turkey hen acting strange

[dwlacy]

one of my three turkey hens is acting strange....when I first found her she was slightly squatted down, with her wings drooped and her tail feathers pointed down....you can walk right up to her & pet her & she will not move....I picked her up & looked her over & i can see nothing wrong with her....she has been this way for about 45 mins that i know of....

 

[Molpet]

It's that time of year, her hormones are kicking in.
She is looking for love

Does freak people out the first time if you don't know

 

[dwlacy]

kinda thought that might be the case....the tom is fluffing up & gobbling as well....the pic is after I had picked her up to check her....thanks molpet

she's back to acting normal, had to round her up, catch her & put her back in the pen....

 

[SnapdragonQ]

Is she in with the tom?
This sounds like the position they assume so that the male can climb on to the back for mating. The hen puts down her wings and tail for balance because a tom will climb on then treadle on their back for a little bit first.
It's not quick like a rooster and a hen, turkeys take longer so the hen may stay in this position for a while, almost as in in a trance, or like she's sleepy. I've seen my hens stay in this position for a while after too.

If you have no tom with her, she could still be going through the motions much like a hen will squat and spread her wings out a little near to you if there is no roo around.

 

[dwlacy]

yep, she's with the tom and that sounds exactly like what's happening....even with the tom around she's doing it when either me or my grandson get near....

 

[R2elk]

yep, she's with the tom and that sounds exactly like what's happening....even with the tom around she's doing it when either me or my grandson get near....

That happens when you imprint them as poults. When they grow up they don't have the ability to understand that there is a difference between turkeys and people.

 

[dwlacy]

That happens when you imprint them as poults. When they grow up they don't have the ability to understand that there is a difference between turkeys and people.

the three hens were given to me three months ago when they were 6 months old....they came from a animal rescue center, so that's probably when they got humanized....

 

[dwlacy]

so, once this hen is fertilized when can I expect an egg from this hen?

 

[R2elk]

so, once this hen is fertilized when can I expect an egg from this hen?

Depends on where you are located and whether or not you are providing supplemental light.

My hens are not squatting yet but may start any day now. Here breeding usually starts in the middle of February followed by egg laying in the middle of March. I do not provide supplemental light.

 

[SnapdragonQ]

On my PA farm I also did not provide extra light and usually started getting eggs the end of March or first week of April.
I'm in VA now and don't currently have turkeys, but the chickens that I brought with me changed their laying behavior quite a bit (start/end of season) even though I'm not really that far south. So like R2elk said, depends on where you are.