Is it possible to ever breed my turkey?

[Pinky]

I have what I think is a broadbreasted bronze hen turkey(not real sure,but looks like one to me), and she acts like she wants to breed.Last spring she tried to take care of the chicks ,but they didn't leave their mother hens.She is really gentle with the chicks and looked over them when mother hen was laying.She layed two eggs and stayed on them for the longest time trying to hatch them.I would really like to see her care for her own some day if it is possible.I did have a tom,but she didn't like him ,so we gave him away.

 

[monarc23]

I am pretty sure that broad breasteds have a hard time mating, but that's probably only limited to the males problem. Why dont you try and get her a male that's not a broad breasted and see if she likes him and maybe you'll get some spring poults!

 

[shelleyd2008]

Yeah I'm almost positive the breeding problem with the broad breasted breeds is due to the male. They are so heavy they just can't git'er dun!!

Get her a heritage breed boyfriend and they should be able to get the job done!

 

[GardienneWings]

You can get her a wild-type bronze male or you can always buy turkey eggs when she goes broody and let her sit on them.

I use my turkey hens to start all my peafowl eggs too. They are wonderful sitters but I don't let them hatch the eggs as I always end up with squished chicks if they are allowed to hatch them. On the hens that have been sitting for a month or so I have swapped out day old poults for the eggs and they accept those like they had hatched them by themself!

 

[Pinky]

Thanks everyone.I was wondering if she could breed with a different breed of turkeyI wasn't too sure about it.Thanks for the tip about buying turkey eggs.Never thought of that.So if I can't find a male of the heritage breed ,I could buy eggs.Or day old poults ,and she should care for them like she hatched them?

 

[shelleyd2008]

Quote:
She should. Just make sure she has been setting a while though. She might reject them if she has not been setting long enough.
I have read that you need to cover the fence where the hen and poults are, cause the hen will pace back and forth along the fence, if she can see out, and trample the poults.