Take the poults or not?

[cozadfarm]

The day after starting an incubator of turkey eggs I discovered my hens secret nest. Did not think she was broody but sure enough the next day she began sitting and has barely gotten up from the nest. Just once a day for food and water (at least as far as I can tell). My question is: since my incubator eggs and hers should hatch at the same time should I take her poults in with the others or leave them with her? It's still quite cold here at night and all my birds are free ranged.

 

[Celie]

You didn't say where you are, but I will tell you what I would do, If she hatches only a couple, I would give her a private, secure place to raise them, so she can cover the little ones and keep them warm. If she has more than I thought she can handle or if I really needed some poults to fill orders, I would take some! I hope this helps you decide?

 

[Frosty]

You didn't say where you are, but I will tell you what I would do, If she hatches only a couple, I would give her a private, secure place to raise them, so she can cover the little ones and keep them warm. If she has more than I thought she can handle or if I really needed some poults to fill orders, I would take some! I hope this helps you decide?

x2

I would play it by ear... if they seem to be thriving with her, I would let her keep them.

I had a hen disappear, I found her sitting on a nest (the dog went into some weeds and an angry turkey suddenly stood up). I let her keep the poults that hatched out, and those were some hardy little guys! When they were about 2 1/2 months old, we had a day of 90 degree temps followed 2 days later by a blizzard that dumped 16" of heavy wet snow. They all got scattered and separated from their mother. I was sick, wishing I had rounded them up and put them in the barn. I was sure I lost them all since they were so young. Over the next three days or so, they all straggled back in and we hadn't lost any! I credit their mothers care for their survival...

 

[cozadfarm]

Guess ill never get to see if she was a good mom. Something took her and all the eggs this afternoon Very mad and sad

 

[De Wet]

if you have the exspierence to raise poults I will take it away. If you take it away she will lay again, I take away my poults and got 3 clutches out of that hen same with the guineas

 

[Lagerdogger]

Guess ill never get to see if she was a good mom. Something took her and all the eggs this afternoon Very mad and sad

Sorry to hear about that. It can be a rough world out there. Just in case this happens again, my only food for thought is that turkeys raised by other turkeys are not nearly as friendly as turkeys raised by hand. So if your main concern is how friendly the turkeys will be, I would bring them in. If you don't want to have to care for them, leave them with the mother.

 

[kuntrygirl]

OH NO! So sorry to hear what happened.

 

[exop]

Sorry to hear about your loss.

I have varmints (raccoons and coyotes) and free range broody turkeys here... last year was my first year with 2 adult turkey hens and I let each of them hatch eggs - one brooded during May and one during June. They probably would have tried it earlier, but I had been taking their eggs away before that.

One of them made a "secret" nest in a garden border, and I let her keep it... I made a makeshift pen around her hidden nest with some welded wire mesh fencing, and covered the top so it was varmint proof (more wire fencing, plus a piece of tarp for the rain). I made the pen so it was possible for me to "get" the turkey so I could remove her for feeding and poop breaks - kept a water dish and a food dish within her reach beside her nest as well. She hatched 11 healthy poults at the beginning of July - in the middle of a row of peonies, on a dish-shaped patch of bare dirt. Her idea of the perfect nest I give the fence credit for her success and survival.

When the chicks were up and running around I had to replace the mesh fencing with fine gauge cage wire (with half inch holes) so they couldn't go right through the walls, and a pl;ywood roof. I opened it up in the morning, and she took them back inside every night.

 

[Celie]

Sorry to hear about your loss.

I have varmints (raccoons and coyotes) and free range broody turkeys here... last year was my first year with 2 adult turkey hens and I let each of them hatch eggs - one brooded during May and one during June. They probably would have tried it earlier, but I had been taking their eggs away before that.

One of them made a "secret" nest in a garden border, and I let her keep it... I made a makeshift pen around her hidden nest with some welded wire mesh fencing, and covered the top so it was varmint proof (more wire fencing, plus a piece of tarp for the rain). I made the pen so it was possible for me to "get" the turkey so I could remove her for feeding and poop breaks - kept a water dish and a food dish within her reach beside her nest as well. She hatched 11 healthy poults at the beginning of July - in the middle of a row of peonies, on a dish-shaped patch of bare dirt. Her idea of the perfect nest I give the fence credit for her success and survival.

When the chicks were up and running around I had to replace the mesh fencing with fine gauge cage wire (with half inch holes) so they couldn't go right through the walls, and a pl;ywood roof. I opened it up in the morning, and she took them back inside every night.

 

[Celie]

OH NO! So sorry to hear what happened.

X2