# Turkey WHOOPS!



## badlander (Jun 7, 2009)

I decided to do some fishing this afternoon. Not traditional pond to frying pan fishing. Our biggest pond pond suffered a catastrophic die off this past winter after a run off valve failed and dumped about half of it's volume. We were able to get the valve locked down but the damage was done. Then with the freeze we had a lot of dead bass this spring.

It was probably for the best. The bass had kindasorta overbalanced the ecosystem and wiped out much of the pan fish population. So I went fishing to catch some pan fish out of our secondary pond to put in our main pond with the hopes that they will live long and prosper. I had managed to catch 15 when I noticed my fishing companion, our 10 year old border collie was nosing around the woods behind me and had managed to flush a turkey. No biggy. They do it all the time. About ten minutes later she comes trotting up to me and I notice she is looks very pleased with herself and has something in her mouth. So I call her over and she trots up to me, all wiggles and wags and I put my hand down and tell her to 'give'. She obediently drops a warm turkey egg in my out stretched hand.

Oops. Red alert!

I stand there staring at it for a minute trying to figure out what to do. I'm not sure so I lay it down beside me in a little pile of leaves in the sun and reel my line in...with another small green sun fish on the hook....and decide I need to see if I can find the pilfered nest. Lucy is down at the bottom of the levy and guess what? She has something in her mouth again. Oh great. This time she wasn't sure she wanted to hand over her find, after all I confiscated her first treasure. I finally managed to fish the second egg out of her mouth without breaking it. Now I have a warm egg for both hands and no nest in sight. Oh, wait! Lucy is dancing around a pile of sticks at the base of the levy. BINGO! Turkey nest sighted with 10 more unbroken eggs in it.

I carefully nudged the two eggs back into the clutch, grab my poacher Border Collie, rod and reel, bait and bucket of breeding stock and head out of there as fast as my little legs will carry me.

I hope I did the right thing and I hope momma turkey returns to her clutch so Karma is restored. We have been trying to get turkeys to breed on our farm for 5 years and when we do, our dog decides she wants an omelet.:help:


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

A hen built a nest and laid 12 eggs in it along side one of my daily walking paths a few years back. She got flushed out by one of the dogs but came back after we left. Another time one had did the nest close to the path again and got flushed twice, she never did return to that nest so I make every attempt to avoid multiply flushes now. I just change the route.

 Al


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## badlander (Jun 7, 2009)

Update: After a week, DH and I crept back into the woods with binoculars to check the nest. I was able to see from a distance that there was no hen on the nest so we crept closer. 

The nest has been deserted. The eggs were scattered and cold.

Sad.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

She most likely when to a different location and started over again. ***** possums and skunks cause that a lot when they raid a nest.

 Al


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## charliesbugs (Feb 25, 2007)

A turkey that has been disturbed off of her nest very seldom will come back and set. And I think they only lay one clutch of eggs. I have chased 3 hens from their eggs and none ever came back. Anyone else have any thoughts on this??


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

They will lay more than one clutch of eggs.
they will some times lay a clutch later in the summer after the first bunch have grown enough to be on their own.

 Al


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## ksfarmer (Apr 28, 2007)

alleyyooper said:


> They will lay more than one clutch of eggs.
> they will some times lay a clutch later in the summer after the first bunch have grown enough to be on their own.
> 
> Al


Yes, they will renest multiple times. Usually with fewer eggs in the renest. A few years ago I flushed a hen while swathing hay. I skipped around the spot where her nest was, leaving about a 15 foot square of hay standing around her nest. A few days later I baled the hay field, saw her flush again then noticed her hanging at the edge of the field till I left. Checked again several times from a distance and she kept on the nest till she hatched.


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