Turkey hen carried an egg out of the nest on hatch day, it had a fully formed healthy looking poult inside.

[Pearlescent]

this is deeply upsetting. Last night I noticed the first pip, and today 4/6 were pipped. I trust this broody, she’s hatched before, and I thought she’d protect them from the other birds (I was going to seperate her once they hatched.) It was 2 hours ago that I last checked. When I went out a few minutes ago to check on the eggs, I saw that her beak had a bit of blood on it. I assumed maybe one hatched, and that was why. I checked, and she only had 3 eggs, but there were no poults. I freaked out and started looking around the run (she’s nesting in a hard sided dog crate, but I had the door open in case she wanted to take a break.) and then I saw a dead poult laying in the run, it’s umbilical cord was still attached and bloody. My other birds were actively eating the eggshell. I Checked my security camera and saw this

Why would she do this? The poult was perfectly formed, and unless it was dead in the egg she had no reason to kill it. I found the other 2 missing eggs, but they were cold and not under her, unsure of how long they’d been like that or why, I don’t usually do a whole invasive check under her, she just lets me lift her for a second to check for pips, and I don’t always see all the eggs doing that. I’m going to put them in the incubator so I can candle them once they warm up, and give them back to her if they are alive.

Will she do the same to the rest? Could she sense something wrong with this poult? It looked perfect to me. She never removed eggs when she hatched them last year, and there was a rotten unfertilized one that time! She’s locked in the crate now, as I don’t trust her not to do it again. If she does, I need to get to the egg before the other birds do.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

So sorry. This kind of stuff is why I stopped letting my turkey hens hatch. Now I let my bantam hems hatch and I raise the poults. Only the hen knows why she did that. I would pull them as they hatch personally.

 

[Pearlescent]

So sorry. This kind of stuff is why I stopped letting my turkey hens hatch. Now I let my bantam hems hatch and I raise the poults. Only the hen knows why she did that. I would pull them as they hatch personally.

I really want to pull them, but she’s being very motherly with the other 3, who are pipped and chirping. She’s talking to them, and hissing at the other birds.

She was such a good mother last year, that I’m going to give her one more chance.

On a positive note, the 2 cold eggs had movement when I candled them, so I gave them back to her because my incubator is very unreliable. I’ll be home all day, so my plan is to watch the security camera until one hatches and she either accepts or tries to kill it. Then I’ll make my choice.

Edit: choice made! 1 has hatched, and she’s being great. There must’ve been something wrong with the one she removed.