Last year I purchased 16 turkey hatching eggs. This was my first experience with turkeys. Only 4 hatched and all turned out to be females. I sold two to a lady for breeding stock and kept two, a Royal Palm and a Blue Palm. Long story short they were destined for the freezer but I fell in love with them. I found them more people loving and interesting than my tame geese. One in particular would follow me everywhere and we had some great conversations and times together. Sometimes she'd come on my front porch and look in the window and call for me. This spring she started wondering on the back of our property calling, calling, "oak-oak-oak" I assume for a tom. She'd squat down frequently when I'd come by her in a submissive breeding position. It then advanced to her leaving our property for the day and coming home at night . Then she started staying out all night and would come back in the morning to eat. Shes been gone several days now and I fear shes been killed. We have a lot of coyotes and fox around here. I really miss her and feel bad.
I suppose she could be sitting on some eggs but we've searched out back and found nothing and it would seem she'd come back to feed if she was still alive.
Her sister never followed after her, being more shy and timid but then last night she was gone for the night but back this AM and is still here. She's been laying her eggs in the shed. As much as I love turkeys I've heard some will do this, take off and disappear. I'd like to keep turkeys bit it seems pointless to have to keep them in a covered pen all the time. What kind of life is that?
So is this typical turkey behavior if they are allowed to free range? Thanks for any advise.
I suppose she could be sitting on some eggs but we've searched out back and found nothing and it would seem she'd come back to feed if she was still alive.
Her sister never followed after her, being more shy and timid but then last night she was gone for the night but back this AM and is still here. She's been laying her eggs in the shed. As much as I love turkeys I've heard some will do this, take off and disappear. I'd like to keep turkeys bit it seems pointless to have to keep them in a covered pen all the time. What kind of life is that?
So is this typical turkey behavior if they are allowed to free range? Thanks for any advise.
