Encouraging a turkey hen to go broody

[ShadyHoller]

As I'm sitting here watching it rain, I start day-dreaming about spring, and with that comes ideas about hatching out turkeys.

My question is: how hard is it to convince a hen to go broody? We have three BR hens who will be a year old this spring. They have already surprised us with a few pullet eggs. Our two toms breed them, or at least love trying, so I think the eggs should be fertile.

I'd really like to get one of the hens to set on a clutch and raise the poults on her own, and I'm wondering if there's anything we should do to make it easier for the hens to develop broody instincts.

I've read a bunch of old threads here on BYC on this topic, so I have ideas for nest boxes, etc., but I welcome any suggestions anyone has.

Thanks!

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

Find the spot that they seem to like to lay in the the best and start marking the eggs layed and leave them there. once a hen starts to go broody then collect all the fresh laid eggs until you have a dozen to 18 eggs, switch out the marked eggs with the fresh eggs, wait 28 days and you are in the turkey poult biz.

By swapping the eggs out with fresh they will hatch at the same time. With a couple hens laying they will all end up laying in the nest and will have different hatch dates.

Steve