Give her chicks?

[mowgli]

My royal palm has been sitting on five eggs now for over fifty days.We had a late freeze and I believe they will not hatch.She is pitiful.She gets off the nest once in the morning to eat.I ordered turkey chicks that are arriving next week.When she gets off the nest if I take the eggs and put the chicks there will she care for them?

 

[R2elk]

My royal palm has been sitting on five eggs now for over fifty days.We had a late freeze and I believe they will not hatch.She is pitiful.She gets off the nest once in the morning to eat.I ordered turkey chicks that are arriving next week.When she gets off the nest if I take the eggs and put the chicks there will she care for them?

Newly hatched turkeys are poults. Turkeys are not like chickens. I do not recommend trying to put poults under a turkey hen.

You can put the poults in a pen, then put the hen in the same pen. Stay there and watch what she does. Be ready to act very quickly to remove her if she starts pecking at the poults. If she is going to adopt them, she will start making a cooing, pleading sound to them.

After you try the introduction, you need to destroy her nest.

 

[mowgli]

Thank you I have a pen ready.That helps a lot.i will do that.

 

[mowgli]

Wanted to give an update.The female turkey completely ignored the poults and continued to sit on her eggs.The two male turkeys became very maternal and have been teaching them the ropes.I was not expecting the males to step up.It makes me love them even more.I am so comfortable that the poults are no longer in the pen.They free roam with the males during the day.At dusk the males send them into the pen and then they go roost above the nesting female.These are amazing animals and I have gotten so much more attached to them then the chickens.

 

[R2elk]

Wanted to give an update.The female turkey completely ignored the poults and continued to sit on her eggs.The two male turkeys became very maternal and have been teaching them the ropes.I was not expecting the males to step up.It makes me love them even more.I am so comfortable that the poults are no longer in the pen.They free roam with the males during the day.At dusk the males send them into the pen and then they go roost above the nesting female.These are amazing animals and I have gotten so much more attached to them then the chickens.

You have to destroy the nest in order to get the hen to leave the nest. If she has been sitting on those eggs for more than 50 days, they are not going to hatch. They will rot and explode under her.

 

[mowgli]

You have to destroy the nest in order to get the hen to leave the nest. If she has been sitting on those eggs for more than 50 days, they are not going to hatch. They will rot and explode under her.

Oh no.Its been more than 50 days.If I do that will she attack the poults the males are protecting? I will do that but I feel so bad for her she has tried so hard.

 

[R2elk]

Oh no.Its been more than 50 days.If I do that will she attack the poults the males are protecting? I will do that but I feel so bad for her she has tried so hard.

There is no telling how she will react to the poults so you need to be on hand and watch what she does.

It is best for her health to get the nest destroyed and even put something where the nest was so that it is impossible for her to return to the nest. Brooding a nest takes a lot out of a hen and if allowed to go on for too long, it can be very harmful to the hen's health. Make sure that there is free choice oyster shell available for her.

 

[mowgli]

Thank you I will follow your advice.

 

[Molpet]

Oh no.Its been more than 50 days.If I do that will she attack the poults the males are protecting? I will do that but I feel so bad for her she has tried so hard.

I have had 2 turkeys have eggs go bad and they stole chicken hens nests. Last year she did a great job raising pullets. The one this year is in with the chicken hen... I stuck some turkey eggs ready to hatch under the turkey. Which they did a couple days ago. I will see if anybody takes care of these poults.

 

[mowgli]

What is causing these turkey eggs to be bad? We had a late freeze which is ext rare in Tennessee.That was all I could think of.Is it typical for them to struggle so much hatching eggs?