New Turkey owner... Please Help !!!

Hi... someone gave me a turkey about a month ago... a bronze hen... She is the only "bird" I have here... very sweet and friendly and has not layed any eggs until now...

She was just walking up and down the fence line "talking" to me non stop... always wanting attention. Yesterday I found a beautiful Royal Palm Tom for sale close to me so I went and bought him, so that she would have some "company"... She seems to "hate" him, and attacks him if he gets too close to her. This morning I found her in her pen on a newly made "nest" with an egg... but she was "panting" like a dog... I watched her for awhile and she layed another egg... now she is just laying down in the pasture non stop "panting"... I am in Florida, but it is a very nice breezy day....

Would the addition of a Tom, after being "alone" for so long trigger her into laying eggs? Is the "panting" normal? She is eating fine, but I just saw her poop, and it is very watery, clear and white mix...

Please help !!!! I really LOVE her.... she is the sweetest thing I have ever seen.....

I am trying to add a video of her, but it says I can't?

It's possible that her calling before the tom came was her natural preparation for nest building. Adding the tom is a stress factor, as hens seek seclusion when laying eggs and raising their young. She may like him later, but the timing wasn't necessarily the best. If you can separate them so that she doesn't HAVE to see him, she may WANT to see him.

Is she a standard bronze (heritage) or a broad breasted bronze? BBB have a hard time with stress.

I am not sure? All I know is that the lady said she was a Bronze turkey? I made a video to post here, but it says I do not have permission to add attachments?

When hens begin to lay eggs, do they act like that? panting? and resting a lot? watery poo? also her eggs are "weird" shaped...

I just want to help her.... I called my vet, but the don't do turkeys

A photo from the front, ideally when she is standing, will help us determine if she is a BBB or heritage bronze.

I have had hens that act like they were the first bird in the universe to lay an egg. But they usually recover their composure in a relatively short time frame and return to eating and drinking, or sit on the nest trying to hatch.

Turkey eggs are more pointy on the small end than chicken eggs, and are tan with brown spots, and usually about the size of a jumbo chicken egg. Mine last year ran 72 - 94 grams. They should be of uniform shape, no flat spots, no lumpy spots. The first few eggs are sometimes quite artistic.

This is a broad breasted bronze hen.



I couldn't find a front view of a bronze, but this is a domestic heritage turkey. Note the dramatic difference in the width of the breast. A heritage turkey does not look front heavy and moves gracefully. BBB are front heavy, and some are so large they have trouble walking.

I took a video of her today so I could post it here, but I get a message saying that I do not have permission to add attachments? am I doing something wrong?

She is eating and drinking... just non stop "panting" all day... I looked up TONS of pictures today but still can't tell what she is? although the Royal Palm Tom, when not all poofed up, is taller and kind of "daintier' looking then her.... she is lower to the ground with more "stocky" legs... also the Tom "runs", she kind of "waddles".

but based on those 2 pictures... I would have to guess broad breasted?

I think you are right.

While broad breasted turkeys are often quite affectionate, they weren't bred to live long lives. Their hearts are not proportionately larger than that of a standard turkey, and their bodies place a lot of demand on the heart. They don't seem to be efficient at shedding excess body heat by ruffling their feathers, so be sure to provide her with airy shade.

Be sure she has continuous access to fresh, clean, cool water and that she knows where it is.

Thank you for the replies....

She does have fresh water in several spots throughout the pasture and barn.... plenty of shade too... it has been in the high 70's the past few days, but quite breezy and nice, actually... so I really do not think it is the heat?

She is out on pasture 12 hours a day, plenty of grass and bugs to eat... I also give her an apple every morning and have been feeding her 1 cup of "mixed flock" crumbles at night... should I cut back on the crumbles? will she get enough nutrition in the pasture alone?

No new eggs this AM.... and she just "pants" nonstop.... I did see her picking at the grass today, but left her apple only partially eaten....

any suggestions? I HATE this....

If she sits in the sun, even with shade available, she may still get too hot. Once a BB starts laying down, unless you intervene by moving the bird to food, moving the bird to water, moving the bird to shade, moving the bird to coop...the bird may just not move at all.

I am not sure if it is joint pain, or just the effort of trying to move that defeats them. But once they stop moving they go downhill fast. Birds were not designed to lay on their chests. They get breast blisters and infection.