Gobblers may mate with several hens and hens may mate with more than one gobbler. Some young gobblers reach sexual maturity during their first spring, but very few mate until the following year. Although some egg laying occurs during March, most hens begin nesting during April. A clutch of about 10 eggs is laid in a shallow, leaf-lined depression on the ground. Twenty-eight days of incubation are required for the eggs to hatch.
Hens assume all incubation and brood-rearing responsibilities.
On the average, fewer than 50 percent of all nests are successful. If initial nests are destroyed or abandoned, hens often attempt to nest again. The young, known as poults, are covered with natal down at hatching. Although immediately able to run about and feed themselves, they require brooding by the hen to keep warm. Poults feed heavily on insects and other high-protein matter during their first few weeks of life.