Senora, Black Spanish Midget Turkey

Tom T. Walker of Texas sent this picture of his wonderful Spanish Black Turkey hen, Senora. She weighs only nine pounds but reigns supreme in his flock.

Senora came to Dr. Walker's farm as a full-grown bird in 1999, so although he isn't sure of exactly how old she is, she is a senior bird. She has always been an excellent mother and enjoys setting, hatching and raising poults.

"She owns the world," he said for a 2003 article. "Nobody questions her authority."

He originally acquired her from another breeder for his Regal Red breeding program. Her glossy black feathers and bright red legs suited her to that breed.

The birds were having difficulty mating because the toms, at 35 pounds, were more than twice the size of the hens, at about 16 pounds. She soon hatched out poults that grew into small toms with their mother's assertiveness.

This year she didn't lay any eggs, but that didn't discourage her. She found an egg and started to set on it, so Dr. Walker provided her with a full nest, where she happily sets in this picture.

Thanks, Tom.