Turkey Laying Questions

[FrankBlissett]

We may be getting a pair of 3-year-old bronze turkey hens. Do turkeys still lay decent at 3 or 4 years old?

Also, when do they lay? Our ducks all lay first thing in the morning, but the chickens don't get going till afternoon. Do they like to hide their eggs, or can they be coaxed to lay in the coop?

Thanks for any advice - we're pretty new to turkeys.

-Frank

 

[Blisschick]

I'm still new to turkeys too, so I don't know how long they lay. They do like to hide their eggs, so if you give the hens a place to lay them in private, they'll really like that, but they'll also just lay them wherever when they don't. I'm not real sure when my hen lays her eggs, since she's done it in private, but from watching her go from her spot, she seems to have laid them sometime in the morning, before noon.

 

[chikibabe]

my hen who has just started to lay seems to be mid morning towards lunch time for her egg clock. I did have large open front nest boxes with a roost and she layed in them ok, when i added an old baby crib i 3/4 enclosed with just enough entry door for her to walk in she quickly moved into that 1 instead tho. I think very sheltered and private nest boxes work best.

 

[MissTurkey4]

A good bred heritage turkey will lay good and be productive to a good old age. For my high altitude there is a advantage to using older hens. Mine lay at different times of day.

If they free range you will have a hard time finding the eggs. They also a at a huge risk to preditors if they sit on the eggs. I lock mine up during breeding season. They will use a nest box or lay in a cornner bedded with straw.

 

[ColbyNTX]

If you are just bringing them home, they will need to be penned for a few weeks or you will never see them again. I use medium dog houses in the pens with hat in the bottom and they use them 99% of the time. Turkeys can lay anytime of the day. I have some that lay in the am, mid day and dusk and sometimes off the roost at night! A 3 year old hen should be very productive and have several good years left. The fertillity will slightly drop as each year and later in the breeding seasons but they should be good. The age and fertillity of the tom has a lot to do with it.

 

[RedRoosterFarm]

I have a 3 yo hen laying daily and a 2 yo doing the same.