Grey Turkey showed up at our house!

[shadylady23]

He ended up leaving the other day with a wild flock of turkeys that were traveling through. I worry about him out there, but, it's not my place to contain him. I wish the guy luck! He was a nice turkey!

 

[ILuvMyFlock]

She is a He and will eventually cause problems with your chickens if allowed to stay. It appears to be a Blue Slate tom. I recommend trying to find the owner and if not possible then contact your local animal control.

A lone tom with a group of chickens will eventually try to breed the chickens. When that happens the usual result is flat chickens (i.e. - squished, dead). If you feel the need to keep him, you will need to get some turkey hens for him.

Good luck.

Not necessarily true... I have lots of turkeys and none of mine bother the other birds, the only time they ever do is to defend themselves and even then that's rare. I will add though that mine are all tame, they love to be petted and held.

 

[R2elk]

Not necessarily true... I have lots of turkeys and none of mine bother the other birds, the only time they ever do is to defend themselves and even then that's rare. I will add though that mine are all tame, they love to be petted and held.

What I posted is absolutely true about a lone tom being around chickens. You cannot apply what you see about the behavior of multiple turkeys being together with other birds to what a single tom will do.

 

[ILuvMyFlock]

What I posted is absolutely true about a lone tom being around chickens. You cannot apply what you see about the behavior of multiple turkeys being together with other birds to what a single tom will do.

Maybe on your end its true, but not on mine. A lot of Bologna is said about toms to smear them so to speak but toms aren't as bad as some claim.

 

[R2elk]

Maybe on your end its true, but not on mine. A lot of Bologna is said about toms to smear them so to speak but toms aren't as bad as some claim.

From what you have posted I get the impression that you have multiple turkeys. What multiple turkeys will do in different situations is not what a lone tom will do. A lone tom in breeding season is going to do its best to try to breed something. If the only things that are around are chickens, the tom will try to breed them. A tom trying to breed chickens will end badly usually with a flat chicken (dead).

Keeping a lone turkey is never a good idea and it is an even worse idea if the turkey is a tom. Turkeys are flock birds and are very social and really need to be with more of their own kind.

 

[ILuvMyFlock]

From what you have posted I get the impression that you have multiple turkeys. What multiple turkeys will do in different situations is not what a lone tom will do. A lone tom in breeding season is going to do its best to try to breed something. If the only things that are around are chickens, the tom will try to breed them. A tom trying to breed chickens will end badly usually with a flat chicken (dead).

Keeping a lone turkey is never a good idea and it is an even worse idea if the turkey is a tom. Turkeys are flock birds and are very social and really need to be with more of their own kind.

I agree in the sense that yes turkeys are social and I always recommend keeping more than one, but right now I have one full grown male and a few grown female along with tons of youngins and he's never ever tried to mate anything but the female turkeys, now sometimes he'll thrust the air now and then but that's it.

 

[R2elk]

I agree in the sense that yes turkeys are social and I always recommend keeping more than one, but right now I have one full grown male and a few grown female along with tons of youngins and he's never ever tried to mate anything but the female turkeys, now sometimes he'll thrust the air now and then but that's it.

You nailed it right there. You don't have a lone tom. He has other turkeys to be concerned with. You should not expect the same type of behavior from a lone tom as you get from your tom that has other turkeys to socialize with.

 

[BirdManInMo]

Just my experience.

I have never had my Tom turkeys bother my chicken hens. They are social and want to hang out with them, graze with them, flock with them, but I have never had them try to breed them.

All my turkey hens ran off so I haven't had any turkey hens for awhile. I have new heritage bronze hatchery poults now and I think I am going to have quit a few hens when they grow up.

This year all of my new turkey hens are going to stay enclosed if I am not there to supervise them ranging.