Need photos of turkey nests

[chickenannie]

I have to re-arrange my Bourbon Red turkeys living quarters (

) and want to get some ideas for how to make their nesting boxes or nesting areas for February. Mine usually start laying in early March so I want to be ready.

They'll have a concrete block coop, about 12 x 12 at nighttime with a 25 x 25 foot fenced run. I'm wondering how to best put out nests for 5-6 hens.

Ideas? Post pics, too!

 

[chickenannie]

Anyone have turkey nests??

 

[wilds of pa]

Heres a Wild Eastern hen pic, she builds her own nest in clumps of brush in her flight pen..she was sitting on eggs in the pic..

Here she is with a young jake, he is helping as a foster dad with her young poults

 

[chickenannie]

Tee hee ... thanks Wilds! Are you saying the nests should go 'au natural' ?

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

Yep, all 3 species of my wilds, and all my domestics scratch out their own nest in a secluded area. So will use ground boxes, but none of mine ever have. A nice thick bed of straw or hay will be just fine, but even then, they may not use it...

 

[Marlinchaser]

Mine went back into thier coop to lay. At the time they were confined in a 40 x 60 foot run. So I guess the coop was thier idea of a safe hidden place.

 

[chickenannie]

I don't have any woodsy area with brush in their run or coop. How can I imitate what they like for nests? With bales of hay? It seems weird to have them on the floor of the coop -- won't the tom bother her?

 

[Marlinchaser]

Quote:
Gather them before they all go in for the night.

 

[ChanceRider]

Due to the over abundance of predators, my turkeys are locked into their 8' x 8' coops at night. Their coops are located inside chainlink runs that the hens can (and do!) easily fly out of. Being the good girls that they are, they return to their coop and "nest" to lay their eggs in the afternoons. The nest is simply an old 2 part plastic dog house that I had on the property; I put down a bed of straw and shavings for them. The hens are young and this is their first season laying eggs. They laid a couple of eggs on the coop floor when they first started laying, but quickly figured it out and began using the dog house. They started about a month ago which surprised me given that it's winter. The dog house is easy to hose out since it's plastic and the top separates from the bottom. It has a pitched roof so the turks aren't inclined to roost on it.

It's so exciting getting turkey eggs! I have 13 in the 'bator now, showing nice signs of development. They're due to hatch on the 23rd... with them luck!

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

Any form of cover will work, we have the brush and all like Wilds, butanything to give them cover will be good, Something as simple as a piece of tin againts a wall will work. I like tree tops and limb piles for pens without cover.
And no, in 99% of all cases, a tom will not bother hens or eggs while nesting, now poults can be a different story. Many know if they kill them, she'll breed again, so I wouldnt leave the poults in the pen with adult toms.