Hen attacking a tom

[watson35]

We have 3 toms and 1 hen we have noticed that our one hen has been attacking one of our toms really bad, she fights him like they are both toms. what is the reason for this? He is already weak and she still will not leave him a lone

 

[R2elk]

We have 3 toms and 1 hen we have noticed that our one hen has been attacking one of our toms really bad, she fights him like they are both toms. what is the reason for this? He is already weak and she still will not leave him alone

Pecking order. She is trying to move up in the pecking order. Turkeys can be relentless when they get something in their mind.

Unless you are raising these for meat, you need to change the ratio of toms to hens. Three toms to one hen will not be a healthy situation for the hen.

 

[aesch]

Had the same thing this summer with my hen and three toms. She's quite the bully and half their size. I'm keeping her and butchering the boys and agree with r2elk that she should be separated from the toms before they reach maturity. Even if they're BBs if the attempt to mate they could hurt her badly.

 

[dwlacy]

what is the correct ratio for toms to hens?

I purchased a slate tom & was just given 3 bronze hens two days later. my tom is 5 months old & the hens are 8 months old. one of the bronze hens is picking on the tom & has bloodied his head. should I separate them, tom in one pen & hens in another pen? if I separate them, how do I go about integrating them back together at a later date?

 

[aesch]

what is the correct ratio for toms to hens?

I purchased a slate tom & was just given 3 bronze hens two days later. my tom is 5 months old & the hens are 8 months old. one of the bronze hens is picking on the tom & has bloodied his head. should I separate them, tom in one pen & hens in another pen? if I separate them, how do I go about integrating them back together at a later date?

Once he has reached maturity they will settle down, however they will still need to establish a pecking order. Make sure they can see each other and integrate a little at a time.

 

[R2elk]

what is the correct ratio for toms to hens?

I purchased a slate tom & was just given 3 bronze hens two days later. my tom is 5 months old & the hens are 8 months old. one of the bronze hens is picking on the tom & has bloodied his head. should I separate them, tom in one pen & hens in another pen? if I separate them, how do I go about integrating them back together at a later date?

I try to keep a minimum of at least four to five hens per tom. They can easily handle more.

It is really common for turkeys to get bloody heads during dominance fights. I never worry about it, mine have always healed fine without any intervention from me.

It wasn't a good idea to just throw them all in together right at the start. They should have been given a see but no touch introduction to allow them to become familiar with each other. Since that part was skipped, just remember that the more you interfere with their fights, the longer it will take for them to settle their disputes.

Good luck.

 

[dwlacy]

I've moved them to a bigger pen where the tom can get away from the hens if need be....I'll just watch them now to see how things go....thanks