I have seen others whose hives showed bearding. I have not seen bearding with my hives. I do not put a shade over them. They get direct sunlight from the east and south but the west side is lots of trees.
"You leave the inner board in the screened bottom board during the winter to prevent drafts and retain heat, while the screen is left open for ventilation to manage moisture and condensation. Leaving the screen open in humid climates helps prevent condensation from dripping on the bees and...
I assume that you have a scale that you can weigh yourself on. Weigh yourself, weigh yourself while holding the turkey. The difference between the 2 weights is how much your turkey weighs.
Your conclusions are not necessarily correct. They have entirely different instincts. Too often people think that one species is smarter than another species based solely on instinctive behavior.
My adults spend the nights on roosts sheltered from the prevailing winds. They have done well even on the nights that it got down to -40°F.
Adult turkeys that are not receiving supplemental heat tolerate cold better than they tolerate heat.
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If it has a slipped tendon, you will be able to feel that the tendon is not in the groove in the back of the hock. It will be off to one side or the other.