My feathered friends

[laura29532]

Tom my Heritage Blue slate prancing his stuff...


Barbie, my Bourbon Red hen.


My blue slate hen and Tina my Midget white hen.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Nice little diverse flock. Love your blue Tom.

 

[laura29532]

Thank you, he's a true character..I bought him in August from Arizona..he loves to strut his stuff..my female was a little upset with me when I got them but are inseparable now..Thank God, I lost my Tom, her mate a few months before that..so I took up a lot of time with her...

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Turkeys sure are an emotional bird. I'm glad she has adjusted well to having her own kind as company. My oldest Tom is a big blue boy and my favorite too, so I am partial to the color.

 

[laura29532]

Hello..since you have had blue slates I was wondering if yours ever started mating in Dec..they were hatched April 9th 2016 and the Tom July 11,2016..I been told they only mate and lay in the spring..I watched them the last four days and their definitely mateing..I tried separating the Tom but they both raised such Cain walking back and fourth the fence all day long I finally gave in and put a mating saddle on her and so she didn't get hurt and let him back in with the four girls..he don't bother the other girls, just my lavender blue slate..he's a splash blue slate I bought from Arizona this August..he's only 5 1/2 months old, she's eight months old..do they mate in the fall/winter. Is that normal..we have very weird weather here in Sc..cold one day, 70-75 the next..lol

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

They don't mate around here in the winter but we definitely have a different climate than you do. Summer may be too hot so in your climate they might mate and brood during the winter, but I don't know for sure. My turkeys don't start mating until around April.

 

[laura29532]

Thanks for the info..it's funny because their not but 6 & 8 months old right now..I figured they would start around April too..everything I have read says the first mating is around their hatch date..everyone else says spring, said they don't mate in fall/winter time..I'm thinking this weird weather has a lot to do with it too..70-80`s for awhile and then cooler near 40-50`s ..I never seen weather like this in the winter here..I been living here 20 yrs..last year it was cooler here than up north most of the time..Lol. Thanks again..

 

[laura29532]

so imagine my surprise today as I was cleaning my turkey coupe, a hidden turkey egg..I have been told turkeys do not mate or lay eggs in the fall/winter..
we do have weird weather here in SC..Its been clear and warm in the mid 70's until last week. Its been cold and humid..temps been back and fourth this past few weeks..
warm days and cold nights about 35-40's or so..
I've seen my tom do his dancing thing, and wondered if they were mating. It turns out he is..
and then today I found an egg..my grandson picked up the eggs with me and we both seemed to miss this one..can't wait until what tomorrow brings..
It wasn't soft but he got so excited he put his finger thru the side of the egg..
I never thought to check the turkey nests as I was told they didn't lay winter times..guess I will now daily..

My baby Tina's first egg..okay laugh, but she sits with me every day on the backyard table and benches..can't wait in the spring to see if she's a good brooder too..

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Interesting. Mine are seasonal breeders, in a warmer climate I hear they will lay year round sometimes. It will be interesting to see if she goes broody or waits until spring.

 

[R2elk]

so imagine my surprise today as I was cleaning my turkey coupe, a hidden turkey egg..I have been told turkeys do not mate or lay eggs in the fall/winter..
we do have weird weather here in SC..Its been clear and warm in the mid 70's until last week. Its been cold and humid..temps been back and fourth this past few weeks..
warm days and cold nights about 35-40's or so..
I've seen my tom do his dancing thing, and wondered if they were mating. It turns out he is..
and then today I found an egg..my grandson picked up the eggs with me and we both seemed to miss this one..can't wait until what tomorrow brings..
It wasn't soft but he got so excited he put his finger thru the side of the egg..
I never thought to check the turkey nests as I was told they didn't lay winter times..guess I will now daily..

My baby Tina's first egg..okay laugh, but she sits with me every day on the backyard table and benches..can't wait in the spring to see if she's a good brooder too..

It is not uncommon for turkey hens to start laying eggs in December in the southern states. What was uncommon was the number of people that had turkey hens that started laying eggs last year in January in northern states such as Washington and Pennsylvania.

Good luck with your turkeys.