tom or hen?

[PekinBantam]

I really don't like to have tom turkeys in with the chickens unless they have a LOT of space. If the tom tries to mate with a chicken hen (and in the spring they will mate with about anything!) it will end very badly for the hen. I lost a few hens because of that before I figured out what was going on...

At least your tom didn't mate with a ROCK!!! I guess Rosco (my tom) was feeling lonely!

 

[Celie]

At least your tom didn't mate with a ROCK!!! I guess Rosco (my tom) was feeling lonely!

I looked out of my window the other day, just in time to see one of my roosters trying to mate with a very colorful hen. I went outside just in time to see that it was a plastic bag that got blown into the yard by the wind and was bellowing as the wind blew it open. I swear, that roo, turned red, as he looked around to see if anyone saw him.

But it wasn't a ROCK ! Did the rock look like a turkey?

 

[frank53061]

That is all very funny but I have given my Hen Chickens a respite from the Roosters because of the lack of feathers on there back so for about 2 1/2 months now I have moved the Roosters in with the Turkeys and don't let the roosters out while free ranging because they would go after the Chicken Hens while they were free ranging.
I spotted a Rooster trying mimic a Tom and tried to grab a Hen Turkey by the neck and tried to get his way with her and well lets say that didn't go very well ever since the Toms have been keeping the Roosters in line and away from the Hen Turkeys.
I told my wife about this and she said that would give us a Turducken right and I told her we were missing a Duck for that to happen

.
She is formally a City Girl LOL.

 

[PekinBantam]

No, it looked NOTHING like a turkey! It was sort of cube-shaped and low to the ground... I wonder what the chickens thought of THAT!

 

[aoxa]

Free range should not be a problem, but not enough room in a coop can be. I see more roosters trying to mate with my turkey hens, rather than the other way around. It is so funny, like someone trying to ride an Ostrich, she will just stand up and walk and he falls off and walks away embarrassed. I would say it depends what breed you have as far as anyone getting hurt, since turkeys differ so much in size. I have Holland Whites which are very large, and they do fine with my chickens, but I have a large barn and free range on 5 acres. When a rooster acts up, with a turkey hen, 3 or turkey roos will back him down. 

I have seen a naked neck turken attempt to mate a turkey hen. Didn't go over well, and she chased him around the barn multiple times

 

[LuisaD]

Hmmm I hope not. My turkeys seem to love my chickens. All 5 turkeys follow the 12 chickens everywhere they go. And they back down when a chicken wants something they have lol. Mine get along fantastic.

my turkeys do the same with the ones they are in the coup with... I think they go to the other coop protecting the chickens, and when there's a hawk they always try to keep the chickens safe by fluttering around...