Late hatch?

[Bluegill Bob]

I have several turkeys with broods that come to my bird feeders every day and the poults are about the size of tall hen pheasants. This morning a hen with nine poults about the size of morning doves came in to feed. I am not sure if they are a late hatch or a second hatch?

[Linda G.]

That's a late hatch, not a second hatch. Turkeys only produce poults once a year. If their first nest is totally destroyed by predators, floods, or cold weather, they'll nest again. If they are successful at hatching out even one chick, they're done nesting for the year. If that chick dies, they don't renest.

If it's not too hot, something we're encountering up here this year with hens that just apparently quit all attempts at nesting after the middle of June. We have a lot of hens banding up with each other now, which is what they do when they're not successful brooders, that won't attempt to nest again this year. Either that or these hens lost all their chicks after they hatched, which doesn't seem normal, either.

Good to know that there's some hens out there that kept on trying.

[One Eye]

I finally saw my first group of poults this past weekend. There were two hens with a group of poults. These poults were on the small side too. I agree this is a late clutch.

Dan

[TUCKER]

Man, I'll second the late hatch :confused: This past week I have seen two different hens with chicks that were the size of sparrows. Poor things don't stand a chance come winter. We have three hens that have 17 chicks that are half grown or better and then all of a sudden here comes one hen with eight chicks that still had only fuzz on the outside. Cute too look at but sad for their outcome :( .

[BigEasy]

I saw two hens with around fourteen small poults near Hope today.

[wild bill]

walking out back today i came across 23 of them in my freshly tilled food plot. there was 4 hens and the rest where young ones. about two thirds looked to be from a late hatch while the rest where bigger. two of the mature hens where smokey greys.

[PWood]

Saw 2 hens in the past two days, one with six polts, the other with seven. all polts were the size of grouse hens.

[One Eye]

I saw two more groups yesterday while driving along M-20 west of Midland. These looked to be pretty small. I am wondering it the nesting was late this year.

Dan

[James Dymond]

Saw a hen with sixteen (16) real little ones yesterday, have never seen that many with one hen before.
Jim

[Alpha Male]

While scouting in NW Oakland County yesterday, we oserved two different groups of hens, several miles apart. No poults in sight.

[uptracker]

Saw three small ones yesterday....maybe 5 lbs.

[lwingwatcher]

I saw a couple of flocks together a couple of weeks ago out back. The ones were small and the others were even smaller...not much bigger than quail and sure as heck not as big as a young pheasant. Their size doesn't bode well for them....

[Bluegill Bob]

The hen that brought the 9 very small poults to the bird feeders 8-11-05 still brings them in a couple of times every day and still has 7 of the 9 left. They are about hen pheasant size now. I have several other flocks that come in that are nearly full grown. Looks like a great year for them and we have a very large crop of acorn this year.