Molt or something else?

[Barnhenmama]

Hello, just wanted to share a picture of my Tom to find out if this feather loss is due to a molt or possibly something else? I have another tom in there and they do fight sometimes but they have also been breeding a lot. Or does this look like something caused by mites or lice?

He is happy and healthy otherwise, eating, drinking and has plenty of energy!

 

[Molpet]

Mine lose a lot of feathers rubbing up against the fence

 

[Barnhenmama]

Mine lose a lot of feathers rubbing up against the fence

Do they grow back?
What about the tail fans?

It’s just the toms that are missing feathers, not the hens

 

[Molpet]

Do they grow back?
What about the tail fans?

It’s just the toms that are missing feathers, not the hens

The feathers will grow back if they are pulled out and not broken off
The broken off will be molted and replaced then.
Tail might be from fighting

 

[R2elk]

Pretty much normal for multiple toms at this stage of breeding seasom

 

[Barnhenmama]

Gotcha. Their feathers would look better to only keep one then? I’ve been trying to decide which one to get rid of but it’s so difficult

 

[HeritageFan]

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

 

[R2elk]

Gotcha. Their feathers would look better to only keep one then? I’ve been trying to decide which one to get rid of but it’s so difficult

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]

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,

I only clipped a wing on young of thear turkeys after they were adults and needed their flights curtailed. In most cases, by the time their flight feathers grew back they had forgotten they could fly and did not need their wings clipped a second time.

 

[HeritageFan]

I only clipped a wing on young of thear turkeys after they were adults and needed their flights curtailed. In most cases, by the time their flight feathers grew back they had forgotten they could fly and did not need their wings clipped a second time.

I had difficulties with the older poults/ teenagers with our first round of poults. Clipped a second time (one wing) when the flight feathers came back in.
Next time I’ll not do the second clip- and also likely not even need to do the first, as we continue to expand our runs and tractors- all of which are covered.

I guess the heavy bodied ducks that we started with gave us a false sense of security
Their runs were covered as well but to keep daytime predators out more than the ducks in.... the turkeys were escape Mavericks when young and we have revised the plans

We knew turkeys would be different- and I’m so happy to say that we have learned a -ton- some we started with them!


Thank you for the tip!