My turkey hen has 13 eggs in her nest and has not sat yet!!!

[Happy Camper]

Is this common? I worry they will spoil or something. She has layed around 9 of the 13. The others are duck eggs I added to increase clutch size faster...

Ahe does go in the nest and move them but that's it... Any thoughts? I would remove them to my bator but I am using it, besides I wanted to give the hens a chance at hatching...

 

[ivan3]

When the hen hits the `magic number' she'll stay put. Have never added other eggs to clutch to see how that might trip-up the `count', so will defer to experienced experimentalists

She's attending to the clutch so don't worry. If you find a broken egg at some distance from the nest, this is normal (hen identifies `bad' eggs and will remove them).

 

[Happy Camper]

When the hen hits the `magic number' she'll stay put. Have never added other eggs to clutch to see how that might trip-up the `count', so will defer to experienced experimentalists

She's attending to the clutch so don't worry. If you find a broken egg at some distance from the nest, this is normal (hen identifies `bad' eggs and will remove them).

Thanks Ivan3!
She did remove an egg and I put it back thinking she wanted to "move" the nest from where I had put it! She also rolled out the first duck egg I put there

... now I feel bad for trying to mess around with her...

What happens if there are "bad" eggs and she sits?
Will she remove them?
Should I candle and check development to remove bad ones?
Should I stop annoying her and let her be? (My guess is that the latter will probably be a Yes answer).

 

[ivan3]

Don't worry, she'll take care of them (sometimes they'll eat the egg, most of the time they march it to a pretty good distance from the nest): If you perform an advanced search on `turkey hatching duck eggs' something might come up (use the search button at bottom of screen). Yeah, I'd rely on her `hard-wiring' and see what hatches out. Good luck!

 

[chicks and hens2]

Don't worry, she'll take care of them (sometimes they'll eat the egg, most of the time they march it to a pretty good distance from the nest):



If you perform an advanced search on `turkey hatching duck eggs' something might come up (use the search button at bottom of screen).

Yeah, I'd rely on her `hard-wiring' and see what hatches out.

Good luck!

When the hen hits the `magic number' she'll stay put. Have never added other eggs to clutch to see how that might trip-up the `count', so will defer to experienced experimentalists

She's attending to the clutch so don't worry. If you find a broken egg at some distance from the nest, this is normal (hen identifies `bad' eggs and will remove them).

OK so this bring up a question I had. I have a turkey hen whom I thought was the only one laying, but now I know there must be 2 or 3 laying eggs because I go in and count them throughout the day etc and sometimes by the end of the day the number has increased by 2 and when she started laying 2 weeks ago it was every other day at first. Anyway my question is if all the hens are laying in the one box ( because that's where I put them to begin with) should I separate them into 2 nests now that there are 14 in the clutch or will then hens all try to lay on the eggs? These hens are just about 1 yr to 1 -1/2 years old at most. I've seen the youngest hen turning the eggs and rearranging them most often. We have had to move them(the hens) twice since we've had them this last month because they were in a temporary spot (my garden) while their "permanent" housing was being built.
They were first laying their eggs outside them after a few days of picking the eggs up out of the yard (garden) they started laying in the kennel that we had in their hoop coop. When then moved them into their permanent area and put the 11 eggs in one nest box yesterday. Today there were 14 eggs burried in the grass that's in the nest box. Sorry this is so wordy, but I thought it would answer some of the questions whoever is answering this might have

 

[Happy Camper]

OK so this bring up a question I had. I have a turkey hen whom I thought was the only one laying, but now I know there must be 2 or 3 laying eggs because I go in and count them throughout the day etc and sometimes by the end of the day the number has increased by 2 and when she started laying 2 weeks ago it was every other day at first. Anyway my question is if all the hens are laying in the one box ( because that's where I put them to begin with) should I separate them into 2 nests now that there are 14 in the clutch or will then hens all try to lay on the eggs? These hens are just about 1 yr to 1 -1/2 years old at most. I've seen the youngest hen turning the eggs and rearranging them most often. We have had to move them(the hens) twice since we've had them this last month because they were in a temporary spot (my garden) while their "permanent" housing was being built.
They were first laying their eggs outside them after a few days of picking the eggs up out of the yard (garden) they started laying in the kennel that we had in their hoop coop. When then moved them into their permanent area and put the 11 eggs in one nest box yesterday. Today there were 14 eggs burried in the grass that's in the nest box. Sorry this is so wordy, but I thought it would answer some of the questions whoever is answering this might have

Well here I may be able to help. When one of my chickens sits and I can't separate her from the others I mark the eggs. If when the hen leaves the nest to eat or stretch I find an unmarked egg I remove it. However, I have no previous experience w Turkey hens though... right now I have one hen sitting on 15 and another hen that is not laying. I have provided n additional nest, but is empty... I let her out today and I was able to witness her mating (which I hadn't before) so I let her back inside the pen. Hopefully she begins laying in the spare nest because I did not mark. Paz's clutch. So I guess if I see 16 at any point I will have to mark

 

[Happy Camper]

When the hen hits the `magic number' she'll stay put. Have never added other eggs to clutch to see how that might trip-up the `count', so will defer to experienced experimentalists

She's attending to the clutch so don't worry. If you find a broken egg at some distance from the nest, this is normal (hen identifies `bad' eggs and will remove them).

SHE HIT IT! Magic number was 15e