Black Spanish babies are hatching 2 days early !!! Updated with pics.

[Struttn1]

I was out near the turkey pens this afternoon when I heard the unmistakable peeping and keeing whistle of baby turkeys coming from the direction of the Bourbon Red that is sitting some Black Spanish eggs. I whistled back to them and pretty soon saw a tiny yellow head peaking out from under mom. I eased around for a better view and could see two babies crawling around on mommy and I thought I could hear peeping of hatching or just hatched babies coming from under the hen.

I did not try to get pics but I told my son to try to get some pics for me tommorrow. I am hoping all 7 eggs hatch. We moved the other turkeys to another pen so she and the babies will have the pen to themselves. The turkey starter and chick waterer are ready and waiting.

I will try to get some pics posted but it will at least be Sunday or Monday.

They caught me by surprise because day 28 is not until Sunday and the hen was out of the pen roaming around in the yard for a while this morning.

The Black Spanish hen should be hatching her nest of eggs in 2 to 3 weeks.

 

[Struttn1]

My son said there are 4 babies running around mom who is still not budging off the other 3 eggs. He got some nice pics but I did not have time to load them yet. Pics coming tommorrow.

 

[ivan3]

Yes, get the shots! Our neighbor is blaming one of our Slate toms for mating with their slate hen (their flock was actually coming the ten acres through the woods everyday a while back and hanging out all day). I'm thinking their Black Spanish tom did the deed as she described some of them having a bit of black on them, I'm afraid to go over and check...

 

[Struttn1]

If you have wild turkeys around her hen may have bred with a wild tom. Years ago I bought some wild and bronze crossbreeds from a lady who was letting her bronze hen free range. She was free ranging alright.....in the woods with the wild birds then coming home to eat and roost.

 

[Struttn1]

I got some pics but was disappointed that only 4 of the 7 eggs hatched. The babies are doing fine and Mom is very protective.

 

[Love my Critters!]

Cuteness overload! Thanks for sharing the pics. "Mom" is a beautiful color too. Hope they all continue to do great.

 

[Struttn1]

Their real Mom is sitting on a nest of eggs in the pen next to them. The bourbon was sitting on a batch of bad eggs I had shipped so when the Black Spanish hen began laying eggs helter skelter all over her pen we collected 8 then swapped the good eggs for the bad eggs so the Bourbon could hatch some. She sat on 3 batches of eggs back to back for over two months. The gobblers smashed her first clutch. She also has a beard but it is not visible right now because she sat so long the beard is still compressed into her breast feathers. I plan to get plenty of little reds out of her next spring. She is one broody hen.

 

[the1much]

struttn,,,,what kind of turkey is that in your av?,,i like the white,,,im in texas,, and want a couple turkey to add to my birds,,,and always worried bout the heat,,,,and i was thinking a white bird would find it easier here,,,,,,,Thanks

Jim

 

[Struttn1]

That would be Tom my Royal Palm. He is the culprit who sneaked the early breeding on my Bourbon hen and produced all the mutt turkeys I had earlier in the spring. I will be seprating all the birds by breed well before breeding season next spring so I sould have black Spanish, Royal Palm and Red Bourbon purebreeds next year.

 

[the1much]

thanks,,,,,he's really a great looking bird,,,,,,,and without the "mutts" all the "pures" would be normal hehe