So Excited--I am getting adult turkeys in a couple days

[Bator Babies]

I am getting 2 toms and a hen. They are 2 years old and friendly.
I have never had turkeys before. I am getting them to try to hatch eggs. Are they difficult to hatch?
The person who has them says they free range and do not leave the yard. Is that common?

 

[Lagerdogger]

The eggs are not hard to hatch, although success rates vary widely. I think my best is about 90% and my worst was about 15%. In the 15% year, I had a new thermometer that wasn't calibrated and it was a little too warm. Most of the poults died after getting most of the egg unzipped. So pay attention to things like temperature (fairly critical) and humidity (much less critical).

The hen should be laying eggs already. Yes? Collect them and keep them in a cool place, turning them a couple of times a day until you have enough to throw in an incubator. For your first batch, 8 or 10 is probably enough. Then let the hen set on the rest of whatever she lays. Once you know it's working, you can keep taking eggs and get the hen to lay for a long time next year.

My turkeys are fenced, so they don't wander. One fall I let them out to see what would happen and they went all over the place. Neighbors on both sides would call me to collect the turkeys. I keep them in the fence now.