Two Chicks hatched from Broody Hen, Both found dead? and away from nest?

[Joe.G]

My Royal palm Turkey is sitting on a nest, I have her penned up and the tom is in there with her. She went broody with about 8 of her own eggs and I though 6 chickens eggs under her when she was sitting. Tonight I checked her pen and by the Gate there was a chick laying there dead and right next to it was a half broken shell with a chick still curled up inside the other half. There doesnt appear to be any sign of trauma. Any ideas? I do believe they are chicken chicks. She is nesting about 16 Ft From where I found these dead chicks near the exit to the pen.

 

[ivan3]

Turkey hens are pretty meticulous about getting rid of broken, or otherwise `bad' eggs from the nest (sometimes by eating them, more often by carrying them to some distance from nest). She might have cracked the chicken eggs while shifting herself around on clutch and removed them. They will remove dead, just hatched, poults after a day or so.

 

[Joe.G]

Ok, that is kind of what I thought happen, I figured if the Tom had done it they would be in worse shape. Where they were placed in the pen it is almost like she wanted me to find them and remove them.

 

[Joe.G]

Up date today, I found a Broken open Turkey egg, another dead chick that didn' look like it was a live long if at all and a Chick that looked great, nice feathers but was just dead. Mom is still sitting, on eggs, and I removed the Tom from the pen.

 

[Joe.G]

Well She managed to hatch out one chicken which I removed and now She has some Baby Turkeys under her. Well she what happens.

 

[GardienneWings]

I don't know about the tom but I have had chickens steal and kill poults from under a turkey hen as they hatch. I wouldn't have known what took them if I didn't happen the see it in progress and was able to save the poult they had just taken. I always isolate my hens near the time they are due to hatch.

Val

 

[Joe.G]

Day two or three now and I see at least three under her but there is Prob More, They look healthy.