Tom and Poults?

[Aozora]

I have a hen brooding 7 eggs in a dog igloo, in the same run as my tom. He can't get to her because he's too big to fit in the igloo, so she is safe. What about when the poults hatch? Will I need to separate the tom to keep him from injuring them? Will the hen become anxious if she is in the run by herself?

The only place I have to put the tom is in with my 2 male guineas. It's breeding season for them and they're little psychopaths. One of them likes to attack my full-size goats, and he made a feint at my roommate once. I'm afraid they'll harass him or injure my tom. How likely is that to happen?

 

[R2elk]

I have a hen brooding 7 eggs in a dog igloo, in the same run as my tom. He can't get to her because he's too big to fit in the igloo, so she is safe. What about when the poults hatch? Will I need to separate the tom to keep him from injuring them? Will the hen become anxious if she is in the run by herself?

The only place I have to put the tom is in with my 2 male guineas. It's breeding season for them and they're little psychopaths. One of them likes to attack my full-size goats, and he made a feint at my roommate once. I'm afraid they'll harass him or injure my tom. How likely is that to happen?

For now as long as he can't get to the hen and her nest, everything is fine. Once the poults are hatched it is best but not absolutely necessary to remove him from the pen. If the hen is a good mama, she will protect the poults from him but some could get accidentally stepped on if there is any fighting. Some toms act like doting fathers and help out with the poults. Some ignore them and some kill them in an attempt to get the hen back in breeding mode. Some start out wonderful and for no known reason turn into killer fathers.

I do not know of any means of determining what the tom's response is going to be ahead of time.

I know exactly what you are talking about your two little psychopaths. Putting your tom in with them is likely to be cause for harassment but unlikely that they will actually hurt anything more than his pride and tail feathers.

Good luck.