Problem with breeding my turkeys

[Finnie]

Yeah, this is the same behavior she had before she started laying last time last November and in the spring and she started laying eggs again 3 days ago.

She stayed on the nest until I took her eggs away because they weren’t fertile

I would think that if she is laying, then she would be mating with the Tom. Whenever I have had a Tom turkey, all the eggs have always been fertile.

The only thing I can think of is if she prefers you for a mate, hence the sitting next to you in the soliciting position. I don’t know if you can break her of this and get her to accept the tom, but I would at least try. I would stop treating her like a pet and pretty much stay away from her other than what is necessary for her care. Hopefully getting ignored by you will cause her to seek attention from the tom.

For future breeding birds, just try to raise turkeys with turkeys so they don’t imprint on humans. They can also imprint on chickens. I haven’t had that cause infertile turkey eggs, but I have had it cause smashed chickens.

 

[Strange Hatter Farms]

I would think that if she is laying, then she would be mating with the Tom. Whenever I have had a Tom turkey, all the eggs have always been fertile.

The only thing I can think of is if she prefers you for a mate, hence the sitting next to you in the soliciting position. I don’t know if you can break her of this and get her to accept the tom, but I would at least try. I would stop treating her like a pet and pretty much stay away from her other than what is necessary for her care. Hopefully getting ignored by you will cause her to seek attention from the tom.

For future breeding birds, just try to raise turkeys with turkeys so they don’t imprint on humans. They can also imprint on chickens. I haven’t had that cause infertile turkey eggs, but I have had it cause smashed chickens.

Yeah, idk I tried putting in a cage but she wasn’t having it and the male was really aggressive toward her.

 

[Finnie]

Yeah, idk I tried putting in a cage but she wasn’t having it and the male was really aggressive toward her.

You tried putting them in a cage together? What size? If you have a large enough pen, you could probably just house them together until they bond. Any aggression is probably just them working out their pecking order and shouldn’t last long.

It would probably be better to put 2 or 3 hens in the pen with the Tom. With just 1 she would probably end up overmated. Supply a spot where she can get away from him to lay eggs in peace. It can be as simple as leaning a board against the wall that she can lay under.

 

[Strange Hatter Farms]

You tried putting them in a cage together? What size? If you have a large enough pen, you could probably just house them together until they bond. Any aggression is probably just them working out their pecking order and shouldn’t last long.

It would probably be better to put 2 or 3 hens in the pen with the Tom. With just 1 she would probably end up overmated. Supply a spot where she can get away from him to lay eggs in peace. It can be as simple as leaning a board against the wall that she can lay under.

Thank you, ill take your advice and apply it in the Spring. I have a large dog kennel that the males are in with some chickens that didn’t make the cut in the outside coop.
I let the two females stay free range in the barn outside of the cage for now because of the aggression

 

[Finnie]

Thank you, ill take your advice and apply it in the Spring. I have a large dog kennel that the males are in with some chickens that didn’t make the cut in the outside coop.
I let the two females stay free range in the barn outside of the cage for now because of the aggression

I would do that too for now, because I feel like they get better nutrition free ranging. I only like to pen them up if they do naughty stuff like visit the neighbors or lay eggs in dangerous places. Just put them with the tom (loose or penned up) when laying season starts.

 

[ColtHandorf]

but I have had it cause smashed chickens.

That is no lie.

Thank you, ill take your advice and apply it in the Spring. I have a large dog kennel that the males are in with some chickens that didn’t make the cut in the outside coop.
I let the two females stay free range in the barn outside of the cage for now because of the aggression

So you have three toms and two hens? That's two toms too many. And I would let the turkey hens and the chickens hang out together if you're keeping the toms locked up. They will try to breed the chickens if they get it in their head and it can seriously injure them.

 

[Strange Hatter Farms]

That is no lie.

So you have three toms and two hens? That's two toms too many. And I would let the turkey hens and the chickens hang out together if you're keeping the toms locked up. They will try to breed the chickens if they get it in their head and it can seriously injure them.

Actually, I have two toms now. One was for Thanksgiving. But I have another female as well. The third female was hatched with the three males so I don’t have the same problem with her, but she’s not mature enough to start laying eggs.

 

[ColtHandorf]

Actually, I have two toms now. One was for Thanksgiving. But I have another female as well. The third female was hatched with the three males so I don’t have the same problem with her, but she’s not mature enough to start laying eggs.

@R2elk - can give you the specifics, but with only three hens, one tom is more than enough.

 

[R2elk]

@R2elk - can give you the specifics, but with only three hens, one tom is more than enough.

It depends on the tom but one tom can easily handle more than ten hens. I try to keep at least 5 hens for one tom. It makes it much easier on the hens. Normally all of the hens don't go broody at the same time which helps prevent mating injuries from a tom trying to breed a hen as she sits on her nest.

Keeping multiple toms in with too few hens can result in very poor fertility of the eggs because the toms will do their best to prevent each other from breeding the hens. This can also lead to injured hens from a tom trying to claw his way back onto the hen as another tom is trying to knock him off of her. In a worst case scenario, the hen will get ripped open with guts exposed resulting in her death.

Hens also need to have a place where they can nest without the tom or toms getting to them.