strutting vs breeding

[zzGypsy]

turkey newby here...
so I bought turkeys about a month ago. I've got a bronze cross tom, reported about a year old and currently molting, 4 hens (2 bronze cross, one chocolate, one royal palm, ages unknown and not laying) and a poult (royal palm, don't know the gender). Crash (the tom) struts frequently will all his best feathers fluffed out, runs the snood up and down, and flushes his head to a lovely irridescent blue, but I haven't seen him do the wing-drop foot-stamping dance, and I haven't seen him breed any of the girls. they hang together, and he follows the girls when they're foraging, but so far, I've seen no actual breeding.

is breeding a seasonal behavior? or something I shouldn't expect to see until spring when the hens start laying? or...?

thanks!

 

[mitchell3006]

My toms are still strutting and apparently breeding because the eggs are fertile. I haven't caught one breeding since this spring. I am about to the point that I wish my hens would qquit laying so I could quit hatching turkeys.

 

[zzGypsy]

ok, I'll just trust that since everyone seems healthy that they're doing what they're supposed to. none of my hens were laying when I bought them, so it'll be spring before I find out if they're breeding or not.
thanks!

 

[Alexander]

Dont know if its normal but my tom will only breed when he sees the hen laying down while the rooster jumps on the chicken instead of asking her permission.

He is a year old now and he fertilises the eggs since i had 10 + babies from him.


He does that feet dance occasionally i think he practises

 

[zzGypsy]

Quote:
I had a rooster a few years ago that would court the hens with a nice dance so they'd lay down before he bred them. my current rooster just sneaks up on them and grabs a beak full of feathers, no courting involved! he's really quick to run to their defense if they squawk, but not much on courting.

Still haven't seen my tom dance... guess he doesn't think he needs the practice! we'll see in the spring...

thanks!