will turkeys EAT baby chicks????

[Ducklove334]

I need to know, ASAP if the brand new babies are in danger, we have two new babies hatch under momma yesterday, the babies are out and on the ground with momma now, well today I came out to hear this loud chirping coming from the chicken pen,I thought on of the older chicks had gotten on the bad side of one of the older birds, NO! what I found was much more worrisome, the white turkey had one of the BRAND NEW baby chicks in it's beak and was walking around in the pen yard with it hollering it's head off!, so I run (rather slip and slide as it's been raining nonstop for 4 days!), I whack the turkey in the head and steal back the baby, check it over, no blood, though the wing now looks messed up, baby looked shaken, not stirred LOL.

I put it back with momma and the other baby, it's my FAVORITE baby too, the dark stripey one!, it's had no luck, it's been eaten, stepped on, pecked at,...


and momma can't do anything to protect them from the turkeys, she tries but they just go after and peck her, the other chickens, she kicks the crap out of.

I don't want to take the babies from momma, she looked so sad when I took templeton from her

,

I knew turkeys were wierd...but I didn't think they'd do THAT

 

[monarc23]

I cant say for sure yes but i bet yes because chickens can eat mice, so to a turkey i could see a chicken chick as being a nice morsle.

Turkeys eat mice, and snakes after all.

 

[ivan3]

If possible put up a chick proof barrier to seperate the hen and chicks from the rest of the flock. If they don't get squashed accidentally they can be intentionally killed (beaked and broken).

Hope you get a break from the rain, soon (we were dunked last week).

 

[Struttn1]

I have seen turkeys get very aggressive toward chickens and chickens do not stand a chance against an attacking turkey. You need to seprate the chickens from the turkeys.

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

I agree seperate the hens and chicks.

Steve in NC