Princess Dominates
Princess was back in my yard at 6:30 this morning, making her early morning rounds to scavenge whatever might be under the bird feeders, and snatch up any snails, worms or delectable insects, while getting a few sips of water.
She had just discovered a pile of bird seed, when a friend decided to join her and get in on the bounty. Princess usually travels alone. The only time I've seen her hanging out with another turkey was a few months after she had babies, and I assumed it was one of her offspring. This spring, she has had another turkey occasionally join her on her travels, and I wonder if it may be another one of her babies. It can be difficult to tell the turkeys apart by appearance alone, and sometimes they are easier to identify by their behavior. They definitely have distinct personalities, as documented in My Life as a Turkey.
I was about to capture a photo of the two of them sharing a pile of seeds, when Princess began lifting her tail. At first, I thought she was just pooping, but then she puffed herself up and her friend responded in kind.
She went after her, stabbing at her with her beak, and the other hen backed off. Princess resumed eating the pile of seeds, while the other hen tiptoed around her, flinching if Princess made a move in her direction. It was the first time I've seen her act aggressively, and gave me a little more insight on the unusual way she prefers to travel alone, and a little more respect for her being top turkey.
She tolerated the presence of the other hen, while they rooted out worms and beetles from my leaf mulch piles and grazed around the garden. Princess continued to chase her off if she got too close, and I got the customary wing flap warning. Two turkey hens are the maximum allowable turkey limit in my yard, though one is preferable. I believe Princess feels the same. I'll be going out this afternoon to rake the leaf mulch back into piles, and clean the turkey poop off the lawn. At least I no longer have a snail problem in my yard, which has allowed my primroses to thrive.
*My apologies for the low quality images. I am still learning how to choose the right settings on my camera to take clear action shots.
She had just discovered a pile of bird seed, when a friend decided to join her and get in on the bounty. Princess usually travels alone. The only time I've seen her hanging out with another turkey was a few months after she had babies, and I assumed it was one of her offspring. This spring, she has had another turkey occasionally join her on her travels, and I wonder if it may be another one of her babies. It can be difficult to tell the turkeys apart by appearance alone, and sometimes they are easier to identify by their behavior. They definitely have distinct personalities, as documented in My Life as a Turkey.
I was about to capture a photo of the two of them sharing a pile of seeds, when Princess began lifting her tail. At first, I thought she was just pooping, but then she puffed herself up and her friend responded in kind.
*My apologies for the low quality images. I am still learning how to choose the right settings on my camera to take clear action shots.
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