Turkey hatching ducklings

[LadyofTheMisfitFlock]

Hey BYC friends!

Our turkey recently got real broody and she is sitting on both turkey and duck eggs.. Does anyone have any insight on what to do when they hatch?? We have a female duck that keeps trying to hide her eggs so she can hatch them. Do you think when the ducklings hatch I can just give them to her to raise or will the turkey want to keep them with her?? New to this whole natural hatching thing!

Also, when the hatchlings are born do I need to worrying about anything or will the turkey do all the work? Thanks!

 

[Jeffrey Foster]

I would suggest giving the duck a batch of eggs and wait for her to go broody, Then swap out the eggs once she has been sitting good for about a week. Most poultry hens can't resist sitting on a nest full of eggs, which means you can coach them into sitting were you want them, not in the inconvenient spots they always seem to choose.

The problem is, ducks are born ready for the water, and will insist on playing in whatever water is available. Turkey poults on the other hand do very poorly when they get wet. The ducks should do fine with a turkey mom, be the turkey poults may not do well their webbed feet siblings.

 

[LadyofTheMisfitFlock]

Update!!

Our turkey pulled a chicken eggs under her while sitting and now has two adorable little chicks following her around. Will she still lay on the unhatched eggs or focus on her hatched babies?

 

[R2elk]

Update!!

Our turkey pulled a chicken eggs under her while sitting and now has two adorable little chicks following her around. Will she still lay on the unhatched eggs or focus on her hatched babies?

She will abandon the nest for the hatchlings.

 

[Jeffrey Foster]

Typically, they will only set for 2 to 3 days after the first chicks hatch. The Turkey and Duck eggs will be 6 to 8 days behind the chickens. If you remove the chicks, and confine her with the nest, she might keep sitting. You could then give the chicks back when the rest hatch. Every bird is different, but chances are she is not going to sit enough to hatch the rest of the eggs if she has the chicks.