Turkey Poult Mothers

[Stacykins]

I know this is weird, but I am finding it cute and hilarious. I have two nine week old turkey poults that hatched with a group of chicks. Since I put those chicks in the coop when they hit five weeks and were fully feathered, but didn't want to put the poults out until they were older, I integrated the poults with another, younger group of chicks that I hatched. Well, those chicks are now five weeks old too. So I just recently introduced the poults and the younger chicks to the coop (in a big dog kennel for a week).

I just released them a few days ago. I honestly think the younger chicks view the poults (who tower over them) as their mother or something. The two poults are always together, followed by a herd of seven araucana chicks! Anything the poults pick at the chicks immediately crowd around to do the same. Last I saw they were all laying in the grass in the run in one huge pile to sun themselves. The chicks rarely venture far from the poults. The turkey poults probably think they are chickens since they've been raised with them, but don't seem to mind being crowded by the chicks.

If they cooperate I'll try and snap some pictures of the gang later today.

 

[LarryPQ]

My turkey poults were raised by a young MFDU roo. Very, very funny to watch.

 

[zzGypsy]

I've got a royal palm poult and a pair of sex-link chicks that were in the brooder together, and they're a flock to themselves, ignoring both my adult turkeys and my adult chickens. and in the other brooder, I had a single african gosling and a dozen ducklings, rouens, cayugas and swedish blues... they run as a flock, igoring both my adult ducks and my adult chinese geese. I'm hoping by the time they're all adult, they'll integrate somewhat, but so far, not much.
the smaller birds do follow the larger for sure, the chicks after the poult and the ducklings after the goose... fun to see the gosling stand in the middle of the grazing duclings keeping watch.