Broody tom?

[chooks4life]

Both interesting and good to hear.

Some breeds are better dads than others, for sure, but (at least in my experience, anyway) it can be bred out in 5 or less generations of incorrect breeding or management, and can be impossible to breed back in, or close to impossible.

Best wishes.

 

[mama24]

Someone didn't close the gate to the turkey pen and Tom was out in the pasture with his 6 babies. LOL

 

[chooks4life]

After looking at the pic you posted, though I'd need to be able to see a close up to be sure, it looks like your tom is actually a hen. It has a hen's size body and the caruncles are very small, on a male they should be very obvious. Also the snood is not in evidence like it should be but I'd need to see a close up to be sure.

If it is a tom, the small and narrow body would be considered incorrect, I'd doubt his fertility, because he seems quite 'feminized'. Close up photos would help.

 

[Coupe]

I thought it looked like a hen aswell!
Can you get a better pic?

 

[mama24]

No, he's definitely a tom. He's HUGE. He's like 3 times the size of the hen we had, and he puffs up and displays very prettily, not to mention gobbles constantly. He looks small in the pic b/c of the 12 acre field he's standing in. See the brown/black goat butt in the background? That's a 1 year old Nubian buck and the turkey's head is taller than his back. 2 of the babies running around are hatched from eggs laid by the hen that we lost. His head comes up to my chest, no joke. Every time someone comes to my house that hasn't seen turkeys up close before says oh my god, I didn't know turkeys were this big! He's kind of terrifying.

 

[Coupe]

Well then...it sounds like you gor a keeper!!

 

[mama24]

That's a 30lb metal feeder next to him. I have noticed his body shape looks a lot more henlike since he went broody and started caring for the poults. I think it probably has something to do with the brooding hormones. He's a big boy!

 

[Coupe]

He is beaitiful!!

 

[mama24]

His snood and caruncles are definitely smaller now that I think about it. It must have something to do with the broody hormones b/c they were definitely a lot bigger and redder when we got him!

 

[mama24]

He is beaitiful!!

Thanks!