amajorexpress
Hatching
- Mar 20, 2017
- 2
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Hello! Recently, I have been confused and worried about the behavior of our tom and my 4 month old Rhode Island hen. Ruby, the hen, had been out and about for about a month with her two other rooster pals, and seemed to get along with the rest of our flock, which was herded around by our 20-something or so pound male turkey. The three growing chickens didn't seem to be bothered by the tom, until I went out to do my nightly feeding of the animals, and I saw the turkey "attacking" Ruby. He seemed to be jumping on her, almost like he was trying to mate. Since he is so big, she was smushed under him, and couldn't escape. When I shooed the tom off of her, Ruby was in shock, and had an injured leg.But what puzzled me was that he did not seem to be aggressive. He just seemed to be "tap dancing" on Ruby with his feathers puffed. After a few days of isolation inside a horse stall, Ruby's leg healed enough to where she could walk around the barn isle to stretch her legs. I turned my back for a minute, and did not notice the tom walking into the barn. I turn back, and he was on top of her again. Thankfully, she is fine, and her leg does not seem to be worse. Does anyone know exactly what he is doing, and how he can be stopped? This isn't my first time raising chicks with him in their presence, and have had many growing hens around him. I am just confused, as the tom is usually pretty docile. Thanks for the help!
