Turkey question: Did I do the right thing?

[Struttn1]

My Black Spanish hen finally sat on her clutch of eggs yesterday evening and stayed on them all night. I looked out in the backyard this morning and there she was. I went out to the polebarn to check the eggs and they were cold to the touch so I gathered them up and put them in the incubator.

My question is did I get a bit hurried in gathering the eggs or did I make a good decision. Also will the eggs be okay after being warm all night then getting chilled this morning?

The hen is young and will not be a year old until August. I've never had a turkey do this before. All my hens over the years stayed on the nest once they sat.

 

[ccscott24]

I've had that problem a few times w/young birds. I put the eggs in the incubator and I wait till c if any is going to hatch but it all depends on how long the hen has been sitting and if the hen just started sitting then i wouldn't think there is much damage. It all depends on how long the hen been sitting, outside temperature that could effect the eggs. But take a chance n keep them in the incubator and candle them so u won't have a rotten egg explode b4 its 2 late. If candle the eggs and see movement inside like the veins or organs move, least u know that they r still alive.

Chris

 

[Harp Turkey Ranch]

yeah they should be just fine. i have a hen that likes to lay an egg at night ?? and then she sits on it most of the night and then off for the day and I gather and store up to a week and they have all hatched so far.

 

[Struttn1]

Good deal. She had already laid her 10th egg earlier in the day but yesterday evening my son went out to close the pen door and found her on the nest instead of on the roost. She sat the nest all night but apparently got off it right after daylight. The eggs were cool at 8:30.

It worked out good though because I did not like her nesting outside the pen. We got lots of varmints roaming around here. I took a radio out and put it near her last night and cranked up the rock n roll to help discourage the critters.

The toms gobbled to the music most of the night.

 

[KellyandKatie]

good luck!

 

[Rosecomb-Ryan]

My turkeys set on them at night a few days before they began to set I guess to protect them all 4 of my hens do it so it must be normal..

 

[LoveMyBirds]

Quote:
Are you sure she was setting... I've had hens to set there all day trying to get an egg out...

I'd think she was setting then the next morning running around.. I went over to see what she had in her nest and it was one egg.


I just found another turkey setting after she didn't show up one night to be penned. The next morning she was running around outside.

I checked the woods and finally found her nest by the pond bank in some gooseberry bushes. She only had 5 eggs..

Today I got 2 more eggs out of it..

 

[sweetshoplady]

Quote:
That is so funny. All I could think after reading that is:

"I can't get no gobble gobble
I can't get no gobble gobble
But I try, and I gobble
and I try, and I gobble
I can't get no gobble gobble...."

I'm sure the hens enjoyed being serenaded.