Molt or something else?

[HeritageFan]

Keeping multiple toms in with a small group of hens can be very bad. It can result in poor fertility as each tom tries to prevent the other from breeding the hens. It can also lead to injury and in the worst case the death of hens from a tom ripping a hen open as he tries to stay in place on her back.

If you have seen them breed, choose the tom that seems to be the quickest and most efficient at breeding. This is assuming their other qualities are equal.

@R2elk is a very experienced and helpful turkey expert with a wealth of experience.
Any advice that comes my way from him.... I consider heavily (personally)

You need to consider your -
- time to commit
- desired goals
- why you brought heritage turkeys into your life in the first place

And remember that you need to put the needs of your birds ahead of your hesitation about culling/ moving/ selling any that aren’t fitting your current groups
IMO

You chose them, so, it’a up to you to make the best choices you can for them.

I’ve certainly made mistakes, again
- not judging-
but I cull the ones that need to be culled, sell the ones that should be sold, and build more pens to separate groups if I’m working on breeding for specific traits so everyone is happy (and I’m blessed to have time and space to do that )

Not everyone is able to expand, or wants to, or should....
But no one can make that call for you

Just my 0.02$

 

[Barnhenmama]

My BR bachelor looks almost just like yours lol
....except my BR Toms have dark “tips” to their body feathers- and the photo you sent looks like it might have light “tips” and a slightly more red color....? Perhaps he’s a cross?
Where did you get him?

(Not judging! Just have been on a long and deep rabbit hole on turkey color genetics as I study Porters Heritage Turkeys web site and eagerly await my new poults!)

Regardless.
I have 4 bachelors in a pen separate from the hens / breeding pairs and out of sight from the “lucky boys” who are with the hens (plural because we have two heritage varieties- one Tom per hen group) lol.
I don’t have a good recent photo of the Bachelor.
Our BR that has his hen isn’t losing as many chest feathers (a few), but his tail is still sad
The girls decided that they were grown up enough to come into “season” all at once- and the boys started fighting. Lots of tail (and other) damage, very quickly.
I’m kicking myself for being late to separate but.
At least I’ve resolved the issue now, broken up the groups, and new feathers are starting to come back now that the fights have been stopped -
I know it will take time for the tails to come back, and, I no longer need to clip the Toms’ wings because they are now too heavy to get out of their runs when it’s not their turn to be on the grass....
So we are waiting for that right wing tip to grow back as well. Live and learn. Next time I’ll know when to stop clipping the boys’ wings, as well as being ready to break up the groups earlier in the season

I actually got him from a local breeder as a poultry and as far as I know he was supposed to be full bourbon red, but

Thank you for the photos and the insight! I am newer to owning turkeys so I am still learning! I don’t have space to separate him where they can’t see each other so I am going to get rid of this one to keep everyone else happy!

 

[Barnhenmama]

@R2elk is a very experienced and helpful turkey expert with a wealth of experience.
Any advice that comes my way from him.... I consider heavily (personally)

You need to consider your -
- time to commit
- desired goals
- why you brought heritage turkeys into your life in the first place

And remember that you need to put the needs of your birds ahead of your hesitation about culling/ moving/ selling any that aren’t fitting your current groups
IMO

You chose them, so, it’a up to you to make the best choices you can for them.

I’ve certainly made mistakes, again
- not judging-
but I cull the ones that need to be culled, sell the ones that should be sold, and build more pens to separate groups if I’m working on breeding for specific traits so everyone is happy (and I’m blessed to have time and space to do that )

Not everyone is able to expand, or wants to, or should....
But no one can make that call for you

Just my 0.02$

Keeping multiple toms in with a small group of hens can be very bad. It can result in poor fertility as each tom tries to prevent the other from breeding the hens. It can also lead to injury and in the worst case the death of hens from a tom ripping a hen open as he tries to stay in place on her back.

If you have seen them breed, choose the tom that seems to be the quickest and most efficient at breeding. This is assuming their other qualities are equal.

I am more new to owning turkeys and this is their first breeding season. I have noticed one has always been more dominant over the other and was the first to breed the hens so that will be the one we keep. Hopefully we will be able to sell him this weekend and keep everyone in the coop happy and healthy! Thank you for the advice! I’m still learning, but I want to do what’s best for the flock.

 

[HeritageFan]

I am more new to owning turkeys and this is their first breeding season. I have noticed one has always been more dominant over the other and was the first to breed the hens so that will be the one we keep. Hopefully we will be able to sell him this weekend and keep everyone in the coop happy and healthy! Thank you for the advice! I’m still learning, but I want to do what’s best for the flock.

Do you have a photo of the other Tom, just out of curiosity?
Does he look darker- more like the color of your hen or the Tom photo that I sent earlier?

 

[Barnhenmama]

Do you have a photo of the other Tom, just out of curiosity?
Does he look darker- more like the color of your hen or the Tom photo that I sent earlier?

These are from before they lost a lot of their feathers. They both seem to be lighter in color than yours

 

[Barnhenmama]

These are from before they lost a lot of their feathers. They both seem to be lighter in color than yours

@HeritageFan This is a photo of him before he lost his feathers. I’m not sure if it’s due to feather loss or the lighting in the other photo but he looks quite a bit darker here.