My jake laid an egg???

[fort227]

I know this sounds crazy, but my Bronze jake turkey laid an egg! I have two turkeys, both jakes, about 8 months old. I am new to raising turkeys, but we are very familiar with wild turkeys and we know a jake when we see a jake. In fact, I used to have a wild hen and they both exhibited mating rituals with her.
The two were in their pen, alone. I went in to feed them, and there,on the ground, lay a turkey egg. We have asked several friends who are also familiar with turkeys, and everyone agrees that they are both jakes. (I don't know which one laid). I'm sure he/she must have traits of both male & female, but on the outside, he's male. Has anyone heard of this happening before?

 

[UrbanviewFarm]

Are there, by any chance, wild turkeys in your area??

 

[fort227]

There are a few, but there is no way that they could have gotten inside the pen. It is totally closed in with chicken wire, and has a latched door.

 

[Narragansett]

Jake is a hunting term, not normally used in poultry circles.

It is physically impossible for a male turkey to lay an egg. Often the novice does not realize that turkey hens can have beards, and can display like a male, fooling people into mistaking the sexes.

If indeed you do have two toms, and if indeed there is no way for other turkeys to access the pen, someone saw an easy mark, and is playing a joke on you.

 

[fort227]

Well, I guess I opened myself up for that, for posting something that sounds so ridiculous! I am a novice to raising tame turkeys, but I am not a novice to turkeys in general. My family are all outdoorsmen and in the taxidermy business, and we have raised chickens, hogs, cattle & horses all of our lives, so we are very familiar with many animals. All I can tell you is that both my turkeys gobble, their heads turn red, and one of them laid an egg. I guess anything's possible.. By the way, inasmuch as you may think I sound like an idiot, I am not, nor am I an "easy mark". I have no friends with the means nor enough imagination to play this type of trick on me. But, thanks for your input. I'll just wait to see what happens...

 

[Frosty]

Do a search on hermaphroditism. I used that word and 'poultry'. It does happen though it's more common for them to go from female to male. Interesting! Do you have any pictures of the pair?

There are cases of turkeys (usually Broad Breasted White) laying fertile eggs without a male... I wonder if there are similarities?

 

[Mike Winters]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parthogenesis#Birds

idk but female turkeys can make males from un fertilized eggs

 

[fort227]

Thanks for the information! I will check it out.

 

[Mac14]

I don't have turkeys but this seems like an interesting thread.

 

[ramirezframing]

got any pictures of these? there was just one on the what breed /gender thread that looks like a roo (color wise and saddle feathers) but they say it lays an egg. So I guess it could happen in turkeys as well