Should I let my hen hatch out turkey poults?

[stephishrae]

I have several turkey eggs in the incubator that will hatch in about a week. I also have two chickens who are broody but are on eggs that aren’t fertile. If I put the turkey eggs under them, would it be okay for them to hatch and raise them? I know there’s an issue with raising chicks and poults together, but I’m not sure about poults with adult chickens.

 

[Chicken_tiger_catt]

I have several turkey eggs in the incubator that will hatch in about a week. I also have two chickens who are broody but are on eggs that aren’t fertile. If I put the turkey eggs under them, would it be okay for them to hatch and raise them? I know there’s an issue with raising chicks and poults together, but I’m not sure about poults with adult chickens.

no. turkeys are very large, and if a turkey is raised by a hen it will think it is a chicken too, which can be dangerous for the hen during breeding season due to the weight of the turkey.

 

[Molpet]

I did that the first year, I had problems with the turkeys imprinted on chickens. Squashed chickens from mating attempts. Turkey hens pecking hole in a chicken hens head. I had to put down.
Turkey that hatched chickens turned out somewhat better.

 

[R2elk]

I have several turkey eggs in the incubator that will hatch in about a week. I also have two chickens who are broody but are on eggs that aren’t fertile. If I put the turkey eggs under them, would it be okay for them to hatch and raise them? I know there’s an issue with raising chicks and poults together, but I’m not sure about poults with adult chickens.

There is nothing wrong with letting a chicken hatch turkey eggs.

When I do so, I remove the poults as soon as they are dry and put them in the brooder.

The imprinting that happens by letting a chicken raise the poults removes their ability to be able to understand that chickens are not turkeys. The end result is usually not good for the chickens.