Toms want to go with poults

[jenjscott]

I have two toms and a hen from last year. This years crop is 3 months old, there are 21 of them, about half each sex, as would be expected. I just turned them out into a new large (80 x 80) pen. The older toms in their pen are pacing, wanting to go across the road with the younger ones. Would I be able to put these two groups together? What are the chances of trouble? Both toms are moulting, but both are still strutting and displaying.

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

Normally our toms just ignore the littles ones, if the hen is in with the poults that's what the toms are after.

We keep our poults seperate until 5 to 6 months old and then they go out with the flocks.

Steve in NC

 

[jenjscott]

It sure would make it easy if I could turn them all together. I was afraid that the toms would hurt the jakes, or try to mate the too young hens.

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

The older toms might bully the young ones. but I doubt it. the older ones have the pecking order figured out and the young guys (at this point) are no threat - you know how guys are

. With the hens and turkey mating it's hens choice. They aren't like chickens were the roo grabs a hen. The hen will pick her tom and lay down for him.

Steve

 

[Struttn1]

I am letting my younguns free range during the day with the toms and no problems whatsoever. It is the older hens that tend to get aggressive toward the young ones at this stage. I keep the breeder hens penned and that keeps the rest of the flock near the pens instead of roaming the countryside.

 

[susanl143]

I have Royal Palm turkeys. I bought four three week old poults and kept them in the turkey house but in a crate where they could see the other turkeys but were separated just in case the other turkeys got agressive. After a week, I let them out and they promptly nestled under the wings of the three hens. After two weeks, I looked out one rainy day and my largest tom was sheltering all four of them under his wings.

Since then he usually has some babies with him. In the mornings when I open the turkey house, he has at least two babies under one of his wings.

 

[jenjscott]

Well, what happened was that the toms were moulting and had their blood tail feathers coming in and the chickens started picking at them and got them bleeding. I ran all three adult turkeys out of the pen and herded them into the other pen with the poults. The young jakes all decided they needed to prove themselves, and it took all of about ten minutes for the 2 toms to convince ten jakes that it wasn't a good idea. Since then, peace has reigned. The older hen stays aloof and on the edge of the juniors, but no hassles.