Crazy Hen

[String Music]

I was doing some habitat work and jumped a hen on the end of one of our fields. Sure enough she had a nest with one egg. I'm hoping she's a jenny and doesn't know any better because she will be easily discovered by a predator if she continues to nest there.

It's a good sign they are dropping eggs, though. I've actually seen 3-4 hens by themselves the past couple days.

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[Andy S.]

Cool find, but seriously doubt it's a jenny. Turkeys (jakes & jennys) don't become sexually mature until they're a year old or thereabouts. Thanks for sharing.

 

[woodsman04]

Could also be a good sign that she is running out of suitable nesting habitat because it has been occupied by other hens. Also could be bad sign that there isn't much nesting habitat in the area


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[woodsman04]

Cool find, but seriously doubt it's a jenny. Turkeys (jakes & jennys) don't become sexually mature until they're a year old or thereabouts. Thanks for sharing.

Not arguing, but where and how do you know that first year hens don't lay eggs? Not saying I don't believe you, but I've never seen a real article on the matter.

Jakes you can obviously tell by looking at them that most are immature, but those big gobbling jakes that act like longbeards I believe are fertile.

Birds get mature sexually by body weight and light. If the young hen or jake is heavy enough by the time the daylight begins to lengthen, he/she will be able to breed. This is why I think it is important for there to be a good acorn crop from red oaks, because they will still be eating them late winter when the day begins to lengthen, testosterone begins to increase in the gobblers putting on more breast meat and fat, and hens having more fat in their body to begin to create eggs.


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[Andy S.]

^^^I didn't say first year Jennys don't lay eggs, I said they typically have to be a year old (May - July for most jennys) to be sexually mature (get bred). Eggs this early in April leads me to believe it's not last year's poult (this year's jenny). I've read the "sexually mature at a year old" aspect from at least two studies, one out of South Carolina, and one out of Missouri.

If the egg were found in June/July, I would be more apt to believe it could be a jenny's nest.

A small percentage of early born jakes can be successful breeders, but that's not the norm.

 

[Southern Sportsman]

A small percentage of jakes become sexually mature their first year (I think I've seen Mega say around 20%). I suppose a few jennies may as well.

 

[catman529]

I've found a hen on a clutch at the base of a tree in open hardwoods once. I don't think that nest lasted.


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[woodsman04]

^^^I didn't say first year Jennys don't lay eggs, I said they typically have to be a year old (May - July for most jennys) to be sexually mature (get bred). Eggs this early in April leads me to believe it's not last year's poult (this year's jenny). I've read the "sexually mature at a year old" aspect from at least two studies, one out of South Carolina, and one out of Missouri.

If the egg were found in June/July, I would be more apt to believe it could be a jenny's nest.

A small percentage of early born jakes can be successful breeders, but that's not the norm.

Ok sorry, didn't read it right. Again not arguing I was just asking. You seem to be level headed and know what your talking about.
I completely agree with what you said, by May June, those hens will be old/heavy enough to breed.


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[woodsman04]

A small percentage of jakes become sexually mature their first year (I think I've seen Mega say around 20%). I suppose a few jennies may as well.

I would think the 20% is very broad. Some years maybe very few, other years may be many jakes.

I believe a jake that is born older can reach maturity by spring, also nutrition, to put on body mass, and even genetics I think has a play.

If you read "illumination in the flat woods" he says that some jakes from the same clutch grew faster than the others. Genetics, maybe had a different father from the others. Also may have had a bigger appetite so just growing faster.


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[megalomaniac]

Andy's right. Don't count on jennies to be initiating nests right now.

There's a billion scientific articles about sexual maturity of turkeys. They all say basically the same thing.

 

[megalomaniac]

and I've found nests in wide open fields just in one clump of sage. They like to be near water and good bugging habitat for the poults. Seems like those things take priority of how well hidden the nest actually is.

And rarely, you'll find a random egg just dropped. Either infertile, or the hen just couldn't quite make it back to the nest in time. When u gotta go, u gotta go!

 

[Southern Sportsman]

And rarely, you'll find a random egg just dropped. Either infertile, or the hen just couldn't quite make it back to the nest in time. When u gotta go, u gotta go!

I'm glad to know this. In Nebraska a few years ago I found a turkey egg just laying on the bare ground on the side of a ridge hundreds of yards from the nearest thing that resembled nesting cover. I never could make sense of it until now.