[CharingPorkPantry]

Hello all,

I have two Bourbon Red turkey hens which I hatched last year in an incubator. Having recently acquired a Tom both girls have decided to set up their nests and get to it. One girl has three eggs of I which I'm pretty sure only one is actually doing anything! The other girly has 9 under her and was with the Tom a lot more consistently so hoping they are mostly good.

My main concern is that both nests are inside their separate houses. They have shavings and a little straw in there. I have read that without the nests being on the earth they will struggle to get the moisture and presumably humidity right? I don't want them to sit for all that time if their going to struggle with the hatch.

So any advice would be greatly appreciated. I no longer have an incubator so I cant confiscate them!

Thank you in advance 

Rebecca

[Marches Farmer]

Our Narragansett turkey hens go broody at the drop of a hat and none have ever been set on a nest on earth.  Mostly I put them in a concrete floored broody pen and make them up a wide nest of straw with a thin layer of shavings in the middle to make a mattress.  They will usually pluck out all their breast feathers so the eggs are in direct contact with their skin (they don't use them to line the nest).  All ours have been excellent Mamas - seeing how carefully they step around their poults is a joy.  They also don't "drift" off the youngsters and start laying again as chickens often do and are quite happy to care for them into maturity.

[CharingPorkPantry]

Hello Marches Farmer,

Thank you for your reply, that is reassuring. I will let them get on with it for now then! Very excited to see how they do.

Rebecca