Fighting Turkeys! HELP!

[Ravenworks71]

My Two Turkeys are fighting like crazy! It started today. They are about 3 1/2 months old and have been raised together the whole time. Today in my horror I looked out into the yard to see them chest bumping and neck wrapping like snakes breeding. Then the slightly larger one grabbed the other by the eye and jammed the others face into the fence on the chicken coop. I ran out there and gave him a choke hold, freed the other, but as I did this, the one that was stuck in the fence came around the other side and began attacking from behind. I shoved them apart for over 20 minutes! They were acting like street fighters who insulted each others mothers! I set up a brooder in my shop and shoved the smaller one into it, smeared antibiotic ointment all over their faces, making sure to apply it all over myself in the process. I had been under the impression that I had a Tom and a Jenny, but now I am puzzled. The Tom ( that I know is one) has a longer snood and all the right colored feathers for a male Bronze and he displays often. The other has almost no snood, is lighter in frame and has never dropped wings and strutted. However, the tail feathers look like Tom feathers to me. What is going on? I also was under the impression that Turkeys got along...even in all male groups? Is anyone out there encountering this problem? I'm new to Turkeys and could use some advise!

Shannon

 

[longranger]

They are working out the pecking order. Leave them be and in a matter or minutes or hours they will work things out. They sometimes do cause cuts and draw blood but the loser almost always makes a rapid and full recovery physically. Their pride takes a little longer to heal, no joke. This will happen any time you add new members to the flock and even after you separate and reunite members of the same flock as you might do for breeding season.

 

[thaiturkey]

We have added twice to our new flock. Each time the balance is disturbed we go through the process of establishing a new pecking order. i have also notice among the younger stags that when one grows a tad bigger than another he challenges the status quo, only to have to defend his new position when another overtakes him. We usually leave them to it until it gets too physical and then go into remind them who really is the boss. Once they cool off after a few minutes it's all forgotten.

 

[Ravenworks71]

Thank you so much for the info! I will leave them alone as best I can! It just looks so brutal...and I have to say a little funny when they are sparring like Giraffe's. I will just stand on the ready with the ointment until they get the pecking order worked out again.

Thanks again everyone!

Shannon