Young male turkey challenging husband and teenage son

[roxdorman]

I don't think it has anything to do with her son being a "stranger", I brought my Tom up from a poult and have handled him and fed him from my hand constantly. Now at 6 months old he is very territorial towards me to keep me away from the hen. I never thought this would happen with me spending so much time with him and handling him every day. So I am not sold on the "stranger", I just thinks he in particular is a threat that he may be appealing to the hen...just my opinion.

 

[Hummingbird Hollow]

I've heard this same discussion on Tom turkeys, on roosters, about dogs even. All are flock/pack creatures and in each case it is the biggest and strongest...or at least the most dominant in personality male's job to protect the group from what they percieve to be a threat. However, it is also their job to stay on the top of the dominance ladder and will protect their position from anything they see as a threat to their status of group leader. So the turkey sees your son as either a threat to his hens or perhaps as a threat to his status as top turkey. If your son isn't going to be around much and the tom is good with you and your husband, perhaps you don't have to do anything and feel confident that the turkey will do the job you wanted him to do, which is guard the flock. If your son is going to be around a lot or if the turkey is being bossy or threatening to you or your husband, then much of the advice above would be good in order for you/him to put yourself in the position of flock leader and demote the tom turkey from his alpha position.

 

[cganote]

I had one surviving poult the year before last. I didn't have any companions for her except goslings, which beat her up, so we tried our best to be her company. I even put her aquarium in our room and slept with my hand in the cage =) Call me crazy. When she grew into her angsty teenager phase, she would growl, hiss and bite at me if I got close, which I responded to by hugging her and pinning her until she calmed down and petting the downy part of her head. She made this sound like "pewpewpew", but did calm down. Now she's the wise head turkey hen and comes up to me to fuss over my clothes and groom me for burrs. I think it's important to establish yourself as the boss, *especially* in birds that you raised and coddled, who might not have as much wary respect for you.