Fertility in eggs

gone2haven · **Posted:** Fri Jan 16, 2009 8:12 am

I wonder how long after mother turkey leaves her baby turkeys and starts up a relationship with father turkey and starts laying eggs, is there a certain amount of days they must mate for before those eggs become fertile and also a certain number of days she continues to lay fertile eggs?
As we have a turkey who had 7 succussful chicks, we seperated them at say 8 weeks old and put her with the male, a few days later she started to lay eggs and laid 16 in total then went clucky, but only produced one chick out of the second batch. I thought maybe it was too quick a turn around. :?:

Misty · **Posted:** Fri Jan 16, 2009 10:54 am

My understanding is that the male is infertile once he starts moulting....any chance he was in a moult? Were the eggs infertile or just didn't hatch? She may have been getting a hard time from the tom and retreated to the nest. My girl did the opposite - hatched one first time around and 5 second time - of which 3 were fully developed but she didn't wait for them to hatch before leaving the nest.

Previously she has hatched a lot more. In my years with poultry the mysteries seem to deepen....

gone2haven · **Posted:** Fri Jan 16, 2009 11:01 am

Thanks Misty, I have not seen the Turkey moult yet, but our Rooster is looking like he is about to so maybe they go the same time.
Out of the 16 eggs, 15 did not come out, and approx 7 of those had chicks fully developed in them like she just did not wait, the other 8 were in fertile, so I thought maybe the infertile ones might be the first 8 she laid, and then became fertile and laid another 8, this being the case next time we might take away the first 8 eggs as she lays and then leave her only with the other 8 or whatever comes, as that might stand a better chance.

moonshadow_dancer · **Posted:** Tue Jan 20, 2009 11:08 pm

Hi Sis,

I have no Idea but Craig just found Ginger our missing Buff Turkey Gal down the paddock with 2 maybe more little bubs, so now waiting for her to bring them up to meet the gang.

BTW Tristabelle our oldest aplaca gal had to be donged as she wanted to go with Strider :cry:

Take Care
Deb

Trevor H · **Posted:** Wed Jan 21, 2009 4:40 pm

Sounds like moulting played a part here.

Raf · **Posted:** Tue Jan 27, 2009 2:31 pm

Misty wrote:

My understanding is that the male is infertile once he starts moulting....

I didn't know that, thanks, I learnt something new today :-D

Raf

LuckyPhil · **Joined:** Wed Feb 04, 2009 3:30 am **Posts:** 2

Does anyone know many eggs a female turkey lays in a year, mine only layed 10 is that normal

Drew Smith · **Posted:** Mon Feb 09, 2009 12:48 pm

100 and 120 eggs per year is normal
Cheers Drew Smith

turkey girl · **Posted:** Fri Feb 13, 2009 9:19 am

I get around 60 to 80 eggs from some but a few only lay 40 or so

gone2haven · **Posted:** Fri Feb 20, 2009 7:52 am

WE only get about 48 on a good year, they lay about 12-16 then go clucky, hatch etc.. and then another 12-16 clucky etc, and if a good year we can get another 12-16 but very rarely do they hatch out.

AUSTRALIAN POULTRY FORUM™

Fertility in eggs

Who is on the Forum