It sounds like he's assumed the role of flock protector, and your family is not part of his flock. He may be jealous of your bond with your hens, he may not have been raised with much human interaction, or he may be part wild.
I had one hen who was half Bourbon Red on her mom's side and half wild turkey, and another full wild turkey hen. Both had behaviors that were not in line with the domestic poultry, and even the birds thought they were weird and were afraid of them. The wild hen had a poult with my Narr tom and that was one crazy baby.. It escaped the coop and left home at two weeks of age, never to be seen again.
Or his behavior may be breeding behavior, but I've not heard the vocalizatiion that you describe outside of males fighting. One thing about turkey psychology is that when toms fight, they often go through a progression of stages. Strut, chest bump, eyeball one another, stretch up super tall to see who is taller, and if neither backs down then they twist their necks together and wrestle until one gives in. They will take breaks, pull snoods, bite, and generally act aggressively. The dominant male wins the girls.
If he doesn't calm down soon, I'd suggest you remove him. Your family is more important than any bird.
I had one hen who was half Bourbon Red on her mom's side and half wild turkey, and another full wild turkey hen. Both had behaviors that were not in line with the domestic poultry, and even the birds thought they were weird and were afraid of them. The wild hen had a poult with my Narr tom and that was one crazy baby.. It escaped the coop and left home at two weeks of age, never to be seen again.
Or his behavior may be breeding behavior, but I've not heard the vocalizatiion that you describe outside of males fighting. One thing about turkey psychology is that when toms fight, they often go through a progression of stages. Strut, chest bump, eyeball one another, stretch up super tall to see who is taller, and if neither backs down then they twist their necks together and wrestle until one gives in. They will take breaks, pull snoods, bite, and generally act aggressively. The dominant male wins the girls.
If he doesn't calm down soon, I'd suggest you remove him. Your family is more important than any bird.
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