Question about mating

[Frogdogtimestwo]

Will the tom continue to mate with the hens year round? Our girls just got over being broody and now they are starting to molt and the tom will not get off them, they are thin (so I have boosted protein levels) from being broody and not wanting to eat during that time, I swear he is going to kill them! Suggestions and advice on their breeding habits this time of year would be greatly appreciated

 

[KellyHM]

Mine started in on the hens as soon as they were done being broody too and they started laying eggs again a couple weeks later. Now I have broody turkeys AGAIN and their poults are only 3 months old.

However, once they stop laying for the year the boys usually leave them alone.

 

[Frogdogtimestwo]

That would be awesome if they started laying again, we monumentally failed on hatching this year! Out of 3 hens they hatched 4 poults. They were too busy fighting over the eggs and we did not separate them soon enough.

 

[KellyHM]

They'll probably start laying for you again. I have 5 hens...4 of them together hatched 22 poults. The 5th one hatched 2 batches of chicks for me since she broke the turkey eggs she had. Now I have 2 that are broody once again on a total of 18 more eggs and the other 3 are still sitting. I don't know what I'm going to do with them all!

My geese, however, were complete slackers and only laid me 6 eggs all season and none of tham hatched.

 

[Frogdogtimestwo]

I upped their feed back up to 24% because they we so thin after they came off their nests last week, I hope they put on a little weight before they start laying. They are not big treat or corn fans so I am hoping that helps. Thanks for the encouragement, I really hope we get a few more turkey poults for the holidays.

I just got geese this year so next year will be the first time hoping for goose eggs

Did you have to make your girls separate? Ours had a huge nesting box but they would steal each others eggs all day so we finally separated them and we got 4 to hatch, it was really disappointing.

 

[KellyHM]

2 of my hens sat together on the same nest and raised their poults together. The other 2 made separate nests (1 on my back proch...stupid turkey!). The one that hatched chicks for me co-brooded with a bantam Cochin and a Cuckoo Marans hen. When the chicks were done hatching she decided to let the chickens raise them.

The 2 that are sitting now have 2 separate nests, but 2 of my other girls are laying in 1 of them, so I have to pull out the new eggs every day.

 

[Frogdogtimestwo]

All my brooder space is being used right now I really hope we do not have the same issue if they start laying again, silly birds, there is plenty of room and different areas to use but they all want the same spot!