shocked and saddened :(

[nznelson]

I just checked on one our free range turkey nests and there are only 6 eggs remaining when there were 17 just 2 days ago. I'm so upset. And highly annoyed. This hen comes off often whereas the other one rarely does. It's taken her a month to lay that many. I'm so mad that something else has had a meal on us when these chicks are meant to be feeding my family. I'm sure the nest has been abandoned because it's cold and wet. I found one empty egg several feet away from the nest with a hole in it and the contents gone. So hacked off. Man.

 

[satay]

I used to have the same problem here with goannas(large lizard). As soon as the turkey would get of the nest they would steal the eggs. Now when they start to nest I have a large home made tractor I put over the turkey and have not had any stolen since. Could be a snake or some type of bird to stealing them depending on where you live. Ok just saw your a kiwi so wont be a snake.

 

[nznelson]

So do you keep your hen in the tractor?

 

[satay]

Yes I sure do until she hatches. Its a big tractor and takes 2 of us to move it but it save loosing the eggs. It's just a large triangle with a high roof so she can get up and move around if she needs to. Its wood and wire and has a handle on each end for moving.

 

[nznelson]

We may have to try that. This time she was on the neighbors property. Now I'm worried about the other nest. Just gutted. Went back out and another egg taken so buried the rest, I'm not feeding anything other than us. DH is thinking it was a ferret. I wonder if we moved her when she started nesting if she would sit on them or abandon them? it's like she didn't even try to save them......I'm not even sure how she would know they were taken and would a ferret be brave enough to confront her if she's sitting on her nest? So confused.

 

[MovieFanz]

Ravens eat any eggs or poults where I live. I have to collect eggs often or they are gone. If you do not protect the nest, your turkey will be the next meal by something. I have lost many turkeys on the nest. Is there a reason you do not hatch the eggs your self? Its even sadder to watch one by one the poults being knocked off by predators. Last year I had one sneaky turkey hatch poults in the snow. The cold didn't seem to bother her, but I didn't let her raise the poults do to the cold.

 

[nznelson]

Fanz - are you in America? We are at the start of summer here. The two sisters nested just perfectly for their first time a couple months ago. From 16 eggs we have 8 healthy poults out there. So I really never thought there would be an issue this time around. Now I sure wish they nested together again though. We don't hatch them ourselves since we have no means of doing so. We don't have an incubator or broody hens. I'm not sure what the next step from here is. I'm sure she'll start nesting again soon though.

 

[MovieFanz]

I just mentioned the snow because you said "I'm sure the nest has been abandoned because it's cold and wet." Nasty weather never made mine leave a nest.

 

[nznelson]

OH ok, I meant the eggs were cold and wet.

 

[nznelson]

Would magpies be a culprit?