Ask Dr. Tom: Can Hens Grow Spurs?
Dr. Tom’s records show it’s possible, but extremely rare.
Question:
How often do hens have spurs? We have a hen coming in with half-inch spurs.
—Patrick Shannessy, via email
Answer
Wild turkey hens with spurs are a rare occurrence though they are occasionally seen or handled in banding operations. Many years ago, while live-trapping Eastern wild turkeys I photographed a hen with a beard early in the morning.
Later in the day the flock returned to the field and approached our baited site. I captured a number of birds including the bearded hen I photographed earlier in the day. Not only did that hen exhibit a beard, but she had a spur on one leg. That hen was among a number that I transferred to a new location in the process of restoring wild turkey populations. A few years later that hen was harvested by a fall turkey hunter in southern New York. At my request, the hunter sent me the leg with the spur, and I still have it.
I have had the privilege of live-trapping and banding many wild turkeys of the Eastern and Gould’s subspecies. Checking my banding records for Easterns captured in New Jersey between 1977 and 2001, I have records of 1,515 hens. Of that total, 903 were adult hens (2 years or older) and 612 were juvenile hens. Only five of those hens had measurable spurs ranging from 1/4 to 1/2 inch in length. The incidence of spurred Eastern wild turkey hens in New Jersey based on those captures was less than 1% (0.33%).
Bearded hens were much more common in that sample of Easterns. Out of 1,515 banded hens, 133 exhibited beards (8.77%). If we look strictly at adult hens, assuming that juvenile hen beards are likely very short and can easily be missed, the percentage is higher. Just under 14% of adult Eastern hens (13.95%) exhibited beards ranging from 4 to 8 inches in length. There is no evidence to suggest that bearded or spurred hens are incapable of producing clutches and raising poults. Nor is there any documentation that such hens are more likely to pass those unusual traits on to their poults than hens that do not sport beards or spurs.
The hen you have been seeing regularly is definitely unique. Keep an eye on her, and let us know if she happens to be successful at raising a brood!