Turkey is Having Seizures

[R2elk]

Ok, still no poults. However she has changed position completely. Picks at straw to make her nest bigger/better and today she pushed an egg away from her about 1ft away.

When a poult hatches will there be any obvious signs I should listen or look for? I have made a few attempts to get near her she was not having it... before she changed positions. I go in everyday with the expectation there will be these lil babies and I just am unsure of how I will know.

Thanks!!!

Normally the first indication that I get that there are poults hatched is when I approach the nest the hen starts talking to the poults.

I have a hen who is due to hatch eggs tomorrow. I thought maybe she had some hatch early today because this was the first time I had seen her facing the entry to her nest. Usually she has her head stuck in a back corner. She did not start talking to the poults so I left her alone. Maybe tomorrow.

Good luck.

 

[Kiki]

Ok, still no poults. However she has changed position completely. Picks at straw to make her nest bigger/better and today she pushed an egg away from her about 1ft away.

When a poult hatches will there be any obvious signs I should listen or look for? I have made a few attempts to get near her she was not having it... before she changed positions. I go in everyday with the expectation there will be these lil babies and I just am unsure of how I will know.

Thanks!!!

I wonder if she pushed this one egg away from her because she knows something is wrong with it.

 

[R2elk]

Normally the first indication that I get that there are poults hatched is when I approach the nest the hen starts talking to the poults.

I have a hen who is due to hatch eggs tomorrow. I thought maybe she had some hatch early today because this was the first time I had seen her facing the entry to her nest. Usually she has her head stuck in a back corner. She did not start talking to the poults so I left her alone. Maybe tomorrow.

Good luck.

The hatch did start today. My first clue was when I looked in and saw an empty egg shell. My second clue was when momma turkey started talking and then started threatening me. We have been through the poult stealing before and she was just warning me about what she is going to do to me when I steal her poults again. So far I have been able to spot two cute little Sweetgrass poults.

 

[ojust4today]

Normally the first indication that I get that there are poults hatched is when I approach the nest the hen starts talking to the poults.

I have a hen who is due to hatch eggs tomorrow. I thought maybe she had some hatch early today because this was the first time I had seen her facing the entry to her nest. Usually she has her head stuck in a back corner. She did not start talking to the poults so I left her alone. Maybe tomorrow.

Good luck.

That is priceless information.... everything you just described is exactly the way she was and what she has done. Ok I will look fwd to hearing her talking to them and am so excited!!

Update on our Tom who we call Tom. Still a long ways to go this time around is a really slow process of healing. He fell so many times in his new pin and with the loss of feathers he cannot achieve a good balance or has no way of getting himself back up without assistance. So we decided to keep him in a cage that has an entry in and out so he can rest and be more isolated for a few day from falls.
Big breakthrough this morning he came out of the pin all by himself and started scavenging.

By chance the egg she pushed away this late into her sitting does she know something about it? It’s not fertile or maybe

I wonder if she pushed this one egg away from her because she knows something is wrong with it.

I believe that may be the case as well. That is pretty amazing their instincts with laying, motherly and knowing if something is not right.

 

[R2elk]

That is priceless information.... everything you just described is exactly the way she was and what she has done. Ok I will look fwd to hearing her talking to them and am so excited!!

Update on our Tom who we call Tom. Still a long ways to go this time around is a really slow process of healing. He fell so many times in his new pin and with the loss of feathers he cannot achieve a good balance or has no way of getting himself back up without assistance. So we decided to keep him in a cage that has an entry in and out so he can rest and be more isolated for a few day from falls.
Big breakthrough this morning he came out of the pin all by himself and started scavenging.

By chance the egg she pushed away this late into her sitting does she know something about it? It’s not fertile or maybe


I believe that may be the case as well. That is pretty amazing their instincts with laying, motherly and knowing if something is not right.

As far as your tom goes, you may find this thiamine deficiency link interesting that @casportpony posted today.

 

[R2elk]

Blue Slate hen with Sweetgrass poult trying to hide.

Blue Slate snake ready to strike.

Sweetgrass poult

I know that she has two hatched and I suspect there is a third because I removed two empty egg shells and believe that I saw a third egg shell but suppose it might have just been part of one the two that I removed.

 

[ojust4today]

Oh my goodness so sweet! Thanks for sharing she is beautiful. I have never seen a turkey look like that. Poult pics adorable as well. I see she is on sand. Is that where she sat on her eggs and the poults hatched or have she moved since then?

 

[R2elk]

Oh my goodness so sweet! Thanks for sharing she is beautiful. I have never seen a turkey look like that. Poult pics adorable as well. I see she is on sand. Is that where she sat on her eggs and the poults hatched or have she moved since then?

I live on a sand dune so no matter where they are, they are on sand. She is still in her nest box and has not moved the poults yet. I will likely steal her babies tomorrow just because so many bad things can happen when they are in the general population. I already have others in the brooder waiting for them.

This particular hen is 9 years old.

 

[drumstick diva]

wow, I didn't even know turkeys can live that long. Is there a way to steal her poults without her causing you bloodshed.

Bycer "Superchemicalgirl(pharmacist) has a broody turkey from H -e -double hockey sticks. She turns psychotic and has bitten thru welders gloves, when approached .Often has to use a garbage can lid as a shield. SCG says when she isn't broody - she is very sweet. But she goes broody on unfertilized eggs that end up stinkin' to high heaven,
because they just won't ever hatch. .

 

[R2elk]

wow, I didn't even know turkeys can live that long. Is there a way to steal her poults without her causing you bloodshed.

Bycer "Superchemicalgirl(pharmacist) has a broody turkey from H -e -double hockey sticks. She turns psychotic and has bitten thru welders gloves, when approached .Often has to use a garbage can lid as a shield. SCG says when she isn't broody - she is very sweet. But she goes broody on unfertilized eggs that end up stinkin' to high heaven,
because they just won't ever hatch. .

Her mother is 10 years old and I previously had a Bourbon Red tom that was 11 years old when a predator took him on a Thanksgiving evening.

If I don't want to get bloodied, I wear gloves and a jacket. I also maneuver so that the hen is facing my back. A good flogging with the wings only can actually feel pretty good on my back.

If I wanted to remove unfertilized eggs from a broody, I would move the turkey off of the nest into another area probably using guide sticks or a big net. I would then remove the eggs and either block or destroy the nest.

In my case, I would not allow a hen to collect infertile eggs in the first place. I would remove all eggs daily before the hen goes broody. Admittedly the longer this goes on the fewer eggs are required to cause the broody bug but it will delay the onset of broodiness.