Turkey poult question

[ixnay]

I have a turkey hen who is setting, but I have my doubts about whether any of the eggs will hatch (I know, I'm a bad mommy, and too distracted to keep track of time and/or candling). My question is this: if I buy a few poults from a local source, and stick them under the setting hen, would she then accept them? I really do not have the energy or the inclination to do all the raising, but it seems a shame for the hen to have spent all that time on the nest.

Nan

 

[MissTurkey4]

What will you do if she does not take them? Are you ready for that? There is always these great hens out there that take in anything and everything, even gold fish. I just never had any hens like that.

 

[jasonm11]

She may take them with no problem, but if she does she ill most likely abandon the nest after a few days and you may have a bunch of eggs fixing to pop that you have to get rid of. If the eggs staret to go bad she will let you know by removing the eggs from the nest. Let nature take its course and if goes bad try to get a few chicks to put under her as a last ditch. Just remember you may have to pull them away quickly, you will know in just a few minutes if she is receptive.

 

[ixnay]

Thanks for the replies. She has managed to hatch 3 successfully in the last couple of days, 2 little corpses though. Another 3 or so eggs left, so I'm pretty much leaving her to her own devices for another day or so: I've put a chick feeder with starter nearby, and water also. We'll see how the survival rate is.

So: now that she has a couple of poults, what about sneaking more in? Yes, I know I would need to be prepared to raise them on my own. I was thinking about tucking them under her at night. She's very tolerant of me - hisses a little, but has never offered to peck.

Nan

 

[Jocasta]

If you're prepared to raise them yourself if she doesn't accept them, then I'd personally give it a bash!