Help!

[Lu King]

I have a turkey hen that has been sitting on some eggs for at least two weeks. She won't come out of the nest that she has, and is beginning to look pretty haggard. If she is eating, it isn't very much. I am giving her all different types of food....cooked chicken eggs, oatmeal, cooked rice , turkey food from the feed store, lettuce...you name it. She has so many eggs that she has to skip around to cover them, and it is hard to tell exactly how many eggs she does have because she stays at the back of the nest. Actually, it is an igloo dog house, but that was all we had that she would use for a nest.

I don't want to lose her, but don't know what to do. Any advice?

 

[Sir Birdaholic]

She is doing everything right. A turk will RARELY leave the nest. She'll lose a little weight & look ragged, but a few days after the hatch, she'll clean herself up & gain back her girlish figure. Don't worry at all. She'll be fine. They will lay 10 - 14 eggs before sitting on them.

 

[Lu King]

That is a relief. Thank you.

 

[Sir Birdaholic]

I've been raising them for several years, so she's O.K.

 

[Cacklin" Hens]

The two replies in front of me is correct. Don't stress, that is normal!

 

[Lu King]

Thank you for the comments. I love my turkeys...they give me great joy, so I would hate to lose one.

 

[Sir Birdaholic]

What kind of turks do you have, Lu? I have 4 Royal Palm hens, (lost my tom on Christmas), 3 Blue Slates, in which 2 are toms, & 3 crossbreed hens.

Oh yeah, I ordered 5 more R.P. babies this morning.

 

[ivan3]

Sometimes they will sneak off to dirt bathe and/or eat (but ours set in late May/June and it is very warm) for fifteen minutes or so. If not around it is hard to catch them at it.

Snapped our Slate removing a bad egg from her nest, she went about 50 yards from the nest to dispose of it.