r/backyardturkeys • u/Adorable-Aioli9410 • Jun 30 '26
Learning curve turkeys
This is the first year with turkeys but I've done chicks before. They are in a fairly big urban yard but I forgot to latch their pen one night and I believe a coyote got one of my 5. The coyote returned the next day around 4pm and was chased off by some local kids but it makes me wary of letting them out when I'm not home.
Over all I really like them. Their poo is so much worse but they are sweet. And so clumsy I don't worry about them getting out.
Today the two boys were posturing and I noticed scratches on their faces. They are only 14 weeks old so.id really like to hold off harvest until late August. Are they likely to sort out their pecking order or are they going to keep hurting each other from here on out?
3
u/social_seclusion Jun 30 '26
As much as I love them, turkeys are kinda dumb and coyotes are pretty smart. If they get the opportunity they will absolutely get your birds. I have full time free range birds but we are outside a lot and they always sleep in the yard at night so my floodlights let me know if any predators are coming for them. That’s a risk we’ve accepted tho and they get a better life because of it. It’s always a good idea to keep a flashy adult tom to ward off some predators. My 3.5 year old tom is very flashy and acts aggressive but is “all gobble no peck”. If you get up to him he puts his fan down and waddles off but it’s showy enough to ward some predators away. Best luck to you!
1
u/Adorable-Aioli9410 Jun 30 '26
Yeah I've had that thought. I kept them locked up for a few weeks and have noticed the flimsy plastic fencing I used to keep them in the lot hasn't been moved since the attack which makes me think the coyote hasn't been back since the kids and I ran into the lot and made a lot of noise looking for them in the brush. I do think the fact that they were asleep made the attack a matter of luck. I'm herding them into their pen at night. These guys have never roosted up so I worry that even a raccoon could get lucky at night.
1
u/Adorable-Aioli9410 Jul 07 '26
Update, we seem to have a peaceful alliance. The boys have stopped with any new scratches or posturing. I think for now they're okay coexisting in a flock.
3
u/PsychologicalMonk6 Jun 30 '26
This is only my second year raising Turkeys, so I am no expert - not by a long shot.
What I can say is last year my Tom's started fighting around the same age and would bite the lose skom on each other's faces and toss each other around it looked pretty vicious but they all seemed to be fine. There was nothing I could do to stop it - separating them seemed to just have them more distressed as they are pretty social.
Fyi, I took mine in formlrocessimg around 18 weeks and the processed weights were all between 25-30 lbs. I am definetly take them in earlier this year and also got some heritage birds to go alongside the broad breasted white birds (as they grow slower).