help!!! turkey nest question

[Old McDonald 27]

I am new at turkeys. My tom has been strutting and my hen presenting for a couple of weeks now. My hen is young. She was hatched last spring. I have been watching her and searching for eggs and haven't found a thing....until today. She laid an egg just out on the ground. I am pretty sure this is her first egg. She is in the pasture with my goats and the tom.I have a smaller pen (a smaller chicken coop that I am not using right now) that I can move her to so she will be be by herself. My question is this... is she fertile if I move her away from the tom or do I need to move him too until she starts setting?Thanks!

 

[jenjscott]

Turkeys can stay fertile for three to four weeks after separation. My young hen`s first egg was fertile, I broke it to check it. The problem is you don,t know how long she will lay before she starts setting. I plan on leaving mine together until she starts setting. Or you could plan on conjugal vivits once a week until she starts, just to be sure.

 

[bkvail]

Quote:
in big turkey breeding facilities, the hens are artificially inseminated once a week and produce fertile eggs all week. So, your hen would probably need to be with the tom once a week or so to remain fertile. I would move them together if you want them to breed and raise a family

Did you check the fertility of her first egg?

 

[Old McDonald 27]

I didn't check her egg yet, but my husband want to have it for dinner....so I guess i'll see then

I think that I'll go ahead and move her and then just let him come for "visits". I have goat kids in the pasture with her and I'm worried if she did start setting there, they would scare her off the nest. (they think it is great fun to chase the turkeys) Thanks for all of your help! And also one more question. I have alot of old plastic dog houses....do you think I should stick one of those in with her for a nest??

 

[Struttn1]

Plastic doghouses will work just fine. I put a large Rubbermaid storage box with an opening cut in the lid on it's side in one of my pens and it has 9 eggs in it right now. The hen did not use it until I placed cut pine limbs on it and across the front to partially hide it. I am thinking of making more of them since they are much cheaper than dogs houses.

 

[Old McDonald 27]

I used to breed boston terriers so I have about 15 dog houses stacked up behind my barn. This is a good use for them. I put one in the pasture with her and put limbs across it hoping she would nest there....but the goat kids thought that it was a really cool clubhouse for them......

 

[Struttn1]

You are going to have issues trying to get a successful turkey nesting in the same enclosure with the goats.

 

[Old McDonald 27]

I moved her to the old chicken coop by herself today. My tom isn't happy about it, but I will let him come and visit her once a week.

 

[Laskaland]

Quote:
Did you eat it? Did it taste the same as chickens??
Hugs and CONGRATS on the 1st eggs!