My BBW turkeys are trying to breed.

[Jtaranc]

Hey everyone. So I have a 3 year old BBW Tom who fell off a truck when he was tiny. I raised him with RIR chicks I had at the time. He free ranges and gets lots of fruits and veggies and even runs sometimes although it scares the crap out of me. My boss who's a vet routinely checks him and is shocked he's still alive and healthy at his age.

A few months ago the same "truck" dropped off 2 more chicks. They are hens.

I thought something was very wrong with one of them this morning because her wings went droopy and she was in a trance almost. Then she was fine, then she did it again and my Tom is trying to breed her, so then it clicked she's in season.

I've always read hell crush her though, should I separate?

 

[arianna7]

i would separate them.

 

[R2elk]

Hey everyone. So I have a 3 year old BBW Tom who fell off a truck when he was tiny. I raised him with RIR chicks I had at the time. He free ranges and gets lots of fruits and veggies and even runs sometimes although it scares the crap out of me. My boss who's a vet routinely checks him and is shocked he's still alive and healthy at his age.

A few months ago the same "truck" dropped off 2 more chicks. They are hens.

I thought something was very wrong with one of them this morning because her wings went droopy and she was in a trance almost. Then she was fine, then she did it again and my Tom is trying to breed her, so then it clicked she's in season.

I've always read hell crush her though, should I separate?

BBW turkeys gain weight and lose flexibility as they age. It will be best for the hens if you separate the tom from them.

You definitely do not want to allow the tom to have access to the hen's nests.
I do not recommend allowing the hens to set and hatch their eggs. They cannot move their legs as delicately as heritage hens can. This can result in broken eggs but most likely will result in stepped on and squashed poults if any hatch.