A century of Turkey talk 2000-2100.

[KF0002]

My friend has too many Toms and asked if I would like one. I couldn't turn him down. She has too many toms for the amount of hens and they were all fighting. She brought him yesterday and I clipped the primaries on one wing and turned him out in my goat lot. He is a little muddy and his fan is broken from fighting but he is very gentle. He is a little thin so he is getting dewormed and will hopefully fatten up on bugs and grass. He likes to follow me around and has a very sweet nature. He is a Royal Palm and he is about 12-14 months old. I named him Shadrach. She loved that name so much she named her other two toms Meshach and Abednego. I love Biblical names (my goats are Ezekiel and Rahab.. lol).

I took this picture last minute as we were leaving from the gate.

 

[R2elk]

Mother hen love is blind. If they hatch it they will raise it. Lol. So cute!

Not always true. I have seen a turkey hen killing poults. I had a BBB hen that hatched two goslings. She stepped on and killed the first one and stepped on the second one but I managed to rescue it.

There are enough stories around of chicken hens killing their own chicks as soon as they hatch.

Not normal but it does happen.

 

[KF0002]

Not always true. I have seen a turkey hen killing poults. I had a BBB hen that hatched two goslings. She stepped on and killed the first one and stepped on the second one but I managed to rescue it.

There are enough stories around of chicken hens killing their own chicks as soon as they hatch.

Not normal but it does happen.

I was speaking generally in a casual conversation. I unfortunately know all too well that there are exceptions. I have hatched poultry and raised chickens for well over 20+ years. We recently had a game hen hatch 10-12 of her own chicks the other day and she was fiercely protective of them while they were under her in the nest, however when she brought them off the nest for whatever reason she started killed them all one by one. I'm talking beating them to death. Grabbing them with a bill hold and beating them with her feet like fighting another bird. It was so horrible and sad and infuriating. We only managed to save 3 by the time we realized what was going on. She will never be allowed to brood ever again. I've heard people say "Game hens make the best mothers." That's another rule that certainly has exceptions, as in my recent case.

 

[KF0002]

My Narragansett jake was back to displaying yesterday. He and about 4 of my other jakes were also gobbling. I just wanted to share as I am thrilled my birds are on the mend and feeling well enough to start displaying again. We are coping with blackhead and I will manage them with the hand I have been dealt. It will take a lot of close observation on my part to start treatment quickly in any future cases of blackhead infection but I will stay stocked up on meds and stay hypervigilent.

 

[KF0002]

I have a concern about my new royal palm tom not roosting. Every night when we go out to check on him he is sleeping on the ground. I spoke with my friend and she said that he may have roosted on the ground in their coop also but she said she wasn't sure as he was mostly raised at her fiance's house and they have recently consolidated the two flocks and thinned out a couple extra toms. I did clip the primaries on one wing but we have provided him shelter and roosts that he can jump on onto and get up high, but he ignores them. There is even a large doghouse in the goat lot he could go into and sleep that my pyrenees doesn't use but the tom chooses to sleep on the ground instead. He is used to a covered run so he has never had the opportunity to fly much or roost in trees. I clipped his wing to simply keep him in the lot and not torment my new neighbors and their fancy landscaping. I worry about him not getting out of the weather when it rains and things like that. Would it be suffice to close him up late every evening in a small covered holding pen (4x4 feet) with enclosed sides on 3 sides? Then open it up after dark so he can get out the next morning? I'm not used to birds not wanting to roost.

 

[Molpet]

I have a concern about my new royal palm tom not roosting. Every night when we go out to check on him he is sleeping on the ground by the fence. Not even near my turkey brooder with the juveniles always. I spoke with my friend and she said that he may have roosted on the ground in their coop also but she said she wasn't sure as he was mostly raised at her fiance's house and they have recently consolidated the two flocks and thinned out a couple extra toms. I did clip the primaries on one wing but we have provided him shelter and roosts that he can jump on onto and get up high, but he ignores them. There is even a large doghouse in the goat lot he could go into and sleep that my pyrenees doesn't use but the tom chooses to sleep on the ground instead. He is used to a covered run so he has never had the opportunity to fly much or roost in trees. I clipped his wing to simply keep him in the lot and not torment my new neighbors and their fancy landscaping. I worry about him not getting out of the weather when it rains and things like that. Would it be suffice to close him up late every evening in a small covered holding pen (4x4 feet) with enclosed sides on 3 sides? Then open it up after dark so he can get out the next morning? I'm not used to birds not wanting to roost.

Mine with foot problems didn't want to roost

 

[KF0002]

Mine with foot problems didn't want to roost

He is young and doesn't have any signs of bumble foot. He doesn't limp or hold a foot up like you might expect with bumble foot. Is he okay to sleep on the ground? My Pyrenees will protect him from varmints and won't harm him but I worry about him being on the ground out in the weather when it rains, snows, etc.

 

[Molpet]

He is young and doesn't have any signs of bumble foot. He doesn't limp or hold a foot up like you might expect with bumble foot. Is he okay to sleep on the ground? My Pyrenees will protect him from varmints and won't harm him but I worry about him being on the ground out in the weather when it rains, snows, etc.

Better if he was roosting where GH owls can't get him. Can you make a foot tall roost so he gets used to roosting.

 

[KF0002]

Better if he was roosting where GH owls can't get him. Can you make a foot tall roost so he gets used to roosting.

There are roosts that low in the area where he can roost but he won't stay on them when we try to set him on the roost. He jumps back off. I may just have to enclose him at night. I really feel sorry for him. He seems to like me already and follows me around and paces the fence when I leave the gate until I come back. He is really sweet and eats from my hand. I have oodles of chickens that free range roost in trees and on top of brooders and things like that, if an owl is going to get something surely it will get one of them. Lol. Yes they have a perfectly good coop to sleep in but they gotta be wild and free instead. They do what they want. The Tom at least gets underneath a rose of Sharon for a little cover.

 

[Molpet]

There are roosts that low in the area where he can roost but he won't stay on them when we try to set him on the roost. He jumps back off. I may just have to enclose him at night. I really feel sorry for him. He seems to like me already and follows me around and paces the fence when I leave the gate until I come back. He is really sweet and eats from my hand. I have oodles of chickens that roost in trees and on top of brooders and things like that, if an owl is going to get something surely it will get one of them. Lol. The Tom at least gets underneath a rose of Sharon for a little cover.

How wide are the roost