Mel Miller

Follow-up question, only about turkeys. I have two hens and one tom. I want my hens to hatch their eggs - how do I know if the eggs have been fertilized? (The hens & tom have only been together for a few days, and the tom is an old bird.) Do I need to let her accumulate a few eggs in the nesting box? How many? And how long will it take before she starts brooding?

What's the minimum size of a paddock needed to keep two - three turkeys (breeding tom and two hens) so that they have enough room to stay away from the fence and still have plenty of room to move around / forage? How close is a turkey (or a chicken) likely to get to an electric fence? Is there a specific voltage that's recommended for poultry?

Thank you very much in advance!