A century of Turkey talk 2000-2100.

[Molpet]

So I need the opinion of my expert turkey raisers on here. I have heard some people say that you have to watch your Tom turkeys with your chicken hens because they will try to breed them and kill them (accidentally) because they are just too big compared to a chicken and the chicken gets squashed. @duluthralphie
My question is, do you find that to be true? Have you had a problem with that?
The reason I am asking is because today I found a dead chicken hen in the yard. She has no signs of fowl play that I can see. Our Tom turkey flies between the 2 chicken yards as does the turkey hen. I see the tom strutting around all the time but I have never seen him try to mount a chicken or even the turkey hen for that fact. The turkeys are over a year old.
I brought the dead chicken hen in to do an necropsy on her to see if I can determine why she died. Do any of you have any suggestions as to anything that I should be looking for in particular?
Thanks for whatever help you can provide.

I caught a bbb dancing on his best friend a cockerel. BFF had a broken back above the hips when I dressed him out because he couldn't walk. a lot of bruising also
I caught a heritage on a hen that was squatting for a roo and the tom cut in. I was close enough to get him off before any permanent harm.
In both cases I didn't have any breeding age turkey hens.

 

[karenerwin]

The only wrong with the dead hen (other than being dead ) is she appears to have a broken neck, but no bruising of any kind. So maybe it wasn't the turkey but some other barnyard scuffle where she broke her neck. I am going to put the trail camera out there and see what it shows for a few days. I'll have to move it around a few times to see the whole yard. So I may or may not see anything interesting.
Thanks for all of your input.

 

[memphis]

Sorry about the dead hen mystery Karen.

LOUD thunderstorms here! Geez! Wave after wave since about 2 this morning. So loud it woke the coonhound up. Now that's LOUD!

Guess the girls are ok. Been raining so much I haven't been out to see them. Don't hear them complaining. Betting they are sleeping in. After all...they did have a big day yesterday guarding the yard from the cable guy.

 

[memphis]

Have any of you checked out the "BCY's Random Funny Posts Thread"? I'm finding it pretty amusing. Most entertaining on another sodden day.

 

[R2elk]

Have any of you checked out the "BCY's Random Funny Posts Thread"? I'm finding it pretty amusing. Most entertaining on another sodden day.

Random Funny Posting Thread!
It has been around since August of 2016.

 

[duluthralphie]

Have any of you checked out the "BCY's Random Funny Posts Thread"? I'm finding it pretty amusing. Most entertaining on another sodden day.

I have thought I might link to your guy up the pole (with no paddle) by attack turkeys to that thread..

I wish I had seen that or it was on video...

The worst I ever had was the mail person refusing to deliver a package because there were turkeys around the house. When she stopped to get out they all ran towards her.

 

[casportpony]

I cant believe this! Just had a knock at my door. Cable guy. I don't have cable. Next door neighbors cable was out & they fixed it only one problem. My turkeys wouldn't let the repair guy get down from the pole. In the far corner of my yard there is a telephone pole. Its actually right over the 6 foot fence in my neighbors yard.. BOTH birds were perched on the fence watching him. Annie was barking, Daisy was just curious. They were actually sitting down enjoying themselves. Guy on the pole started yelling at me to "Get those birds! I can't get down. They will attack me!" His two companions were hysterical. Girls came when I called. The perils of having city birds.

 

[drumstick diva]

I bet he had a sandwich he could have distracted them with.

 

[feedman77]

When messing with my birds this morning I caught some movement in the fencerow. Saw a turkey about 20 yards away looking around.
A few explicitves went thru my mind on how a hen got out of their pen. Looked at my birds again and they were all in. A wild hen came by for a visit. She made a loop clear around the enclosure a couple of times. Thought about opening the gate. She was there for a couple hours then I lost track of her.

I did good a sat. Morning sold 2 young Tom's for 30 each. Didnt buy anything til I was on my way home. Ran into a guy I knew raised birds (narris and palms). Of course convo went to them. Asked if I needed any bourbons had some he wanted gone. I got a trio. And while i was there he cut a good deal on a narri tom. So now all but 1 pen have pure breeding turkeys.
Asked if i was incubating yet. I was. So he gave me a dozen Turkey eggs and a half dozen Guinea eggs. His bators were full.

Put the new bourbons next to my slates. I may have to put a wall between them. Those 2 Tom's fought all day til dark. Through the fence. Started back up as soon as they came off the roost this morning.

Have got 2 trios sold for next weekend. So gonna try and subtract in my messed up turkey math this year.

 

[rjohns39]

When messing with my birds this morning I caught some movement in the fencerow. Saw a turkey about 20 yards away looking around.
A few explicitves went thru my mind on how a hen got out of their pen. Looked at my birds again and they were all in. A wild hen came by for a visit. She made a loop clear around the enclosure a couple of times. Thought about opening the gate. She was there for a couple hours then I lost track of her.

I did good a sat. Morning sold 2 young Tom's for 30 each. Didnt buy anything til I was on my way home. Ran into a guy I knew raised birds (narris and palms). Of course convo went to them. Asked if I needed any bourbons had some he wanted gone. I got a trio. And while i was there he cut a good deal on a narri tom. So now all but 1 pen have pure breeding turkeys.
Asked if i was incubating yet. I was. So he gave me a dozen Turkey eggs and a half dozen Guinea eggs. His bators were full.

Put the new bourbons next to my slates. I may have to put a wall between them. Those 2 Tom's fought all day til dark. Through the fence. Started back up as soon as they came off the roost this morning.

Have got 2 trios sold for next weekend. So gonna try and subtract in my messed up turkey math this year.

I put 1/2 plywood between my toms and they tore it down. Sounds like a good score.