My turkey hen layed an egg!!!

[chicmom]

Well, you will love this story.....(I'm such a nut!) I go out to the coop, and I find these two eggs, that look like medium sized chicken eggs with speckles on them and a pointier than usual end. I thought they were dirty, so I used a paper towel and scrubbed off the speckles. I said to my husband, Dave, "Honey, look! The Coronation Sussex gals must have layed their first eggs!" He said that was neat.

So then today, I go out to the coop, and check for eggs, and in one of the nesting boxes (my boxes are very large--hubby made them) is a nice, MUCH BIGGER, speckled egg!

So then it hits me! WHAM! Those two eggs from the other day were actually small turkey eggs and I scrubbed off the speckles! DUH!
I am so surprised! I thought turkeys were seasonal layers and that they wouldn't lay until spring!

Will she set on these eggs? Should I let her start a clutch and hatch them? I think it's the wrong time of the year for this........

Here's a pic of the egg:

OH, and Happy Thanksgiving, ALL!

Sharon

 

[3goodeggs]

Beautiful! Congatulations!

 

[Narragansett]

They probably won't be fertile. Toms need a certain amount of daylight hours per day to be fertile. Unless you have them on lights, this time of year is not going to cut it.

 

[chicmom]

Quote:
I do have them on lights, and she has been posing for me alot, and then I see the tom mating with her too.......Thank you for the info. I guess we will just eat those eggs.

I wonder if they taste good?

 

[ColbyNTX]

They do tast good, not much different then chicken eggs. Their laying season is usually durring the spring and summer. If you have them on light for extended daylight hours, it could mess up their breeding season. I would not let her hatch eggs over the winter. It would be hard to keep the poults from freezing.

 

[chicmom]

Quote:
I agree totally. They stay with the chickens, and if I don't light the coop, then the coop is dark most of the day. I worry that they will all just sit in the dark coop and not eat or scratch around.......They do free range, but when it's super bad weather, I noticed they stay inside.

She just turned 6 months old recently.

 

[bigshawn]

Congrats!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[erinszoo]

Congrats! We just got our first turkey eggs a couple of weeks ago too and were so surprised because our girl is about 6 months old and we didn't think she would lay until spring. So far she has laid an egg every other day right on schedule.

 

[GJ_Kate]

What breed of turkey is it? Pictures?

 

[herdmgr]

My hen stated laying a couple of weeks ago too! I thought it was an odd shaped hen egg that had rolled under the fence. So far she is laying one a day for the last 10 days. I left them in the nest but, I don't know if they are fertile or not. Haven't seen any evidence of 'breeding'. I would love to let her sit on them and see if any hatch but, the colder weather seems to be setting in.