Funny Turkey noob mistake...

[mischki]

I've had chickens for a few years now, but I just brought home a pair of Narragansetts today. These are my first turkeys. When I picked them up, the girl and I were double checking that I had a tom and a hen, and not two hens (these guys are only about 17 weeks old), and I mentioned how red the bigger one's wattle was.

When I got home after a 2 hour car trip, and turned them loose in their new pen, I noticed the tom's wattle was very pale. I was sooo worried! I remembered this summer when one of my chickens had a pale wattle when it was so hot outside, and I even brought her into the air conditioning for a little, and made sure she drank a bunch of water, and didn't put her back out until I thought she looked better. So, I thought, how could this tom have gotten so hot and dehydrated in a two hour car ride in November?

Then tonight, I was doing some internet "research" on the breed and that's when I read that their wattles only get red when they're excited - either upset or in courting.... DOH!

Just thought I'd share my stupidity!

Oh, and here's Abraham and Sarah:

BTW: a quick question - when will my hen start laying? At a certain age or at a certain time of the year?

 

[Lagerdogger]

The hen will probably start laying next spring. I'm not sure when they start in Arkansas. In Minnesota they start to lay sometime in March. I would guess your's will start in February.

 

[HallFamilyFarm]

Where did you find these at?

 

[mischki]

I got them from Bright Moon Ranch in Russellville, Arkansas.

 

[hennyannie]

I Love the names you gave them!