HELP! Turkey is laying!

[kenman]

I have two Narri hens and a tom, all young maybe 6-7 months. I was expecting to have eggs maybe in March, not today. One layed outside in the coop with out building a nest. What I know so far: they lay on the ground; will set the eggs; will hatch the eggs. Questions: do I need nest boxes; can I continue to run them with my Rhode Island Red's or do need to separate them? Any advice what be appreciated.

 

[ivan3]

Our Royal Hen did about the same thing, at the same age (middle of December a couple of eggs show up near the woodline). She would fly out over the 6ft. fence, lay, and then fly back in (finally caught her at it). I think she was just getting warmed up (maturing) as she wasn't presenting/nest building and quit laying again until early May. We have a chain link dog run and we just dropped it over her hideout in a clump of daylillies. When the Slate started we moved her into the run as well:

Below is an example of what to watch for. They will work on a clutch for several days before going broody (you want to make sure you have a protected nesting area ready to go before she actually `gets her brood on' as they are dragonesses and will hiss and bite with enthusiasm). The Royal tried to hide the clutch below in gooseberry/multifloral rose (plenty of thorns and stickers). She'd lay an egg and then fly straight up through the trees and come floating in to forage with the other turks. We moved the fifteen eggs below into the chain link pen and she adjusted (kept gate closed until she added another egg to the transferred clutch).

 

[moduckman]

I'd incubate them. Sometimes they hens may set, but if the eggs freeze hard before she's ready, then the eggs will not be any good. I've had December eggs before, incubated and hatched poults, but not for a while.

 

[kenman]

Thanks to both for the info & opinions!

 

[Skyesrocket]

A young hen of mine just started laying this week. Mine has free ranged since she was a poult and never wandered off. When she started walking up the long driveway and across the road I knew it was time to get her penned up.
I had an open horse stall and enclosed that and put her and the tom inside and gave her straw to build a nest with. We have been collecting her eggs everyday because it's so cold here that they would freeze. I don't want her to go broody because she will stop laying.
Anyway, I just wanted to say to get her penned before she wanders off to nest. They fall prey to predators in the fields where they want to nest.
I loved the pictures of the nest! Thanks for sharing.

 

[ametauss]

I have a goat house that looks like a mini barn. My two female turkeys are laying and so are my two female muscovy ducks....

One female turkey has taken it into her head to gather the turkey and duck eggs in one corner of the goat house and sit on them when she feels like it....

Sometimes I find a turkey egg in my hens nesting boxes... not exactly sure how she gets her big butt in the box to lay but it's there every other day and the chicken coop is about 10 feet from the goat house.... both are up off the ground about 8 inches....

good luck... I didn't find the stash until it contained about 14 turkey eggs and 15 duck eggs... so I'm gonna leave them alone....