Hen attacking tom

[Lori Henderson]

I have a pair of eastern wild turkeys . My hen was displaying mannerisms of which I thought to be the mating game , feathers puffed dropped wing tail feathers spanning boy was I wrong my tom seemed uninterested in mating he was lying down comfortably unexpectedly my hen attacks the tom violently pecking and pulling very furiously at his snood wattle and head and clawing him I had to break it up he was quite bloody it was not part of a mating the ritual That I've witnessed does anyone know why a hens would attack her mate in such a way . I have separated them for now

 

[ivan3]

Odd. Hen, prior to presenting (prone on ground) will often stand, statue-like, with folded tail feathers slightly lowered, wings tightly folded.against body. Hen attacks, directed at males, that I've observed, tend to be `affairs of the beak', e.g., hens going after the `omega' tom (having lost the sparring contests - the bottom rung male sometimes has to suffer the indignity of the hens ganging up and nipping away at his head). Check this shot. Look closely at the Black Spanish tom just outside of fence. A bit of the Slate hen's wing is just visible below the tom's wing - she had assumed the position: Hens can be particular about which tom mates them - have never seen any have to leap and claw an errant suitor, yet... Could you post up a shot of these two `lovebirds'?

 

[Lori Henderson]

I only have one tom so I find it peculiar that she attacks him after all this time she has never bag aced this way before . I will take pics tomorrow I have no pics on my phone

 

[Lori Henderson]

Correction oops I meant she's never acted this way