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Do Turkeys Lay Eggs? Your Questions Answered!

Do turkeys lay eggs? There is a lot of information about the turkey and how it procreates! Find out more here…

Do turkeys lay eggs? A hen looking at the camera

Do Turkeys Lay Eggs?

OR do they have live babies, give birth, or get pregnant?

Are you curious if a turkey lays an egg or gives birth?

Although much larger than the chicken, the turkey creates life and food in much the same way as a chicken.

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A turkey lays an egg, which can be eaten, but if the turkey makes a nest and then sets on the egg for 28 days, a little poult (baby turkey) hatches out of the egg.

If you would like to find out more about the turkey egg, follow this link: Turkey Eggs Facts: (Size, Nutrition, & Taste??), +How to Hatch Them

You can find a lot of articles here on A Life of Heritage that will teach you a lot about poultry and be sure to check out CHICKEN RICH: Profitable Poultry Binder–It’s FULL of to-do lists, checklists, record keeping sheets, and resource pages that will keep your flock healthy and YOU organized!

What time of year do turkeys lay eggs and will they lay eggs year around?

Turkeys are generally seasonal layers, beginning in the spring around April. But some people have found that their birds don’t always fit this mold and begin laying earlier.

If their eggs are picked each day and they are not allowed to make a nest, they will lay for a longer period of time.

How many times a year do turkeys lay eggs?

A turkey can lay up to 100 eggs a year and will lay between 2 and 3 eggs a week.

In a natural setting, they will lay a clutch of eggs. This means they will lay between 10-12 eggs in about two weeks to fill their nest. Then they will go broody and begin to set on the eggs to hatch them out.

Turkey tom and hen with the tom strutting

Do turkeys lay eggs without a male?

A turkey will lay an egg with or without a male. But they will not be fertile. Without a male, they cannot be placed in an incubator and will not hatch if a hen sets on them.

What does a turkey egg look like?

Turkey eggs are usually creamy-white with brown speckles and they have a much pointer end than a chicken egg.

In this picture below you can see the four turkey eggs in the middle surrounded by a chicken egg and a goose egg.

Comparing the size of egg, turkey eggs and goose egg. Do Turkeys Lay Eggs?

Photo Credit to Thomasturkey from BackYard Chickens

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Malcolm

Sunday 7th of November 2021

My hen fowl keep laying egg up to about 30..but not started lieing on it...so we took almost all to eat..but she still keep laying.when would she lay on them?

Delci Plouffe

Friday 25th of March 2022

It's hard to say. Some just aren't broody.

Malcolm

Sunday 7th of November 2021

My male fowl mate with my hen turkey.so when my turkey lays eggs and hatch them, how would the offerings look like?

Delci Plouffe

Friday 25th of March 2022

Let me know if you find out!

Danielle Waked

Wednesday 27th of May 2020

My turkey lays her egg for HOURS. Is that normal? Is she taking all the time to actually lay it or is she just sitting on it afterwards for hours? How long does it usually take for them to lay an egg? Sometimes she won’t move for ANYTHING and I have to physically pick her up off the egg and put her in the coop for the night. We take the egg away immediately so she doesn’t have a clutch. Is this what being “broody” is? Or is she physically EXHAUSTED from laying it? Do they get exhausted after laying an egg? Does it hurt them? Any answers would really help!

Bello Opeyemi

Friday 10th of April 2020

Do a Turkey hen need to mate everyday while it's laying for its eggs to be fertilized.

Delci Plouffe

Monday 13th of April 2020

After mating, a turkey will lay fertile eggs for 7-10 days. So, no, they do not need to mate every day! :)

Linda S. Martinez

Saturday 28th of March 2020

Does the male turkey lay on the eggs when the female gets up and how long will he sit on them. Will she come back to sit on them anytime if he gets up?

Delci Plouffe

Tuesday 31st of March 2020

The hens are the ones who set on the eggs. And she should set on them until they hatch!