Can I use a chicken to raise turkey poults?

[R2elk]

Turkeys can attack humans, no matter who imprinted on them. They are a lot like roosters in that regard. I think you can avoid it by only breeding docile turkeys, but I don't know if any breeders select for nice turkeys.

Disposition is just one of the parameters that reputable breeders select for in their breeding stock.

I also do not imprint my chickens. None of my roosters have ever been human aggressive.

I have family on the east coast and their neighborhood is terrorized by wild turkeys who will attack people. The wild turkeys were not imprinted on humans as poults.

You do realize that this is learned behavior due to years if not decades of irresponsible interaction between the people and the turkeys. First a few turkeys show up. The people are thrilled and start feeding them and doing their best to make the turkeys comfortable with them. Once the turkey population starts exploding to lack of any predator control and have become accustomed to the free hand outs their leavings are not appreciated.

People start trying to chase them away while others keep feeding sending conflicting messages. Then the turkeys also get to deal with the people who are terrified of them and start running from them. Once the flock has learned the bad behavior it quickly teaches all the new poults the same behavior.

 

[SarahGfa]

You do realize that this is learned behavior due to years if not decades of irresponsible interaction between the people and the turkeys. First a few turkeys show up. The people are thrilled and start feeding them and doing their best to make the turkeys comfortable with them. Once the turkey population starts exploding to lack of any predator control and have become accustomed to the free hand outs their leavings are not appreciated.

People start trying to chase them away while others keep feeding sending conflicting messages. Then the turkeys also get to deal with the people who are terrified of them and start running from them. Once the flock has learned the bad behavior it quickly teaches all the new poults the same behavior.

I assumed that the wild turkeys were naturally jerks, because you gotta be tough to survive on the mean streets of Boston.

Which part of the "irresponsible interaction" teaches the wild turkeys to be aggressive? The feeding part? People who raise domesticated turkeys will feed them and make the turkeys comfortable, without the turkeys turning around and attacking every five seconds. So I think nature plays a bigger roll than nurture in this case.

 

[R2elk]

I assumed that the wild turkeys were naturally jerks, because you gotta be tough to survive on the mean streets of Boston.

Which part of the "irresponsible interaction" teaches the wild turkeys to be aggressive? The feeding part? People who raise domesticated turkeys will feed them and make the turkeys comfortable, without the turkeys turning around and attacking every five seconds. So I think nature plays a bigger roll than nurture in this case.

The feeding them got them accustomed to and comfortable with people. This was followed by people attacking them at the same time other people were feeding them along with the dummies that were terrified of them and ran from them as soon as they started approaching them.

A lot of mixed signals were sent to the turkeys. They may have some natural aggression bred in, in the form of protection of their nests by the wild hens that is more enhanced than you will find in most domestic turkeys.

 

[SarahGfa]

To @Solanacae,
I raised all my turkeys under chicken hens. Some are mean and some are nice. The male turkey in my profile picture is very protective of the chickens, and attacks any person who gets too close.

My problem was that the broody chicken hens usually lose alot of poults when free ranging. Poults tend to wander farther from the hen and chickens don't really respond to the poult's "kee kee run" help calls.

 

[kloskoj]

I go out of my way to make sure my poults do not imprint on me. Human imprinted turkeys have caused serious problems once the turkeys are adults. An adult tom has no respect for a person that is bigger than him if he thinks that person is just a strange looking turkey that he has to defeat in order to move up in the pecking order.

My turkeys that are not imprinted will not even approach people.

Thats not true I have a tom turkey that follows me everywhere I go and when I sit down he sits down too