Turkey hen turning into Tom???

[yesterDAYNE]

Shes giving the tom a run for his money! I love displaying hens. Gives me a lot of joy. One of mine does it rarely when she wants to lay an egg.

 

[R2elk]

Okay! Then I’ll just attribute it to her hormones. Maybe she wants to show dominance to keep other birds away from Pablo. Caruncles. I knew there was a gross sounding word for them I’d forgotten.

Displaying is normal behavior. I have seen mine display in particular when the tom is breeding another hen,

Birds have one functioning ovary. If that ovary is damaged somehow, the second ovary can take over and create enough testosterone to cause the hen to develop male characteristics. The hen can develop male characteristics and behavior but cannot become a functioning male.

I don't think that is what is happening with your hen. I think she is showing normal hen behavior. If she was developing male traits, I doubt that she would be submitting for breeding.

 

[Rcornerranch]

Displaying is normal behavior. I have seen mine display in particular when the tom is breeding another hen,

Birds have one functioning ovary. If that ovary is damaged somehow, the second ovary can take over and create enough testosterone to cause the hen to develop male characteristics. The hen can develop male characteristics and behavior but cannot become a functioning male.

I don't think that is what is happening with your hen. I think she is showing normal hen behavior. If she was developing male traits, I doubt that she would be submitting for breeding.

I find turkeys to be so enjoyable to be around. They have such personalities and quirks. They are such personable birds. Chickens are ok, but they don’t run alongside the atv and try to hang out with people quite like my turkeys do. My hen, Sadie, is an absolutely beloved member of the family that usually stays outside, but occasionally I’ll come into a room and find everyone on the couch with a turkey standing in front of the tv enjoying the colorful commercials. The two hens have probably laid about 70 eggs each, and we’ve hatched 63 mostly in the incubator. We’ve had 13 poults die from different problems mostly preventable, like drowning in a bucket in a goat pen after letting them run around or the Tom killing one. Point is, I love turkeys, but I am definitely still learning new things about them.