My toms are acting like nut jobs.

[coffeekittie]

I think I have the total opposite problem......My birds LOVE my bike(which is black) I can't keep them off of it.....I am still learning so i have a tendency not to go very fast in the yard yet.....the birds like to ride if i let them but they don't like it much when I drop them bike but then neither do I

Yes! Before I sold the standard sized chickens in favor of Bantams, I'd have to drive my scooter reeeaaaallllly sloooooooollly in order to avoid running them down as they "escorted" me in.

Parker

 

[MamaBear46]

gotta love the escort but i have the really quick where the brakes are....which to me is kinda weird...I start the bike and Everybody runs I start the bike and Its like they are little magnets

 

[coffeekittie]

gotta love the escort but i have the really quick where the brakes are....which to me is kinda weird...I start the bike and Everybody runs I start the bike and Its like they are little magnets

Heh, too true, and funny I stepped on mine every single day as they'd run around under my feet. I always figured I'd run one over one day :/ The banties are more easily contained.

Parker

 

[Scottingitup]

Progress report. Everything was going well they would display or chase the motorocycle for short distances still. That changed yesterday. They decided it was time to really test me. One attempted to grab my foot so I grabbed ahold of him by the base of his neck and shoved him away. This gave the other one the "YO BRO DON'T TOUCH HIM" attitude and he attempted to spur me in the upper leg a swift boot pushed him back.

I drove off and went to work determined to deal with it when I got home.

It was raining so I had on my full motorcycle gear plus rain protection - it was on. I get home and they are at it again. So I grab one and push him to the ground. Meanwhile the other goes all Jersey Shore again and for the first time I was able to grab him as well. So with both turkeys in hand I just laid my torso down on them both. I stayed like that with both of them pinned for a good 5-10 minutes. Eventually they both stopped struggling laid their heads down and submitted.

I let them go and they both hauled butt to get away from me. So far they are keeping their distance now, yesterday neither one of them would display at me. This morning only one was doing it - so he might need another lesson.

So far though they are both keeping their distance.

 

[frank53061]

That's the way to teach them turkeys who's at the top of the food chain

and hell on Wheels.

 

[PekinBantam]

I know it is a sign of aggression - but I don't know how to stop it.
Every morning I leave on my motorcycle I have to defend myself and go faster then I would like on my dirt driveway because they chase me!

Seriously these boys have it out for my bike. Good thing I am armored when they try it so they can't actually hurt me.


Is there anything I can do to deter them besides penning them up? I have tried pushing them back gently by the chest or just walking towards them moving them back - the second I turn around BAM there they are again.

LOL! My tom HATES our motorcycles! the moment my dad get his orange bike out, Rosco (the tom) starts strutting and gobbling like crazy, then he moves forward aggressively to the bike with his feathers puffed-up...

 

[Celie]

My tom turkeys behaved like this with my 2 black labs, but only when hen tukeys were round and there were 4 or 5 toms together. They would surround the dogs and crowd them in and close a circle around them. They dogs wold bark and I would have to go outside and rescue them from the killer turkeys (as we called them). No one ever got hurt, just all puffing up and chest butting. The dogs are there for the bird's protection, so they would not hurt the birds, but now that the next generation are coming up, the dogs take a run through the flock every once in a while, just to keep the pecking order straight. My grandma always said if you don't stand up to a bully, he will knock you down! Or in this case, chest but you!