Ever hear of a broody tom turkey?

[Sunny Side Up]

There's always something new to discover when you keep poultry...today my tom turkey, Wilson, has gone broody!

Yeah, that was my reaction too when my boys came in from doing the chicken chores chuckling and shaking their heads.

Some chicken hens have been laying eggs in the big wooden dog house where Wilson sleeps and today he was hunkered down over them. My son said that when he tried to make Wilson come out that the bird puffed up his feathers and hissed at him. Just the way the turkey hens do when they've gone broody.

What would you do? I'm reluctant to let Wilson continue setting these eggs. Hens are designed by nature to set for weeks with no ill effects. I'm afraid that Wilson's health will suffer if he doesn't eat or walk around as much as he should. Although I sure am curious to see if he really would set until they hatched, and if he would tend to the chicks. He's just so big and klutzy, I think he'd make scrambled eggs before he'd make chicks.

 

[Teila]

Hey Sunny Side Up I have no experience with Turkeys but find your current predicament with Wilson very intriguing.

Can you get some pictures? I would love to see him!

I would be curious too as to whether he would sit until they hatched.

Please do keep us updated on what he does and/or on what you decide to do.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Here's Wilson setting in the corner of his house, and below puffing up his feathers while hissing "Go away!" We put an end to his project this morning and he's been strutting around the yard as usual, seemingly unaffected by our interference. (We ate the eggs for breakfast!) I didn't want to risk his health, fearing the long days of setting could bother his legs, that the low feed intake would weaken him. Our last tom had an injury to one leg and it really affected his overall well-being. But at least I have the photos to remember this incident!

 

[Teila]

Aaaw, he is adorable!

Thank you for sharing .. I love the puffed up egg protecting picture!

I totally understand the decision you made, risking his health on a whim is probably not a good option.

Is he a Dad already? If not, hopefully he can be one day, I am sure he would make a good one

 

[mich9510]

I think that is adorable. I didn't know that Toms went broody. Is that normal?

 

[Sunny Side Up]

While I know there are species of birds whose males set eggs and tend chicks, I don't know if this is normal for domestic turkeys. Wilson has never done this before, neither did the other tom I had.

Wilson has fathered poults already, but I usually keep the hen and poults in a separate pen until the little ones have grown. The hens do a good job of tending to their babies, I don't think the toms would contribute much that isn't already being done. Wilson once did kill a half-grown turkey hen when he tried to mate with her...

...squashed her beneath his bulgy body. That's another reason why I doubted his capability to incubate and tend to chicks.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Some male domestic turkeys will participate in the care of poults. My oldest Tom looks out for them. I haven't heard of a Tom setting eggs though. It's possible he's trying to draw in hens to his nest, but than decided to stay. Turkeys can come up with some goofy ideas sometimes.

 

[aart]

Hopes more turkey keepers chime in here....am curious.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

So this morning I noticed a big "broody poop" in the yard and asked my boys, who were doing the chicken chores, "who did this?" and they said "Wilson!" They said that he's still been setting in the corner of his house, even though we had removed the eggs from there. There was a plastic tumbler in that corner and he's been setting on that. I asked the boys if they'd seen Wilson strutting around or fanning out his tail the way he usually does. They said no, that he has been following the two turkey hens around and gobbling with them. I imagine him saying "hey girls, let's perch somewhere and talk about our feelings!"

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Poor boy sounds confused.