Will turkey Tom's hurt chickens? (Hens)

[shailey]

I currently have a 2 week old standard bronze poult. He is the CUTEST thing but I noticed when I opened the door to his sun room he STRUTTED into my house. He usually runs right inside and up into my hands but he had to put on a little show first I guess I've heard/seen that this could be a dominance thing and not really anything to do with gender as females strut too, but I'm still worried he may be male. Now the question is, when he's older, will he hurt my hens? I have 7 barred rock hens and they don't have a rooster anymore, and I've heard horror stories about Tom's mounting and hurting/killing hens I plan on getting him a friend (obviously) because he is completely alone right now and spends 90% of the day in my pocket, so he will have a hen to grow up with one way or another. But even with a lady friend, will he go after them?

 

[azygous]

It's okay to keep the little tom with your hens while he's immature, but he needs to have his own quarters when he approaches maturity because it is possible for him to harm the hens.

 

[gimmie birdies]

I had a heavy tom, he never tried to do the deed with my hens. He was raised with a little seabright hen, he thought was his baby, and he would protect her from mean hens, but was not much of a chase-r. I did find a wild turkey egg, (the mom left it in the nest, and walked away with babies.) I put it in an incubator, and it took 5 more days to hatch. He was much meaner, and eventually flew the coop. I had talked to the game guy, he said someone was releasing the wild turkeys that is why we have them in our area. I asked what if a wild turkey is in my fenced area? He said if it is in your fenced area it is yours, out side your fence it is ours.

 

[cmobley]

I had a 30 lbs broad breasted bronze that would get on my bantam silkies. I didn't know he was doing it until I caught him one evening. I got him away from all my chickens after I saw what he was doing lucky he didn't kill them. My bourbon red tom doesn't mess with my chickens at all.