Looking for help with my aggressive Tom

[racqetac]

I have a 1 yr old Royal Palm tom turkey that is acting very aggressive it started with loud noises, lawn mower, tractor, power tools etc. We have tried everything, the being calm, not backing down and encouraging him to walk away by slowly walking to him when he is charging and continuing to do so till he turns and goes back to the other chickens and hen turkey. He is still chasing, picking and flogging. We even used a broom and tried to tell him who the alphas are with no improvement and he is getting worse. Any ideas would be much appreciated.

 

[ivan3]

You could try a few creative approaches to befuddle the boy. If you have an old umbrella, as soon as he starts trilling/moving towards you, pop the parasol open in his face and chase him - keep him on the run for a bit. As soon as he's put some distance between the two of you, stop - and then ignore him. Close the umbrella and watch him out of corner of eye. As soon as he starts sneaking in - pop and chase. Getting one of those disposable air horns to combine with the umbrella `wall' could be useful. Or, get an old, lightweight sheet/rug/etc. and toss it over him when he moves in. When he's out foraging with flock and NOT paying attention to you - grab the broom and go after him (run in on him - don't let him have any time to `prepare') until he takes off and keeps going when you stop (then `ignore' him). Flummoxing the spar happy tom is usually more effective than `standing one's ground' with a broom. Consistency (to the point of compulsion) in reinforcing tom's compliance is probably going to be required until the end of breeding season.

If you have kids, I'd find this guy a new home (farm down the road - or moved onto the kitchen table), though the Royals possess a little less mass than a Bourbon or Slate, that only means they can leap a bit higher and apply spurs to eyes...

Best of luck (to the both of you)!