tom coming after us....

[ohiofarmgirl]

yep.

remember that shepherds carry sticks for lots of reason - one to give a solid thumping to that tom...but also it makes you look bigger - the stick/hook becomes part of the visual 'you' to them. carry it like walking stick, stand up tall, stick your chest out, put on your best 'so you wanna piece of me' face, and march in there like you mean it. use the stick to give him a wack if he comes at you and dont be afraid to wave it around wildly screaming

AAAGHGHHGHAHHGHHAHGHGHGHHHGHRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!

if anything he'll think you are nuts an stay away
;-)

he'll get use to you not running and will eventually give up. dont ever turn your back on him and stand your ground.

 

[chickenlittle32]

Quote:
I don't let him come close enough to flog or peck. I haven't tried to carry him lately, but we have plenty of times before. I will try to put him in the submissive position tomorrow...see how he reacts then. We have a younger tom....and he does nothing to him...and the younger one is as tall as him...and just weighs a little less.

 

[longranger]

Fear of aggressive animals is normal and rational. With most animals wild or domestic you have to establish and maintain alpha status. The first step is learning just what your animals are capable of at their worst. Ask people with experience and use common sense. In the case of turkeys or chickens/roosters the "danger" for an adult or grown child is not really significant. Once you reach that conclusion and give the birds due respect asserting your alpha status is easier. Definitely not a macho thing either as many petite woman control the most aggressive toms and roosters better than large men.

If you have an unusually aggressive bird that is more trouble than it is worth cull it and don't look back. If that aggression has a genetic component you don't want to breed it into your flock. Can't bring yourself to do the cull yourself then ask for help.

An aggressive bird that asserts alpha status over you will generally get worse over time. I am not talking about a bird that challenges you once or twice to test you. This is the bird, usually male,that just seems to snap one day and won't respond to normal humane discipline consistently again. Might seem to be better for a day or two after you carry or otherwise dominate or humiliate but goes right back to attack mode in 1 or 2 days. This bird needs to be culled for the safety of guests and smaller kids and so you can enjoy your nice birds.

IMHO physical violence does not help. It often communicates underlying fear or anger that feeds the cycle of aggression. More important it takes away from your ability to enjoy the flock and can send a heck of a message to the birds that are not problems.

 

[ivan3]

Is he trilling before attacking (turkey call to arms), or just putting his head down and charging? I'd probably try hornswoggling his turkey mind by tossing a big towel over his head when he made a move, and then picking him up. Also, a good sprayer head on the hose and a few well placed shots to the snout might also be of some utility in giving him pause.

However, with kids around, I'd be inclined to agree with longranger, if the behavior persists a baster is cheaper than eye surgery.

Ours rarely display unless there are strangers around, or during breeding season, they've never so much as looked at us cross-eyed and have never gotten pushy unless they know we have grapes.

I sometimes wonder about the nature of male fowl response to visual cues. Our roo is a rather easy going RSL whose challenges are usually far apart and, now that he's about 4 and a half yrs old, have a formalized quality about them. I got a new pair of mudboots that had yellow stripes just above the soles. This set the roo off consistently. I used a black sharpie to mask the yellow lines and, sure enough, no more attempts at flogging.

Good luck!