Today I had our 2 turkeys and 5 pullets out in the garden and mom asked to bring Moochie out to see how she and the turkeys would get along. Well, Moochie and the tom had a fight. The hen just scooted away with the younger pullets. Thankfully no one got hurt however I actually had to pull the tom off of Moochie. The tom isn't full grown either, I'm sure if he were 15 pounds heavier he would have done some real damage to her but he's only 15 weeks old, so only a little bigger than our production red Moochie but much taller. Moochie didn't start the fight, she went over to peck at some grass and the tom puffed up his feathers a little bit then took a peck at her.
Now I don't have much experience with turkeys, in fact I bought the ones I have now in the summer, so I need some help from you more experienced turkey owners. One day I would like to integrate the turkeys, the pullets, and all my other fowl together in the future. By that time the turkeys and pullets would be full grown though, I'm talking much later, perhaps by next spring or summer. The other fowl I have are ducks and I don't know how our tom would react to them. I will have them in their own enclosed pens but I would like to see them free range within my enclosed property too. I realize I would have to introduce them all slowly, of course. For how long though? I do not want my rooster and the tom getting into fights, I hope when I have them free range together next year that they ignore each other but I am not familiarized with turkey behavior 100% yet. I do know that the turkeys will not pick fights with the chickens they were raised with. From what I've seen they're both caring for the young pullets they grew up with.
Advice and thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Uhm.. Also.. How high would a sleeping roost for a turkey be? What is comfortable for them? Do they like roosting outside a coop or inside one? The other day my mom found the tom roosting on her sedan out on the drive-way... If it makes any difference the tom is an eastern wild and the hen is a blue slate.
Now I don't have much experience with turkeys, in fact I bought the ones I have now in the summer, so I need some help from you more experienced turkey owners. One day I would like to integrate the turkeys, the pullets, and all my other fowl together in the future. By that time the turkeys and pullets would be full grown though, I'm talking much later, perhaps by next spring or summer. The other fowl I have are ducks and I don't know how our tom would react to them. I will have them in their own enclosed pens but I would like to see them free range within my enclosed property too. I realize I would have to introduce them all slowly, of course. For how long though? I do not want my rooster and the tom getting into fights, I hope when I have them free range together next year that they ignore each other but I am not familiarized with turkey behavior 100% yet. I do know that the turkeys will not pick fights with the chickens they were raised with. From what I've seen they're both caring for the young pullets they grew up with.
Advice and thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Uhm.. Also.. How high would a sleeping roost for a turkey be? What is comfortable for them? Do they like roosting outside a coop or inside one? The other day my mom found the tom roosting on her sedan out on the drive-way... If it makes any difference the tom is an eastern wild and the hen is a blue slate.
