Can 3 toms and a hen live together?

[Victimtopoultrymath]

I got four black Spanish poults in July, unsexed, and I’m pretty sure now that three are toms and only one is a hen (I was REALLY hoping for the opposite distribution!). Today, two of the toms, Boz and Elvis, got in their first fight, and the third, who I had been hoping beyond hope was a girl, promptly flushed red and displayed! Grr. The only one whose head (which is delicate and dainty, by the way, like the rest of her body) stayed white was Morticia's, the one I’m pretty positive is a hen. What do I do?? Is there any chance that three toms and a hen can learn to live together peacefully? Or are the three toms going to constantly fight, and wear the hen to pieces trying to all mate with her?

 

[R2elk]

I got four black Spanish poults in July, unsexed, and I’m pretty sure now that three are toms and only one is a hen (I was REALLY hoping for the opposite distribution!). Today, two of the toms, Boz and Elvis, got in their first fight, and the third, who I had been hoping beyond hope was a girl, promptly flushed red and displayed! Grr. The only one whose head (which is delicate and dainty, by the way, like the rest of her body) stayed white was Morticia's, the one I’m pretty positive is a hen. What do I do?? Is there any chance that three toms and a hen can learn to live together peacefully? Or are the three toms going to constantly fight, and wear the hen to pieces trying to all mate with her?

Swap out two of the toms for hens if you can. If you keep all 3 toms, your hen will need to be separated from the toms or they may accidentally kill her.

 

[Molpet]

They will fight until one is dominant. The hen probably will get torn up. A hen saddle may help, but with three boys I would get rid of two and get two more hens

 

[CindyinSD]

As long as the jakes aren’t showing nuptial interest in the little jenny, and you have plenty of space, just in my limited experience they’ll be okay. My big turkeys are almost six weeks old and no trouble with the girls yet.

The boys all hang out together and occasionally try to pull off one another’s snoods or swallow one another’s heads (during which the whole crowd of birds gather around chirping “Get him, Ralphie!”). They leave the girls alone so far. The jennies hang out with the pullets. When this dynamic changes it will be time for me to decide which toms to keep and which to send to freezer camp. If you’re not into that, you can offer them for sale and let someone else do it. You could also put two of the toms in a separate pen, preferably where they can’t see what they can’t have.

Turkeys are great. You’re gonna want a couple more girls, though. The Narragansett’s are pretty...

 

[Victimtopoultrymath]

I’m in a bit of a pickle, then. Never expecting such a skewed ration, I raised these guys to be pets, as their purpose in life is pest control. One of them I could handle putting in the pot (barely!) but it’s goinv to break my heart to choose between the other two toms! They’re both such sweethearts, and so cuddly. Is there anyone on the Greater Kansas City that could give a tom a good home? Technically a jake, as he’s only 9 1/2 weeks old? I do need a couple of more hens, just wish I could get them sexed! Turkeys are much harder not to get attached to than chickens...

 

[OneMountainAcres]

As helpful as hen saddles are, with that many toms, your poor hen would be worn ragged with 3 toms dogging her. They would fight and get their pecking order sorted but they would still all try to breed her. I agree with what others said. See if you can find two more hens and either find new homes for two of the boys or invite them to dinner.

 

[Quackter]

I’m in a bit of a pickle, then. Never expecting such a skewed ration, I raised these guys to be pets, as their purpose in life is pest control. One of them I could handle putting in the pot (barely!) but it’s goinv to break my heart to choose between the other two toms! They’re both such sweethearts, and so cuddly. Is there anyone on the Greater Kansas City that could give a tom a good home? Technically a jake, as he’s only 9 1/2 weeks old? I do need a couple of more hens, just wish I could get them sexed! Turkeys are much harder not to get attached to than chickens...

You could two toms together separately. You could even keep the hen separate and be OK, it just ain't gonna fly all in the same pen.

 

[R2elk]

I’m in a bit of a pickle, then. Never expecting such a skewed ration, I raised these guys to be pets, as their purpose in life is pest control. One of them I could handle putting in the pot (barely!) but it’s going to break my heart to choose between the other two toms! They’re both such sweethearts, and so cuddly. Is there anyone on the Greater Kansas City that could give a tom a good home? Technically a jake, as he’s only 9 1/2 weeks old? I do need a couple of more hens, just wish I could get them sexed! Turkeys are much harder not to get attached to than chickens...

Try checking out the state threads in the Where am I? Where are you! forum. I believe that Cackle runs a special on sexed poults about every other year when their breeders are getting rid of excess replacement turkeys. The only other place that sells sexed poults only deals in broad breasted turkeys.

If you got rid of all of your toms, and replaced them with one Chocolate tom, you could make your own sex linked poults. A Chocolate tom over a Black hen will produce both Black and Chocolate poults. All the Chocolate poults will be hens and all of the Black poults will be toms that are carrying a hidden recessive brown (e) color gene.

 

[Skipper7410]

I’m in a bit of a pickle, then. Never expecting such a skewed ration, I raised these guys to be pets, as their purpose in life is pest control. One of them I could handle putting in the pot (barely!) but it’s goinv to break my heart to choose between the other two toms! They’re both such sweethearts, and so cuddly. Is there anyone on the Greater Kansas City that could give a tom a good home? Technically a jake, as he’s only 9 1/2 weeks old? I do need a couple of more hens, just wish I could get them sexed! Turkeys are much harder not to get attached to than chickens...

If it makes you feel any better I was hoping for hens and ended up with 7 Toms instead...Two may be bearded hens, but i doubt it. They look like late developing toms... which means I went 7 and 0 lol.

 

[Anime2lover]

I'd certainly either keep the genders seperate, or get rid of two toms. Toms can get aggressive, especially during breeding season. I had one tom last year that was particularly aggressive (even toward a male duck he grew up with) during that time of year. The poor drake's face had a big chunk taken outta it. So yea, when it comes to that, id do one of those two options.