Turkey ?

[Bubblingbrooks]

So, we have 3 turkeys. 1 black male, 1 Bourbon male and one Silver female.
I think they are about 8 months old.
The black one has started strutting and this morning gobbling.
Dh saw the Bourbon do the same yesterday.

All three live with our chickens in peace.

We plan to process the black at some point. I believe that he is around 12 pounds now, so not anywhere big enough.

Do I just need to keep a hawk eye our for trouble between the toms?
Is it even reasonable to even think I can put the black in solitary until April?

 

[Wannabefree]

I'd try to seperate the black and fatten him up a bit myself. I dunno...just seems the thing to do. with one female, things could get nasty between the boys, or the girl could get hurt. I'd definately TRY to seperate him!

 

[Bubblingbrooks]

The only way I can truly seperate him, is to put him with the goats!
The other side of the coop, is a tiny room, and the pen has 2-3 feet of snow in it, meaning he could hop the fence even with his clipped wing.
sigh...

 

[TanksHill]

I don't have much experience with turkeys but I would leave him until you actually have a problem. Maybe they will get along.

 

[Wannabefree]

The only way I can truly seperate him, is to put him with the goats!
The other side of the coop, is a tiny room, and the pen has 2-3 feet of snow in it, meaning he could hop the fence even with his clipped wing.
sigh...

He might like it with the goats. My tom used to hang out with my buckling. I think he cried when I sold the little guy It may work out better for him. I'd be more worried about the boys damaging the hen than each other. Considering that is your only hen, and you plan on eating the black tom anyway...well an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. I always hate seperating too It'll be worth a shot though, and he may love being a goat

 

[Bubblingbrooks]

I don't have much experience with turkeys but I would leave him until you actually have a problem. Maybe they will get along.

Well, they have only one hen between them

 

[freemotion]

I ended up with three toms and a hen, hoping for the opposite. There was a lot of showing off and a lot of chest bumping and I finally had to take two of the toms out to fatten for eating. The chest bumping was accelerating and the poor hen would not come down from the roost to eat or drink.

I now have the hen and tom in with the goats, but the goats do shove them with their horns (Plum LOVES to sneak up on the tom from behind when he is displaying and bonk him!) so you would need some room if you did this. I have plenty of room and do leave my door open to the outside, so it works. For a long time, though, I had to go find the hen and put her on the roost, as she was afraid of the goats. Once in a while, if my herd queen is on a rampage, I have to help the turkeys onto the roost at night. It is a bit more maintenance than I'd hoped for, but lately it has been fine.

The turkeys wouldn't come down during the blizzard since all the goats stayed in. I confined the queen to a stall for everyone's safety, as she has been on a tear lately (preggers and lactating and HUNGRY) but the turkeys still didn't come down for a day. It was one more thing to worry about.

So you could try it out, but be aware that it may not work well depending on your set up and your goats, especially during the confinement of winter. But it may be ok, since you don't work outside the home and may have the time to be there at dusk to make sure everyone gets trained to the new routine, especially when the birds are going to roost for the night.

 

[meriruka]

My toms always get along together until spring when the hens begin to lay. From that point on it is 'Celebrity Death Match' and they have to be separated.

My turkeys are all Bourbon Reds, which I find to be very docile, so I can't say how your black tom will behave, but if they are ok together now they may do fine until mating season. Fighting toms make quite a racket and the hens holler like they're dying when toms are on them so just keep an ear tuned.........