Wild turkeys are fascinating birds with complex life cycles. Their reproduction involves examining the female’s role in laying eggs and raising young.
The Laying Process
Wild turkeys lay eggs as a central part of their annual reproductive cycle. The female turkey, known as a hen, is solely responsible for egg-laying and nesting. This activity typically begins in the spring, with the exact timing varying by geographic region and subspecies. For instance, in southern states, Eastern wild turkeys may start breeding in late February or early March, while those in northern areas might begin as late as April.
Once a hen is ready to lay, she deposits one egg approximately every 24 to 32 hours. This means a complete clutch, which is the full set of eggs laid at one time, can take about two weeks to accumulate. During this period, the hen visits her chosen nest site only long enough to lay an egg, spending the rest of her time feeding and foraging elsewhere. She will not begin the continuous incubation process until all eggs in the clutch have been laid. If a nest is destroyed or a clutch is lost early in the season, a hen can re-nest and lay another clutch.
Characteristics of the Eggs and Nest
Wild turkey eggs are laid in ground nests. The eggs are generally pale yellowish-tan, creamy, or pinkish in color, and are often marked with reddish-brown or darker spots. They are notably larger and more pointed than chicken eggs. A typical clutch size for a wild turkey hen ranges from 9 to 13 eggs, although clutches can be as small as 4 or as large as 17 eggs. Younger hens may lay fewer eggs in their clutches compared to more experienced females.
Nests are simple, shallow depressions scraped into the ground by the hen. These ground nests are usually located in areas providing good concealment, such as dense undergrowth, thickets, or at the base of trees or brush piles. Hens often select sites near natural openings like fields or logging roads, which provide access to foraging areas. The nest itself is minimally constructed, utilizing dead leaves and other plant materials already present at the site. While laying, the hen may cover her eggs with leaves when she leaves the nest, but this practice ceases once full incubation begins.
Incubation and Hatching
After the hen has laid her full clutch of eggs, she begins the incubation phase, which typically lasts around 28 days (25-31 days). The hen remains on the nest almost continuously, day and night, to provide the necessary warmth for the developing embryos. She rarely leaves the nest, usually only for brief periods to feed on protein-rich insects. During incubation, the hen will periodically turn and reposition the eggs to ensure even heating, allowing all eggs in the clutch to hatch at roughly the same time.
The hatching process begins with the poult, or baby turkey, “pipping” – chipping a hole in the shell. Hens communicate with their unhatched poults through soft clucking calls, which synchronizes hatching. The entire hatching of a clutch can take up to two days. Once hatched, poults are precocial, meaning they are well-developed, covered in soft down feathers, and are capable of walking and foraging within 12 to 24 hours. They quickly learn to peck for food by observing their mother, and though particularly vulnerable in their first days and weeks, within 8 to 14 days they gain the ability to make short flights and begin roosting in trees with the hen for safety.