Hen/Poults Roosting Questions

[Stlbaseball1]

Once a hen initiates a nest, does she stop roosting in a tree at night? If so, at what point? Also, at what point do hens and poults begin to roost in trees together at night?
I would love for Mega to enlighten me on this process.

 

[catman529]

I know they sleep on their nest once they are setting...that's how the eggs are incubated. I'm not sure at which age the poults can fly, but I know it's pretty early from what I've seen in person.


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[Andy S.]

Once incubation starts (all eggs laid), the hen will stay on the nest day and night for about 28 days. She may leave briefly during the day to eat, but it's not the norm. Poults can typically fly short distances after two weeks and can often roost in short trees and on low hanging limbs after three weeks. Six weeks is sort of the goal as poults that live this long typically have better odds for survival.

 

[Matador]

Interesting. Good question and answer. Learned something.

 

[Boll Weevil]

Google "My Life as a Turkey." It's a video documentary of a brood hatched and raised in Florida...fascinating and very informative.

 

[woodsman04]

Google "My Life as a Turkey." It's a video documentary of a brood hatched and raised in Florida...fascinating and very informative.

This is a great documentary. If you like to read, his journal of it is even better.


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[woodsman04]

Like Andy and catman said, they don't roost in trees after incubation. They roost in trees while they are nesting though, not starting incubation until their clutch of eggs is complete.

I think the poults can fly at 14 days. If you come across some and spook them, lots of times they will scatter like a covey of quail, except landing in trees instead of flying off and hitting the ground and running. Although I have seen quail lite in trees and have seen poults scatter fly and run.

They start whistling at each other shortly after they break up. Then hen starts yelping loudly and yelps a bunch to "assemble" her brood back together.

If the poults can just make it to where they fly, their odds of survival increase. Then I think at either 7 weeks or 10 weeks, they are full plumaged with no downy feathers. Making them less susceptible to hard rains.

If they can make it to the middle of August/September, they got a good chance to make it to be a breeding adult.


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[Stlbaseball1]

Thanks for the responses guys. I'm intrigued by this and utterly amazed that a wild turkey ever makes it from egg to poult to adult with all of the odds against them. Does anyone know where the hen and poults spend the night from birth until they can fly? I am assuming the first few nights are still at the nest but wonder if they continue to stay there at night up to 10-14 days after birth until they can fly into a tree.

 

[Southern Sportsman]

Google "My Life as a Turkey." It's a video documentary of a brood hatched and raised in Florida...fascinating and very informative.

This is a great documentary. If you like to read, his journal of it is even better.

Illumination in the Flatwoods

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=illumination ... gjaukxya_e

Buy it. Read it. Coolest/most informative book about turkeys I've ever read.

 

[woodsman04]

Thanks for the responses guys. I'm intrigued by this and utterly amazed that a wild turkey ever makes it from egg to poult to adult with all of the odds against them. Does anyone know where the hen and poults spend the night from birth until they can fly? I am assuming the first few nights are still at the nest but wonder if they continue to stay there at night up to 10-14 days after birth until they can fly into a tree.

They leave the nest as soon as they can after hatching. They don't return to nest to spend the night (that I'm aware of). They just sleep under the hens wings and body at night.

Yes odds are extremely against them. Just think how many more turkeys we would have if we could just take away one thing that hurts their population.


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