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Will Turkeys Stop Laying Eggs if they Fill the Nest?

Ahen turkey depending on her variety, can lay something like 50 to 75 eggs in a year. Once she starts to lay, you may want to collect eggs to eat (they are excellent for eating and baking), or to incubate using an incubator, or by using a broody hen or turkey. A frequent question is what happens if the eggs are left in the nest, will the hen stop laying once she has completed a clutch of eggs?


In short, the answer is yes, turkeys, will stop laying eggs once they have filled their nest but if you collect the eggs every day, they will continue laying. If you leave the eggs in the nest, they are at risk of being broken and getting mucky so if you hope she will go broody, they are better replaced with dummy eggs and stored (and turned twice daily) until she starts to sit. If she is turning broody, she will usually start to line her nest with fluffy down feathers. Once she starts to sit, you can put them back under her.

If her eggs are fertile, they should hatch in around 28 days. If you remove the poults as soon as they are born, the hen should lay another clutch of eggs to sit on although it is not advisable to allow her to do this if she isn’t fit and healthy. Sitting on a nest can take its toll.

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