I can hardly wait!!

[Blisschick]

My turkey hen Louise is due to hatch out her eggs starting tomorrow. She's got 9 eggs under her, and she's been very dutiful about sitting on her nest. I'm all antsy wondering if/when they're going to hatch!!

This is so much worse than an incubator...at least I can SEE the eggs!!

 

[SpottedCrow]

LOL
Start singing..."Anticipation"...

 

[Blisschick]

THEY'RE PIPPING!!

My first turkey hatch ever!!!

 

[soonerdog]

Blisschick,
Reading your post about your turkeys hatching reminded me of years back when I had a bronze turkey hen setting on eggs. After she had begun setting, I let her set one week on her eggs and in addition I placed a few buff orpington chicken eggs uder her. Well, she hatched the turkeys and the chickens and raised them all together on the yard. The thing is, those buff orpingtons never associated with the rest of the flock of buff orpingtons. They stayed with the turkeys always! I would catch the buff opringtons that the turkey raised and close them in with the other chickens, but they would never stay. Every chance they got they would go right back to the turkeys!

Genetics said they were buff orpington chickens, but their culture-(being raised with turkeys) said they were turkeys! Good luck with your hatch!

 

[Blisschick]

Isn't it strange how poultry will imprint like that? I guess as long as it has two legs, a beak and feathers, it's as good as any mom or family, huh?

 

[Blisschick]

5 down, 3 to go!!

I moved her inside in a big box with shavings since we had a cold front move in to our area today. It may rain and it's breezy and cool out, so I wanted to give them a warm place for the night. She's sitting in her box, stuffing them back under her when they peek out.

It's almost like having a cat having kittens or something!

 

[soonerdog]

I still remember putting my hands under my turkey to lift her to see her eggs! She would wring a piece out of my arm everytime. I still remember her loud snaky sound of SHOOOOOOOO! Your Miss Turkey must be a lot more friendly! But, they are very protective mothers.

 

[Blisschick]

She was sort of a house turkey awhile before I got her, so she's used to being handled. She's very tame compared to what I've heard. She's pecked at me a few times, but nothing serious, and she's letting me feel under her for empty shells and to check for damp chicks. She doesn't seem to mind it too much.

She wasn't too happy with me when I moved her to the box earlier, though. She fussed at me and didn't want to sit in the box until I started putting the eggs in with her. Now, she seems to appreciate being inside and has poked at the shavings and shifted around to where she's satisfied with her surroundings.

Does the three day rule apply to poults, too? I'm kind of leery about putting her and the poults back out until I've gotten their area in acceptable condition. I still need to make them an enclosure of some sort to keep the poults from wandering off and the raccoons out.

 

[soonerdog]

Blisschick, How are things going with the new babies and moma?