turkey behaviour

[MrsSmitho]

Hey turkey folks,
I am bumping up this thread! And I have a question.
We got a tom and a hen Blue Slates born around Sept 08. The lady we got them from said she (Fanny May) should start laying in the Spring. She is doing the "lay down and have your way with me" thing described in this thread.

It is so funny!
Never having turkeys before, I am thinking I want to move her and Freddie Mack (the tom)- yes, they got bailed out from certain death as long as they have babies for us

to their own pen to raise some babies...
Question is, how does it work to get the tom to be ready for fertilizing? He is very docile and kind of wimpy and I don't see anything in him that says he is ready, but she sure is!! Should I wait until she lays for a few weeks and wait to see them in the act?
They are (and have always been) in the coop & run with our chickens and seem very happy & healthy...will they lay and raise babies in there?? Should I give her a brush pile in the run? We lock all the girls up at night, should I leave her out at night when she goes broody??

Whew, I know nothing!!
Thanks for any advise

Kim Smith

 

[Harp Turkey Ranch]

Toms are about like a rooster. You just give them time and they either breed or not. As far as him being a wimp you might see a whole different side of him if their was another tom around. We have never just had 1 tom so I could say what might help, but penning the two up in their own pen will help. What age is the tom ?? I have a few jakes that are not strutting yet they still hang out with the hens while the toms battle things out.

 

[MrsSmitho]

Howdy!
The tom is from the same hatch as my girl. This guy is afraid of the chickens! I have a very small BR, named Tiny, who woops on him like she is an osterage. I guess we will eat turkey eggs (not that she has laid yet) and wate and see if he ever becomes "the man", and then we will put them into the "breeder" run we have made.
Thanks for the info!!
Kim

 

[ivan3]

You might consider moving them to the breeder run now as the hen is presenting (the chicken `attention' might be a little too much stress/interference). On the other hand the tom, being a tom, might get a little hormonal and try to mount your chicken hens.

The turkey hen definitely needs a nest prepared. She will lay daily but (at least ours) will not go broody until she reaches some magic number known only to her.

Indirect signs of mating could include a few banged up and/or broken feathers on the hen or, if you walk out just after the deed is done, you might hear her making the `I've been bred!' `I've been bred!' trilling.

ed: clarity

 

[OthalaAcres]

Quote:
That's turkey mating behaviour.... a few of our hens are starting to do that here now that it's February and breeding season is just about here. Hens lie down to signal the tom that she wants to mate. Our BBW turkey hen kept doing that to my DH today while he was in the coop.... he looked at her and said "tempting, but no."

 

[MrsSmitho]

That is great!! Since we just got these 2 and I was so excited she wanted to be pet...It took us a couple times to realise what she was doing!! I have to admit, I gave her the body rub-down and the tail pull.

Since we figured it out, we scratch her on the head and walk away.

Thanks for the advice, makes sence...we will get them into the breeder pen tomorrow and see what happens.
She is going to be a wonderful momma, she likes to preen the chickens. I really don't want to see Freddie Mack get to friwndly with the chickens...it is only girls in the coop-run and they are missing the guys.
They, BTW, are4 in individual pens so we can get the right guy with the right girl to make hatching eggs

Thanks again!!

 

[jackiedon]

I am SOOO glad I found this thread!! I've been thinking my turkeys are getting sick. But then again they remind me of a female cat in heat. I thought I had 3 hens because none of them strutted. But Monday I was sitting in the chicken yard and my Calico was strutting and one of my hens was squatting. I pick her up with no problem and they've never let me close to them.

Okay, I have not been able to get my turkeys in a pen since they were able to fly up in a tree in the evenings. What kind of nest do I need to fix for them?

jackie

 

[pdpatch]

Quote:
If you don't pen them there is a good chance they will make there own nest and avoid anything you make for them.

But you can provied something like 18 inches by 24 inches pan with short side, nesting material and a few branches over the top of the nesting pan. Or a box that 18 by 24 and about 24 inches tall, Either may work. It seem the more free ranged a hen is the less likely they are to use a human made nesting box.

Before we lost our one hen for this year, we had to put in clear plastic side so she could look around while in the nesting box. She also removed all of our nesting material and layed on the bare wood floor.
Also the fake egg thing, to get her to lay in a nest, did not work with her. They became just a few more toys to play with.

If the hens are presenting then selves, then keep an eye out for nest they made. Most likely it's some place they feel cumfortable and cosy.

Tom

 

[MrsSmitho]

Morning all

We have had the turkeys in their own pen for about a week now. Fannie May hasn't "squatted" for us since. I don't know if she was just immitating the chickens, or is really ready, but...we'll see! The tom, Freddie Mac, has mellowed and is letting her preen him at least. I have decided he is such a frady turkey because his eyesight is worst than most turkeys, so it is pretty bad. He will eat out of my hand, but misses it completely a lot.

I made her a nest out an old tire, with hay and brush surrounding it. So far, she hasn't even gone in it.

We had a silly idea we could go to Attwoods last Sunday and just look at the chicks, etc, they have

Came home with 4 baby turkeys!! As any general F & R, they could be whites or Burbons...they are yellow with a bronze head, so we assume they are Burbons.
I now understand WHY everybody falls in love with baby turkeys, they are SOOO much more docile and lovie than chickens! I have a little girl that cries to cuddle, then when I pick her up, she falls instantly asleep in me hand...it is cool!!
We also made it home with 12 other chicks!! Like our brooder didn't have enough in there!! It is all good though.

Any of you guys ever heard od sexing by holding them upside down?
Supposedly if they fight it, they are male & if they lay back, relaxed, they are female.

Anybody??? We'll see and I will post if it works. Sure would make life easier to know what all is in the brooder!!

Thanks for all the great advice on the turkeys!

kim

 

[sandspoultry]

Quote:
It's geese that are the 25 plus years. I think turkeys can go 15+, we don't keep them that long. We "rotate our stock" about every 3 years. 1st and 2nd year layers lay the most eggs and have the best fertility, after the 3rd year fertility drops quite a bit. But for a pet turkey they should be around for a long time.

Steve in NC