I had a heck of a time this year getting my broody turkey hens to actually hatch out their eggs. Not that they weren't willing~ they just were in crowded tenement nests of 1 turkey & 2 chicken hens stacked up & bearing down on a multitude of egg combinations! Eventually ,several eggs would break and ooze between the other eggs and the legs of poultry mama 'wanna-be's'. By 1 week's end ,all would be pretty darn stinky ! So, I lifted the hens/turkeys off their nests, pulled out the OLD eggs, some unfertilized specimens exploding with the unexpected 'BANG' of a champagne bottle surprise and cleaned & wiped out their nesting boxes. They scolded me and fussed with restless turkey hissing. They freted over what they should do next.Chickens will peck my hand, but turkey hens only hiss & look disoriented.They have never pecked me.
Knowing what dedicated , die-hard broody mama hens Bandys are, I stuck 5 turkey eggs under her (Little Gal) and 3 hatched out.(:> The peeps LOVE their bandy chicken mama. When I check on her, her wings are spread out over her little babes and always one little head pops through her feathers, looks around at the world while staying warm and toasty from the neck down .
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