[danathome]

My turkey hen started with 14 eggs and seven were ruined by the cold and an unstable nest. The other seven eggs are just beginning to hatch. The weather has gone bad again and it looks like it's going to stay that way for awhile. But thanks to rotten water pressure and a whirlpool tub, I have the perfect place for her. The picture shows another hen a couple years ago who decided to brood in December with well-below freezing temperatures. The whirlpool makes a great place for a turkey because it's so easy to clean. So, fingers and toes crossed for luck.

 

[Poultry Judge]

That's great Dan, thanks for the pic!

 

[robin416]

Are we going to have a test to see what I remember from this hatch?

You should count up how many of everything has hatched since January. You might scare yourself.

 

[danathome]

That's great Dan, thanks for the pic!

The hen that is hatching is a big grey, the daughter of a midget white and RPy, who was a royal palm. Can you explain to me how this occurred; midget white X royal palm = Oregon gray (in appearance)?

 

[danathome]

Are we going to have a test to see what I remember from this hatch?

You should count up how many of everything has hatched since January. You might scare yourself.

No tests, but perhaps an end of year quiz. Sometimes it's best not to know. This year has many more months to go and I have no plans of slowing down.

 

[robin416]

If the answer is, there's been a lot hatched, then I'll ace the test.

How is the little Serama doing?

 

[danathome]

If the answer is, there's been a lot hatched, then I'll ace the test.

How is the little Serama doing?

Little one is doing surprising well. The chick was an assisted hatch and nearly dead when Kimmi helped it out. It now looks to be a perfectly healthy chick.

 

[robin416]

Now that's the way to start my morning. It sounds like the little one is doing even better than Sei did at this point.

 

[Overmountain1]

Yay! That makes me happy too! Glad the turkey has some hatching out this time at least, given all the crazy!

 

[danathome]

Now that's the way to start my morning. It sounds like the little one is doing even better than Sei did at this point.

Definitely better. Just a case of the egg getting chilled at the wrong time; no reason why it shouldn't grow into a healthy bird.

 

[danathome]

Yay! That makes me happy too! Glad the turkey has some hatching out this time at least, given all the crazy!

It is hard not to look, but looking could be disastrous. The hen is not tame as I had not intended to keep her. When my buyer came for two turkey hens, this one was already brooding, so I let the one go that I had planned to keep. I'll have to wait until I'm fairly sure all the eggs have hatched before I look.

 

[robin416]

What I want to know, is how did you successfully move her? Everytime I ever tried that the hen was no longer interested in the nest.

 

[danathome]

Like the one in the tub? One of the benefits of having tame, trusting birds. She had made her nest in the woodlot. When I found her nest I put it in a low plastic tub and left it in that location. Each day I collected the fresh egg to keep them from freezing and replaced the egg with a dummy egg. When she had 18 eggs she went broody, at which point I picked her and the nest/tub up, trudged through the woods to the house, and placed her in the whirlpool tub. Turkeys are easier to move than chickens. In a very short time she would yelp to be taken outside and then back inside. It was a cool experience-all 18 eggs hatched.

i would hesitate to try this with the grey hen who is hatching today as she is not as tame, or, trusting. I did have to move her nest from high on the wall to low down and that did go well.

 

[robin416]

That's actually pretty amazing.

So, the grey is still in her coop? Her sticking to the nest might mean you could get away with moving her like you did with the first bird.

 

[danathome]

That's actually pretty amazing.

So, the grey is still in her coop? Her sticking to the nest might mean you could get away with moving her like you did with the first bird.

I've moved quite a few different turkeys; always successfully. Yes, I could probably move the grey too, but when the eggs are pipped, one move of the turkey's foot could mean a crushed poult or egg. Been there and done that--too many times. I will wait for all the poults to have hatched and dried then I will bring the family in. I'm torn on that now as the weather is predicted sunny and in the 60s tomorrow, so I may leave well enough alone. It's a hard call; everything is wet, damp, and cold. What's right isn't so cut and dried.
If it were old Penny that was hatching, they'd be inside; safe and warm.

 

[robin416]

LOL A hovering parent. Not knowing what the best choice is.

 

[danathome]

Seven new poults have hatched! PJ- since new poults are liable to following any moving object, overall, are peafowl safe around new poults/chicks??

 

[Poultry Judge]

Seven new poults have hatched! PJ- since new poults are liable to following any moving object, overall, are peafowl safe around new poults/chicks??

While peafowl are generally more gentle than turkeys, I would say overall no. You could try a brief experiment with a couple chicks and see what the response is.

 

[robin416]

Congrats on the new babies, Dan. Will she let you get some pics of her little ones?

 

[danathome]

While peafowl are generally more gentle than turkeys, I would say overall no. You could try a brief experiment with a couple chicks and see what the response is.

Thanks PJ. I will keep them away from the poults until I know their reaction to the poults. Mom will protect them, but if any stray too far from the hen there could be a problem.