Royal Palm going broody in December?

[onehappypenguin]

I'm stumped. My Royal Palm hen is only about 9 months old. She's laid about a dozen hen eggs and today she's been sitting on an egg all day. Here we are in the middle of December and I live in the eastern US so it's been cold here. The lady we got her from said all of hers lay in the spring and summer and stop in the fall. So I'm stumped (but not complaining) as to why she's broody in December. This is my first time ever having turkeys (and chickens) so my question is how long would it be before we know if it's fertile, how can we tell and if it is fertile, how long until she can hatch it? Thanks for any info!

 

[mother hen 13]

Do you have a cockerel or was she with a cockerel before you got her? if not i dot think it can be fertile. Think they can be fertile for about 2 weeks after they have been with cockerel. sorry not to be more helpful i am new here too.
But re cold weather my orpington hatched two chicks here late november and it is prity cold i can tell you frost on the ground at night.

 

[onehappypenguin]

Thanks! I guess they are pretty unpredictable. She has been with the Tom a lot. He won't leave her alone. I don't think he's figured out how to "do it" yet but then again it's been a few weeks and I can't watch them 24/7. He does know how to climb on her and she knows how to lie down do if they haven't mastered it yet, they will soon. She's also been laying on chicken eggs.

 

[retlaw]

I live in the pacific north west and we have been having a warm winter here.
My main tom died this year so the youngsters have been dueling for the job.
One was humping a bucket the other day.
My thinking was they are confused because of the warm weather.

 

[mother hen 13]

Hi the orpington cockeral i have is very young - the lady i got him from said he wouldn't be breeding till spring so i put him in with the hens to get used to them over the winter - that's how i ended up with chicks in november.
None of the others are laying in this cold weather and she wasn't either till i put him in the poultry shed. I think chickens work it out fast and if its warm enough they go for it - i would assume turkeys are very similar