turkey momma pacing back and forth, tom wants to get in.

[turkey girl 0964]

A few days ago my Bronze hen hatched 10 poults, which are all doing well. She keeps pacing back and forth like she wants to get out of the little pen I made for her and her babies. Whenever she lays down to sit on them and get them warm she gets back up a few seconds later. I let her out with the tom for a bit but she just wanted to go back in! She can't make up her mind! The tom is also pacing back and forth right outside the little pen like he also wants in. I put up a little sheet so that they can't see each other and maybe the tom will stop doing that. They are really frustrating me because I am afraid that one of them might kill a poult or that they will die because momma can't find a good place to sit down! What should I do?? I will post some pics after church. TIA!

 

[turkey girl 0964]

@R2elk @Bigtom Turkey

 

[R2elk]

A few days ago my Bronze hen hatched 10 poults, which are all doing well. She keeps pacing back and forth like she wants to get out of the little pen I made for her and her babies. Whenever she lays down to sit on them and get them warm she gets back up a few seconds later. I let her out with the tom for a bit but she just wanted to go back in! She can't make up her mind! The tom is also pacing back and forth right outside the little pen like he also wants in. I put up a little sheet so that they can't see each other and maybe the tom will stop doing that. They are really frustrating me because I am afraid that one of them might kill a poult or that they will die because momma can't find a good place to sit down! What should I do?? I will post some pics after church. TIA!

Give her a bigger area to have the poults in. She will take them exploring with her. Maybe put the tom in her pen and let her and the poults out instead.

Another option is to put the poults in a brooder. She will breed with the tom, start laying again and hatch another clutch.

 

[turkey girl 0964]

Will she miss them if I take them away from her? And if I do how will I reintroduce them to the hen and tom when they are older?

 

[turkey girl 0964]

If I choose to let her raise them in a bigger area when will she start laying again? 4 weeks?

 

[R2elk]

Will she miss them if I take them away from her? And if I do how will I reintroduce them to the hen and tom when they are older?

She will miss them for days but will eventually move on.

After mine are in thee brooder for two weeks, I put them in the grow out pen. The grow out pen is easily seen by the other poultry and adult turkeys. Once they are big enough, I just let them out. I have not had any issues with the older turkeys accepting them.

 

[R2elk]

If I choose to let her raise them in a bigger area when will she start laying again? 4 weeks?

That depends on the individual hen. I had a Royal Palm hen that started laying again one week after her poults hatched.

Most of the time, if I let a hen raise poults, she doesn't start laying again until the next spring.

 

[turkey girl 0964]

Is 6 wks old enough to be reintroduced to them?

 

[R2elk]

Is 6 wks old enough to be reintroduced to them?

Depends on the situation. My adults roost outside at night. Poults that aren't at least half grown don't have a chance with the owls here so my poults don't get to be outside at night with the adults until they are at least 3 months old.

 

[turkey girl 0964]

Depends on the situation. My adults roost outside at night. Poults that aren't at least half grown don't have a chance with the owls here so my poults don't get to be outside at night with the adults until they are at least 3 months old.

Our hen sleeps on the ground and the tom sleeps up high on top of the house (not on the roost for some reason), and the coop is completely enclosed. One time one of the turkey babies got out through a tiny little hole and the tom didn't even do anything so I know he won't kill it...hopefully.