and the fine is per egg. How can you be sure she abandoned them? She does have to get off to eat and drink. She also could have been eaten off the nest but not likely because they usually return for the eggs. The best intentions still won't get you out of trouble with the law. Can't say I wouldn't have done the same but just would have checked on the eggs for a day to make sure she was not coming back and wouldn't post about it on the internet.

i understand, but i think she abandoned them because they were lain right in the open, unprotected from predators, and a few years ago an eastern turkey hen laid a huge clutch and abandoned them, she never came back and they never hatched. i doubt they'll hatch anyways, if not, i'll buy some narragansett turkeys, we just thought we'd take our chances.

 

[booker81]

It's not legal in MI to take wild turkey from the wild.

That said, at the risk of the law coming after me, a friend of mine (who is the type to not give two hoots to laws), managed to take about a dozen wild poults he found. I took three from him.

They were the craziest, most neurotic creatures I've ever tried to care for. My brooder is a giant rubbermaid, and they spent all their time bashing their heads on the sides.

I moved them out to the coop in an enclosure, and one very hot day, they managed to knock over their waterer and spill it out, and then promptly died on me.

I have three mixed breed domestic type turkeys (hatched from the same friend who also lost all his wilds, and now sticks to random domestic breeds), and those three are thriving, are much less crazy and much easier to care for.

Stick with the domestics. If a wild hen abandons her nest at our cabin, I figure it's a good meal for another critter.