Our Turkey hens are laying eggs!!! But we’re not getting chicks 
What I thought would be easy hasn’t been. My husband will tell you that this happens to me often and I should expect it but I don’t… I thought that we could get some heritage turkeys, raise them, and let them do the rest. We started with 7 Turkey chicks. I was hoping for at least 1 Tom and some hens. After the neighbors dog helped himself to a couple of them and we had two more escape the coop and fly off in a storm; We were down to 1 Tom and 2 hens (A Jake and Hen Blue Slate and a Narraganset Hen). I knew that we should get less chicks the first year and more starting in year 2 but darnit, none?!?! I expected to get a least a few chicks.
One of the hens went broody and one didn’t so once the broody hen had 13 eggs she was setting on we started gathering the other hens eggs to try to incubate inside. Of course, since I wasn’t planning on incubating I don’t have an incubator so we rigged something up. It was only after none of the first batch hatched that I realized I was doing a lot of things wrong. I’m pretty sure the kids never washed their hands before turning them introducing who knows what kind of bacteria to them. Also, we had them in a spot in the living room where sunlight could get to them causing major heat fluctuations. Furthermore, we were spraying the eggs directly (with tap water) to keep the humidity up instead of just putting in bowls of distilled water. Uggh! It seems like if it could be done wrong, we were!
When none hatched I became more hopeful that the ones under my hen would hatch and we would still get a few eggs. Then a couple of days ago the Tom started staying in the coop where the Narraganset hen was nesting and seemed extremely agitated. We were so happy thinking that the time had come and some of the eggs would be hatching. Yeah!!! When I noticed that she was off the nest to get a bite to eat I quickly ran outside to check out her nest (those of you who know me know that I have to be really excited to RUN). Only 2 eggs were in the clutch!!! I was bewildered and heartbroken. We couldn’t find signs of broken eggs so we began searching for where our eggs went. We soon discovered mice holes in the yard. I think they have moved in and are stealing my eggs!!!!
My hopes of baby chicks are vanishing. The broody hen seems to be laying again and now my yard is a maze of mouse traps. All of my turkeys and chickens are dutifully locked up in fences so they don’t get caught in the mouse traps. Last year we had to get a dog (a wonderful Great Pyrenees) to keep the raccoons from getting the chickens, I guess this year we’ll get a farm cat to get rid of mice… Now that Garry is done laughing and shaking his head at me I’m pretty sure he is looking at incubators for Mother’s Day 
