The tom is fanning and drumming for the hen but she is not much interested yet. Once she shows her approval he will mate with her. The Standard Bronze turkey can be dated back to perhaps earlier than the 1700's when the settlers arrived with domestic turkeys and allowed mating to the wild turkeys. The resulting birds were much larger than the wild counterparts, and much tamer, so the breed became a standard. Being a hybrid, the hardiness and vigor was also increased and for two centuries, the Standard Bronze turkey was the most popular turkey. It gave way to the Broad Breasted Bronze turkey, which lost popularity to the White Broad Breasted turkey because the white feathers resulted in a cleaner carcass. The Broad Breasted Bronze and White turkeys cannot breed on their own, but the standard Bronze still can. The toms are over 30 pounds and the hens half of that. The hens make excellent mothers and will often raise a brood of their own turkey babies, called poults, each year. The breed is known for its less aggressive tendencies, however; there can be differences within the flock, depending on the breeder and selection. The Standard Bronze turkey is on the endangered list. The Fat Ewe Farm is hoping to build a small stable flock of Standard Bronze turkeys to keep the breed going, but also to have roast turkey from the farm raised birds. The turkey hen has laid two eggs, but the first one was frozen by the time I found it. If she appears to go broody, I will give her back the eggs I have collected and have her raise her own babies. It is not unheard of to have a chicken hatch the turkey babies, but they are more delicate than chicks and need more attention for a longer period of time. The Bronze turkeys are slow growing and do not mature until nearly a year old. Welcome to the Fat Ewe Farm, you lovely thangs!
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