Turkey behavior questions!

[byezic]

Hi everyone, we added 4 turkeys to our flock this year. We have 4 ducks and 18 chickens. The turkeys were poults when we got them and we hand raised them. We are pretty sure we have 1 tom and 3 females. It’s 3 bronze and 1 narrangasset. Now onto the questions. They are MENACES. Will they get better as they mature more? They are about 4 1/2 months old right now. We have had to stop letting them free range because they chase delivery drivers, people walking down the road, anyone who comes over. They are not aggressively chasing, they are just nosey and want attention. Our birds are pets to us so they get a lot of attention and we are very hands on with them, as in petting and holding them. They also constantly are jumping onto the cars, tractors, hay baler and mower. We are reaching mental breakdown territory because of their craziness. I did so much research before getting them and I do not recall reading anything about them being this crazy. Could it be because we have 4 of them? I also want to add that even though they are crazy and naughty, we would never get rid of them. We will learn to adapt and whatnot, I just want to know if there is light at the end of the tunnel for us lol

Thank you for reading and for any advice!

Photo for attention

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Turkeys are crazy. It's why mine are kept in a nice shed and big run. We let them out occasionally but all they do is make trouble harassing chickens or trying to roam everywhere.

Turkeys do easily imprint on humans and love to follow them everywhere.

 

[byezic]

Turkeys are crazy. It's why mine are kept in a nice shed and big run. We let them out occasionally but all they do is make trouble harassing chickens or trying to roam everywhere.

Turkeys do easily imprint on humans and love to follow them everywhere.

Oh dear! lol I was really hoping they would grow out of it especially once the females start laying. The 1 thing we cannot deal with is chasing strangers down the road. We may have to build them their own run lol

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Oh dear! lol I was really hoping they would grow out of it especially once the females start laying. The 1 thing we cannot deal with is chasing strangers down the road. We may have to build them their own run lol

I think the first 2 years are the worse and than they settle down after that. You do have to be careful totally free ranging turkeys as sometimes they wander off following the wild ones. You also have to be careful that the jens don't nest in a place that leaves them vulnerable to predators, and you to more turkey poults you may or may not want.

 

[R2elk]

Hi everyone, we added 4 turkeys to our flock this year. We have 4 ducks and 18 chickens. The turkeys were poults when we got them and we hand raised them. We are pretty sure we have 1 tom and 3 females. It’s 3 bronze and 1 narrangasset. Now onto the questions. They are MENACES. Will they get better as they mature more? They are about 4 1/2 months old right now. We have had to stop letting them free range because they chase delivery drivers, people walking down the road, anyone who comes over. They are not aggressively chasing, they are just nosey and want attention. Our birds are pets to us so they get a lot of attention and we are very hands on with them, as in petting and holding them. They also constantly are jumping onto the cars, tractors, hay baler and mower. We are reaching mental breakdown territory because of their craziness. I did so much research before getting them and I do not recall reading anything about them being this crazy. Could it be because we have 4 of them? I also want to add that even though they are crazy and naughty, we would never get rid of them. We will learn to adapt and whatnot, I just want to know if there is light at the end of the tunnel for us lol

Thank you for reading and for any advice!

Photo for attention

The way you raised them, you human imprinted them. You removed their ability to understand that there is a difference between them and people.

Human imprinted toms can become very dangerous. If they can't beat you from a frontal attack they will attack from behind.

 

[GlassCat]

The way you raised them, you human imprinted them. You removed their ability to understand that there is a difference between them and people.

Human imprinted toms can become very dangerous. If they can't beat you from a frontal attack they will attack from behind.

I had a bonded pet BBB, Nedwin, (before I understood about their dramatically shortened lifespan) who did as you said, with the frontal /rear attacks.

I trained him out of that by confronting him every time he bumped me, and, raising my knees up & bumping him with my shins while walking into him, I'd back him up around the yard. If he scooted to one side or the other I would follow him closely, bumping him & keeping him off balance. At first I'd stop with his first signs of submission, but that led to worse sneak attacks.

It only took a few times of "knee-bumping" him gently backwards all around the yard, for a good few minutes longer than he liked, keeping him fluttering and off balance (he HATED being undignified and scrambling backwards that way) before he decided I was unchallange-able (is that even a word? ) and he became my bestest-little-buddy after that.

I'd guess that some toms might be easier to convince than others, but that's what worked for my little friend, may he RIP.