when do turkeys start laying eggs?

[OmaBird]

I don't think cold weather plays a roll. Mine layed and hatched eggs in the snow this year. I was shocked to find my hens laying eggs in my dry pound with snow all around them. I was even more shocked to find the eggs where good and hatched out 22 poults from one nest. I get high winds and frost until late May. I always have Turkeys start laying by early February. They are in full production by March. My last eggs are usually October-November.

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

Thta's about my season too here, never had the cold to deal with personally, just know a lot of northern breeders have birds start later.
Daylight duration, I am sure, plays a bigger role in it truthfully.

 

[shelby528]

Just thought I'd put my input in.
I'm a devoted livestock lover..and I mean any type of livestock. I work at a chicken farm picking eggs and I love it. I get to deal with chickens all day (even though sometimes I could rather not deal with roosters!)

But yes it in fact does deal with daylight. A farmer who produces hatching eggs for places like maple leaf and so forth "trick" hens until they are 28 weeks of age with lights in the barn. I trick my hens as well until they around 28 weeks, the eggs are still small but the fertility rate (if you have a good rooster) is awesome and the hens are at the best laying capacity around 32 weeks. I give my hens and turkeys 8 hours of light each day until 20 weeks and then for 4 weeks I give them 12 hours of daylight so there laying schedule sets in, for the next 4 weeks they get 17 hours of daylight so that they start laying! A hen can start laying earlier than 28 weeks but the eggs are so small and it is about a 70\\30 chance the chick will even develop. Chickens and turkeys have about the same laying pattern, some similarities and some difference. I'm in south western ontario canada and my chickens always start laying around feb march but chickens develop and mature a lot faster than turkeys, or so it seems!

Weather does in fact play a role in some cases, chickens start dying from heat around 90-100 F. But the same the other way, turkeys and chickens are very durable when it comes to cold because one, they huddle and two they have feathers. If it gets to hot only water can keep them cool, no shedding or molting until about 40 weeks and by then most of the hot weather is all gone.

Hope this helps!

 

[wanderseek]

Yes, this does help. All of this information is great! We only have one turkey who we "adopted" from a girl when their newness and cuteness wore off as they grew. We have 22 chickens and the one turkey. We believe it's a female. Do you eat turkey eggs just like you do chicken eggs? Do they taste about the same? How do they compare? I'm very interested in learning about this. If they're not fertile and they're no good for people to eat, I guess the dog will get some treats?! But I really hope we can eat them!!

Becky

 

[momtofour]

My turkey was a year old in April, and she is not laying yet. Is this normal?

 

[R2elk]

Yes, this does help. All of this information is great! We only have one turkey who we "adopted" from a girl when their newness and cuteness wore off as they grew. We have 22 chickens and the one turkey. We believe it's a female. Do you eat turkey eggs just like you do chicken eggs? Do they taste about the same? How do they compare? I'm very interested in learning about this. If they're not fertile and they're no good for people to eat, I guess the dog will get some treats?! But I really hope we can eat them!!

Becky

I am not aware of any kind of egg that is not edible. Turkey eggs taste the same as chicken eggs with a variation in taste being possible depending on the diet of the birds. The main problem with larger eggs is that people tend to over cook the egg whites waiting for the yolks to cook enough to suit them. My recommendation for larger eggs is to cook them scrambled or to use them in baked goods.

 

[Royal Palm]

I have a blue palm hen that hatched 4 a couple weeks ago now shes laying again. Is this normal and will they be fertilized? My tom has been showing off for months.

 

[feedman77]

I had a pair of blue slate hens that hatched a clutch.

They were laying within a week. And poults were with them.

I have 5 of the eggs in the incubator looks like 3 are fertile.

Most hens should be able to store sperm a month or more in case first hatch is a loss and she renests.

 

[Royal Palm]

Thanks for the info. I am new at raising turkeys.

 

[OzarkCountryGirl]

My Narragansetts started laying 4 days shy of nine months.