The wheat field in front of our house it going to be burnt off this weekend, and it has a Turkey nest in the middle, How can we save them?
Advice needed ASAP!!!!
If there is a humane society near you, call them. They'll know a local wildlife rehabilitator who can do what needs to be done. Good luck, and good for you for caring!
We have contacted them, No one gives a darn about wild turkeys!
I got alot of Blah, Blah, sorry we can't help you.
Can we bring the nest home, or move it?
I've called my agricultural extension agent, and the lady who would know is in a class right now, but she'll call me back this afternoon, and I'll pass the information (IF she does know) on as soon as I get it. Are we talking eggs or hatchlings, in case that makes a difference?
Am also calling some others I know, and I'll let you know what I find out.
edited to say I just emailed a rehabilitator at Texas A&M; hopefully I'll hear back soon.
This message was edited May 29, 2008 2:25 PM
They are eggs. We haven't seen the hen recently, They did pull the wheat this week leaving the nest exposed.
Okay, my rehab friend says if it's eggs, you're pretty much out of luck. The hen won't find them if they're moved, and won't follow you if she sees you moving them. When the fire starts, she'll be out of there. About the best chance you have is taking the eggs right before the fire, then moving them back as close as you can to the original location as soon as the fire is over. That doesn't mean the mother will come back, or will sit them if she does. Turkeys are not famed for their IQ.
If you haven't seen her in a while she may have abandoned them anyway, and chances are the chicks won't have survived. Can you check them for signs of life?
Sorry. Wish I had something better to tell you.
I wouldn't even know where to begin to check for life? But I do thank you for all of your help.
I will try to move them, but I think they are sitting ducks for other animals after the fire.
The ag. ext. agent just called. She had called a parks&wildlife guy and this is the result: unless you can catch the hen on the nest and put hen and nest in an enclosure for a few days, she'll never see those eggs again. Also, do you have any idea how long she had been sitting on the nest? If it's more than 4 weeks, the eggs probably won't hatch anyway, as it's now late for turkeys to hatch. That may be why she abandoned the nest, if that's what she did.
In checking for signs of life, all I could suggest would be listening to the eggs, or maybe candling them to see if you see anything. If you do go get the eggs, I'd just keep them warm for a while and see what happens.
Good luck!
Thank you, I will go out and see if they seem to be any life to them.
Stay tuned...
If they're alive maybe you could hatch them in a incubator?? Release them into the wild once they're adults.
MollyD
i agree with molly and if they aint through the air sack u aint gonna hear em. i suggest getting them and candaling them and keeping them warm till they hacth the release them when there older like molly said
incubator we don't have and I have called around no one nearby has one.
Is there another way to save them. can they be placed in a box and covered or a heat matt?
maybe if they are close to hatching but that is not exactly a long term hatching process try to keep them at 37 degrees i dont know what it is in you temp and put a cup of water near them hope it works:)
And please keep us posted!
Good luck with the turkey eggs, Georgia!
I went down this morning, In hopes of being able to tell if they have a chance , they are heavy,
cool to the touch I didn't hear anything, but then again!
When was the last time you saw the mother around them?
What a beautiful nest of eggs you have there.
You could try 2 things. If the nest is not more
than as many days old as there are eggs, you may
be able to hatch them. If she left the nest early on
after laying the eggs, they may be viable.
Try to candle the eggs first. Get a maglite and tape
a toilet paper tube to the end, making sure to seal
it all the way around so no light leaks out except for
thru the tube. Take the eggs into a dark room, being
mindful to keep the eggs oriented with the small end
down, big end up. Gently move the lite around the egg
cradleing the egg in the tube. You might see some
movement in there. You will be looking for an air cell
at the top of the big end. It will show up lighter than
the rest of the egg contents. If the air cell is 1/4 to
1/3 the size of the egg, they are fairly far along in their
development, and could hatch soon- or not. If you
are lucky and the eggs are fairly newly laid, the air cell
may only be10-20% of the egg. If they are more
developed and she has left the nest for a couple days,
they probably got too cold and died. But, all is not lost
and you may get a hatch if your weather has been very
warm.
Get a small cooler or styrofoam box, and hang a light bulb
in it. I got a great thermometer/hygrometer from WM
at a good price. It has the min/max temp display so
you can check the hottest it's been in your bator. Don't
put the eggs in til you can keep the temp at about 100*.
Get a tuna can or some sort filled with warm water and
put a porous sponge in that, inside the bator. If you
get the unit with the hygrometer, try to keep the
relative humidity in there at about 60%. if it's too high,
use a smaller sponge, if too low, try 2 cans and 2
sponges. After you check the temp and RH and are
fairly satisfied with that, put the eggs in after you mark
one side of the egg with a plus, and the opposite side
with a minus. You will need to turn the eggs on each
marked side at least 3 times a day, ideally at 8 hour
intervals. Be sure to put the thermom. at the level that
the eggs will sit. I will get turkey incubating days to
hatch and come back and post it for you.
You can let them 'cook' in the bator for several days,
and check the size of the air cell again. You will be
looking for the air cell to get larger. If uncertain about
any change in air cell size, check it after you have had
them in there for at least 5 days. Hopefully they won't
explode in the meantime. If after 5 days you see no
change in the air cell size, take one outside and crack
it open on a plate or bowel, (if you want to learn about
what that stage of development looks like.) Good luck
to you!!
Turkey need 28 days to incubate, Georgia. Do
you recall about how long it was that you saw her at
the nest?
BTW- I was born near Valdosta, and have lots of
family down that way.
Truest, They think they saw her the day they where cutting the wheat down, which was monday?
I think, They flagged the area so that the mowers will not run them over until we can find out if they are viable. DH said he would bring one home tonight when he comes, so that we can try your mag lite set up and see if they have a chance. He did cover them back up slightly to keep the direct sun off of them, we have had high temps for weeks, so maybe they are ok?
We are about 70 miles from Valdosta, we love going to the concerts at wild adventures.
NOW you have a plan! That's great -- thanks for that, truest.
Let us know what goes on!
georgiagarden3 a lot of people have made an incubator using styrofoam container with a lid. Bulb for heat. There are two threads on this.
MollyD
hope it goes well
hoping to hear good news...
No good news! We tried the light but couldn't tell, Nad then the gentleman that runs the local chicken house came down and he had a look he said they where no longer viable.
I do thank all of you who have tried to help, It means the worls to me.
This has been a wonderful and heartbreaking experience, But it has gotten me to think more about the wild life around us and how to care for the littlest critters for the furture.
always nice to see the good outcome [opening our awareness] despite the heartaches and losses. really sorry...
georgiagarden3 at least you tried. Hopefully the hen will lay another clutch next year and hatch that one out.
MollyD
Sorry it didn't work out, but you did a good thing. It's nice finding people whose hearts are in the right place, and yours obviously is!
well its good you try just think if there were little chicks in their they would have been burnt alive so its good u had a looksie to make sure
Sorry about the eggs, GeorgiaGardens. Good
thing the mama left when she did, before things
got too far along. You were very sweet to care
about them.