Pet turkey acting odd...wanting to mate?

[cecosugi]

I have 5 ducks, 2 geese, and a turkey. The ducks have been laying quite a while. One of the geese has just started laying.

The turkey was born April 7th. I got him from JulieNKC. I believe it's a female. Her name is Ting. She's sort of slate blue colored, and quite big. She is super friendly, and always comes running to me, and follows me around everywhere. I recently clipped one of her wings because she leaps up and over our 6' corral fence, then does a little jig on whoever's car is handy.

Anyway...the issue. Yesterday when I went down to the barn to "visit" with my little darlings, Ting would not get up. She always comes to me right away. So I went to her. She was laying down, and she did not get up. She made some strange noises unlike her normal "putt". I pulled out each of her wings, picked her up, put her back down (she continued to lay there), and checked her legs. I couldn't find anything wrong with her, but she was not reacting with any enthusiasm. Actually, she was not really reacting at all.

All of my animals are used to me picking them up and checking them out, but they don't usually just lay there for it.

I sat with Ting for quite a while, then we took our dogs for a walk. After the walk, I went back to sit with Ting. She was standing up, but not walking around. I put everyone in the overnight pen and went to bed.

This morning, I went down to let them out into the corral, closely watching Ting jump down from her roost. She seemed to be moving fine, and came right over to me....

And then sat down, kinda fluffed her wings out, and...shimmied. A lightbulb went on over my head. Could she be "in heat"? Do you even call it that?

 

[MarineCorpFarmr]

Were her wings twitching if you touched her back? My bbb hen is doing it too. started right after she started laying. Its got to be a mating thing

 

[cecosugi]

Yes, they were twitching as I petted her, but also as I just got close. Seems like the closer I got, the more she wiggled.

 

[MarineCorpFarmr]

Yup my hen does that same thing. Im going to try to AI her before i off the tom for thanksgiving

 

[cecosugi]

Just wanted to post an update. My turkey "in heat" has started laying. So far, she has laid 3 eggs, one every other day. They are speckled, and rather pointed on one end. They are about the same size as my rouen duck eggs, as you can see from the picture. I had just washed them, so they are shiny with water. I have only cracked one so far. The shell was more brittle than the duck eggs...about like my goose's eggs. The yolk was more yellow, easier to break. I didn't actually eat it--my dogs get scrambled eggs every night, so they got this one.

 

[MarineCorpFarmr]

Just wanted to post an update. My turkey "in heat" has started laying. So far, she has laid 3 eggs, one every other day. They are speckled, and rather pointed on one end. They are about the same size as my rouen duck eggs, as you can see from the picture. I had just washed them, so they are shiny with water. I have only cracked one so far. The shell was more brittle than the duck eggs...about like my goose's eggs. The yolk was more yellow, easier to break. I didn't actually eat it--my dogs get scrambled eggs every night, so they got this one.

Turkey eggs are delicious! And they are awesome for baking with too

 

[frank53061]

What age is this Hen that started laying my red Bourbons are comming up on 8 months now I dont know how late in the season that I might get some eggs.
If not I will have to wait till Spring.

 

[allmypeeps]

Did you ever find out what was ''wrong" with your turkey hen?...I have 4 female turkeys (no toms)...one by one my turkey hens started doing the same thing...they'd be walking then just lay flat on the ground sometimes with their wings out and make a gaspy noise. It's winter and cold out- so when I see them do this on the cold ground I will pick them up and toss them back into their coop and they don't even try to catch their fall after I toss them, they just sit the way they land like they are paralyzed...they tend to do it more when we walk near them, it DOES seem like a submissive thing...but even throwing food/bread at them won't snap them out of it. They did begin to lay eggs shortly after this bizaare behavior began...but now they do it ALL the time when they aren't doing it they act perfectly normal and healthy.....sometimes I see them walking around out in the yard and then they just drop to the ground for a few minutes...not like their normal sitting on the ground...its weird.

They do free range with chickens so I medicated them with metronidazole and fenbendazole to be safe in case it was illness related.... but they still do it- haven't died yet, so I figured maybe a mating thing as well...I never owned PET turkey before- my parents always slaughtered them in the fall so I have no idea the normal habits of female turkey.

They also will lay eggs while perching and they crack and break on the floor which is annoying...I have a nest box but only one hen seems to use it... ???

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[harris farm]

the hens are saying come on and breed with me. mine do the same thing until the tom comes around and they would get up. one spring my hens would only lay down for me every time i come around them but not for the tom. so i would come by the hens they lay down for me then i would move out the way and the tom would do his thing. go figure. i guess i was better looking than the tom. haha its a normal thing dont be alarmed

 

[Celie]

the hens are saying come on and breed with me. mine do the same thing until the tom comes around and they would get up. one spring my hens would only lay down for me every time i come around them but not for the tom. so i would come by the hens they lay down for me then i would move out the way and the tom would do his thing. go figure. i guess i was better looking than the tom. haha its a normal thing dont be alarmed

They are treating you like the ALPHA of the flock! That's a good thing. You have won the respect of both the hens and the toms, Congratulations!