Wold turkey eggs

[Porpie Pie]

Hey all! My boyfriend found a wild turkey nest while cutting hay (per usual) and for whatever reason this time he asked if we could try and incubate them. ( I'm so glad I sold my incubator this spring ) I'm using the cardboard box incubator method and I've insulated it with Styrofoam and plastic and I've got it set to 99-100 degrees and 55-60% humidity. I candled them before putting them in the incubator and they look like a fertile chicken egg would at say day 3. I see veins starting and the black dot. Being that turkey eggs take 28 days to hatch I'm wondering about how old these eggs are. I've attached the original photo and an edited photo to try and make the veins easier to see. I can see them clear as day but the phone camera wouldn't pick them up very well. Any other tips on making a cardboard box incubator better would be appreciated. Turns out incubating is not my favorite thing to do with constantly worrying about the humidity ( especially overnight) I'd much rather leave it up to the natural mom. TIA

 

[nuthatched]

You need to give them to a wildlife rehab, you are likely not allowed to have them in your possession.

 

[Kiki]

the cops are going to come get you.

Put the eggs back where you found them. Hurry.

 

[Porpie Pie]

You need to give them to a wildlife rehab, you are likely not allowed to have them in your possession.

I'll have to find one nearby. They were in the hay he was cutting. She jumped out and he figured there was a nest so he was able to avoid hitting then. Until then I'll just have to keep them warm

 

[Porpie Pie]

the cops are going to come get you.

Put the eggs back where you found them. Hurry.

The hay is cut and nest was exposed. I don't think mom will come back and I'd hate to see them die. I'll contact the closest rehab center I can find. If the cops come I'll gladly just hand em over.

 

[Kiki]

The hay is cut and nest was exposed. I don't think mom will come back and I'd hate to see them die. I'll contact the closest rehab center I can find. If the cops come I'll gladly just hand em over.

It doesn't really matter where they were.
I'd put them back ASAP.

 

[R2elk]

The hay is cut and nest was exposed. I don't think mom will come back and I'd hate to see them die. I'll contact the closest rehab center I can find. If the cops come I'll gladly just hand em over.

Contact your local game warden or DNR agent and turn them over. For future reference, leave the eggs where they are. If you are concerned about them contact the local game warden and let them deal with them.

 

[kfelton0002]

Wild turkeys are not as cute as you think to own anyway, especially the males. I've had some given to me in ignorance when I was younger. The first time was a jake and I thought I was saving him because the person that gave him to me had him confined him to a tiny pen and it made me really sad to see such a beautiful bird in such a small cage. At first he was precious while he was young but turned into an aggressive hormonal devil when he matured. He eventually escaped my backyard and went to the mountains and we never saw him again after that.

On my second wild turkey venture, I obtained some eggs from someone and hatched them in my sportsman (again, ignorant teenager at the time) and when they were about half grown and the time came when we were going to integrate them in with our flock of free ranged chickens they literally walked to the tree line and disappeared and I never saw them again, true story!! The wild nature hasn't been bred out of them through domestication like heritage or meat turkeys and their instinct is to be wild. They didn't give a hoot about chickens, they were gone. Live and learn. Wild turkeys should stay wild. When you encounter a nest leave it be. If it is abandoned, call the game warden or a local rehabber whose intent is to raise them with minimal human contact and then ideally release in a protected area.

 

[Porpie Pie]

Wild turkeys are not as cute as you think to own anyway, especially the males. I've had some given to me in ignorance when I was younger. The first time was a jake and I thought I was saving him because the person that gave him to me had him confined him to a tiny pen and it made me really sad to see such a beautiful bird in such a small cage. At first he was precious while he was young but turned into an aggressive hormonal devil when he matured. He eventually escaped my backyard and went to the mountains and we never saw him again after that.

The second time I obtained some wild turkey eggs from someone and hatched them in my sportsman (again, ignorant teenager at the time) and when they were about half grown and the time came when we were going to integrate them in with our flock of free ranged chickens they literally walked to the tree line and disappeared and I never saw them again, true story!! The wild nature hasn't been bred out of them through domestication like heritage or meat turkeys and their instinct is to be wild. They didn't give a hoot about chickens, they were gone. Live and learn. Wild turkeys should stay wild. When you encounter a nest leave it be. If it is abandoned, call the game warden or a local rehabber whose intent is to raise them with minimal human contact and then ideally release in a protected area.

My boyfriend said he also hatched some under a duck and they weren't very friendly. ( young and unaware about wild turkeys) Even the domestic turkeys I've had were aggressive little a- holes. I didn't expect them to stay I just wanted to give them a chance at life but didn't think that they would be illegal to have but now i know and I know what to do when it happens again. I learned with the domestic turkeys I got that they should not ever be hand fed because the little effers will forever try and rip off your fingers.

 

[Chikyboy]

I know this thread was a month ago, but my grandma found a wild turkey egg and hatched it. Best turkey ever. Much nicer than my domestic turkeys. Then again, he was the only one that hatched, so didn't have any other friends and imprinted on my grandma. When he was older, he was put in with the chickens and lived t be 14 yrs old.