Turkeys are such strange creatures...

[ray2310]

Our 10 week old turkey poults (we hatched and hand raised - Bourbon Reds and Bourbon Red/wild crosses)
are very very friendly - when I go into their run and crouch down they insist on jumping up on my lap, shoulders, back, head. I am their human jungle gym - it was cute a few weeks ago - but with my growing Toms it's getting a little out of control!
The 2 BR/Wild crosses love to be held and petted... when they get a little older and will be allowed to free range, I think they will spend most of their time following us around

They have BIG personalities and so far are even more animated than our (very friendly) chickens... the saturday before thanksgiving will not be easy

 

[quailmale]

I have 5 RP and 1 Bronze, when I go to feed the Quail & Rabbits they start making all kind of noises till I go to their pen and talk to them, they come up to the side and stare and chirp and carry on, when I go in and feed/water them they walk around me staring at me making all kind of sounds. I can't pick them up but they sure like some attention.

 

[ivan3]

The BBB's we had were the most `equitably possessed' - not sure if this is owing to their brain volume being about 30% less than that of heritage varieties (more meat but...`puppylike' = ah, traditional genetic engineering).

Our Royals/Slates and their offspring exhibit about the same temperament. Royals, owing to size, fly quite a bit more for no `good' reason, parking on roof/chimney then dive bombing us or, waiting until we're almost out of sight and then all of them yelping and skirring along just above the ground until they reach us (seems the game is to touch the humans with the tips of their wings as they fly past).

We never picked up the poults by grabbing them up from above (feels like a predator's jaws closing down - instinctual freakout). Did our best to slide hand under them, legs between fingers. When lifted up we'd sometimes hang mealworms or moths down (like ma turk feeding from beak) for them to eat. It did take about a month to train them to use the designated roost in their shed (consistently removed them from trees - most labor intensive period of turk husbandry

). However, the trained adults now teach the young ones by example and none try to roost in trees/outside of run.

Also noted individual differences in degree of `comfort/condescension' afforded humans by different turks. Our Slate tom, as a poult, would march right up to `the hand' and hunker down on palm as if to say `get me out of this cage and deliver me to the yard, now!', the others were more reticent.

Some shots for illustration:

I'd suggest not letting them imprint on you if you plan to eat them.

 

[wezl]

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Good advice, all of it! Thanks!

 

[Attack Chicken]

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THOSE ARE SO FREAKING CUTE

 

[erinszoo]

We only have one midget white but he is so friendly, he is kind of annoying. My husband dug potatoes today ... with his help ... and I picked tomatoes ... with his help. And every time we sit down in the chicken yard with them, he is in our laps. Of course his name is Thanksgiving because that is his destiny so we're trying not to be attached. But he is kind of cute and definitely strange.

 

[Ksane]

I've got 3 Royal Palm poults that are 2 wks old now. I had noooooo idea how loving & sociable turkeys were! I'm so in love with them. I do the same thing Ivan was talking about-put my hand down in front of them and they walk right on and sit down. Super super tame. They want to be held and petted and touched all the time. I can't wait to get up and go see them every day. They're just precious!
I'll never eat another turkey again for as long as I live. Not after seeing what their temperaments are like. I'll have a salad instead.