Turkey Temperaments - Are Naragansetts just nasty?

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We have two Narrie toms that stick together all the time. Neither of them have ever tried to flog us or anything although the "boss" did throw some threatening language our way when he was about 6 months old or so. We used to tackle him and just hold him until he quit squirming. The other is a real sweetie though. They are seriously attached at the hip though. I can't recall a time when I saw one without the other. We also have two other toms. A young bourban red tom whose at the bottom of the pecking order. Even my young Blue Palm hen is the boss of him yet. XD She gets so mad at him when he tries to strut, starts swearing up a storm and tries pecking at him and what not. It's quite comical because she's like half his size it seems. The other tom is our BBW. He used to be the boss man until one day we were gone and we think the narries teamed up on him. They all had bruises and cuts all over their faces but he didn't bother them for a long time afterward. The boss narrie harassed him for about a month after they fought. Then he fought with the other narrie. Not sure who won that battle but I'm assuming he got help from the boss though.

But just this last week our BBW tom tried to fight with the lesser narrie. He gave in after a while because I think he just didn't have the energy to keep up with the narrie kicking and flapping at him. He's doing good though for being nearly a year old. I know there are stories about mean meat birds but my BBW is the sweetest of all the toms and most of the hens.
 
I have Narragansetts - 3 toms with 7 hens. They are very friendly with me and the kids and I love them. The toms do fight among themselves and I go rescue one occasionally and put somebody in "time out" for a cool off period but they have never offered to be aggressive at all towards us, even when they are fighting each other. The hens will also "fuss" at times also but nothing like the toms. They are from different hatches (2 weeks difference in age), but they don't know it. I also have Rios and have not had aggression problems with them either but they are not as friendly as the Narragansetts. They are wild sub-species and just a little more wary.
 
I have a pair of Royal Palms and a pair of Blue Slates. They are confined as separate pairs. However, I have noticed my RP tom is sweet and tolerant. He does not attack me nor bother with me and every time I speak to him aloud, he will display and gobble. The Blue Slate on the other hand is a whole other matter. They are about the same age, raised in close to the same environment with the same type of attention and care. This guy acts afraid and will pace away from me when I enter the pen, but (maybe out of fear) he then will turn on a dime and you don't know what to expect. Flying into your face, straight up and coming down on your head, etc ... But I have never had him outright attack me. Even now, during breeding season ...

Oh and did I mention ... I heard a group of wild turkeys not far from my enclosures this afternoon calling my hens. Did I say Amen for bird fencing to cover tops with? :)

Peace~ Ang
 
Narragansetts are not nasty. What I believe is going on is that they think of you as a turkey and they want to put you in a pecking order. AKA dominate you. Once they see you as the alpha female, then order is restored. Grab a hen when they give the attack sound and pin her to the ground a few times. Then order is restored and you will be respected. May take 3 days or so. Give them some peanuts when they first see you and that will hhelp too. In just a week's time, they will never go after you again.

steve
 
Every Naragansett Tom that I've ever had has been like that. They'll hurt ya too if you don't keep an eye on them. Last year, I had a massive bruise and scratches on my leg from being flogged. The one we have now started out like that, but after he figured out that I would chase him back and pin him to the ground, he quit. I still have to keep him out in one of our fenced areas because I'm terrified of what he might do to one of my children. I still carry a big stick with me when I have to go in there just in case.
It breaks my heart because I didn't want it to be like this. If he were ever to harm one of my children, it'll take me seconds to break his neck and just a few minutes to whip out the turkey fryer.
 
You'll have some nasty toms, and some nice ones, just like roosters, it doesn't matter what breed they are.
The nasty ones should be on you short list for the dinner table.
You do not want to propagate those nasty genes !!!
 
none of our toms has ever been nasty to me or my husband... we have a red palm who is on the bottom of the pecking order.. he's everyone's punching dummy.. the nargansett is a sweetie.. never see him in fights.. the chocolate was the alpha and the two black spanish were just plain evil to everyone else... they were the ones always in fights and the main antagonists of the red palm... all of them are heading to freezer camp.. i have eggs hatching out this weekend.. some due to hatch out may 5th and 17 due in from porters.. so the older boys are going to camp kenmore along with all the extra hens..

when we're done we should have around 37 poults.. plenty to last for awhile!
 
Wow !! you definitely have a nice selection of turkeys there, makes me envious. What breeds are you getting from Porters ?


yinepu said:
none of our toms has ever been nasty to me or my husband... we have a red palm who is on the bottom of the pecking order.. he's everyone's punching dummy.. the nargansett is a sweetie.. never see him in fights.. the chocolate was the alpha and the two black spanish were just plain evil to everyone else... they were the ones always in fights and the main antagonists of the red palm... all of them are heading to freezer camp.. i have eggs hatching out this weekend.. some due to hatch out may 5th and 17 due in from porters.. so the older boys are going to camp kenmore along with all the extra hens..

when we're done we should have around 37 poults.. plenty to last for awhile!
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