Chickens are picking at Tom

[NancyinAlaska]

I've got a blue slate tom and 2 bs hens, one rescued wild hen. He just started strutting his stuff, he's about 7 months old. Today when I was out in the pen, I noticed that a couple of my chicken hens were picking at his tail end while he was all fanned out, kind of running up, giving him a peck and then running off, again, and again. Then I saw blood dripping onto the white snow and got scared. I caught him, held his feet, it wasn't easy, and got him onto his back, looking for where the blood was coming from. Not the vent, in fact I couldn't see the source of the blood, I have no clue where it was coming from. I've got some Rooster Booster No-Pick Lotion, and slathered it all around his tail,careful not to get any in his vent, I'll bet that would burn it's cold out and I got some on my gloves, and touched near my mouth...YUCK for a few hours

I've always kept everyone together, turkeys and chickens and this is the 1st problem I've had.
I think I embarrassed him, he's been hiding in a corner.....poor guy, made him look weak in front of all his ladies................

Is this common? Is there anything I can do to stop this behavior, besides separating them which I really can't do till it warms up and the snow is gone. I could put them in where I've got my white and barred birds with a rir roo...sex-links soon, but that really HAS to be a last resort.
I've got alot to learn about turkeys..........................THANKS IN ADVANCE!! Nancy

 

[ivan3]

Look behind the retrices when he's displaying. Are there any short quills, new feathers coming in? Look for quills/broken feathers with dried blood on the tips. Mice/rats like to nibble on new feather growth (easy access to blood). Haven't had chooks initiate this sort of thing, but know about mouse damage. Something else might have happened to your guy and the chooks were just being their opportunistic selves.

Let us know when you track down the source.

Good luck!

 

[Cacklin" Hens]

I don't house my turkeys with the chickens. But i have a little advice: I have recognized that when my chickens are going barebacked from roosters or they start loosing feathers that the other chickens will CONSTANTLY pick at it and make it bleed. I see this all the time. So it wouldn't surprise me one bit if it happened to the turkey. I don't have that problem for

\\because my Royal Palms take no "junk" from the chickens when they are occasionally together. My RP tom and the hen is very very hateful to the chickens. But the tom is very sweet, I think he loves me more than he loves his hen!

Hope this helps!