In Search of the Nest

The other day we noticed that one of our turkey hens was missing. We usually pen the turkeys up in their pen around sunset so that they won't fly into the trees and roost. She showed up outside the pen a while after penning up the other birds. 

The next day we decided to let the turkeys out and wait until one of them left the group and then follow it. While I stood there watching them I noticed that one of the females would wander away from the others and then start calling loudly. She finally took off on her own towards a neighboring field. I followed her quietly and watched as she settled down under a pile of brush. She picked around a bit and then I walked over to see if she had lead me to her nest. 

 Here's where she decided to nest! We gently lifted her up and went to work uncovering the eggs.

 There were eight eggs! None of them broken. I put the eggs in my pockets and my mom gathered the hen in her flannel shirt. Then we headed back to the pens.

 The hen had some issues with us taking her from her nest and started going loco when we put her and the eggs in the turkey pen. She wouldn't accept the eggs as her own, so we gathered some sticks and leaves from the earlier nest and made a little version of it in their building.

It worked! She was happy with the eggs! Her she is covering them before heading out for a drink. 

Ashleigh