Sophie Bennett
Male turkeys, also known as toms, do not stick around after mating with female turkeys, also known as hens. After mating, toms are often hunted while hens lay their eggs and tend to their broods. Hens are social animals and will often come together to raise and defend their young, known as poults. In the wild, hens travel in females-only flocks and become more solitary and secretive when nesting.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Do male turkeys stay with hens after chicks hatch? | No clear answer |
| How long do hens stay with chicks after they hatch? | Until the chicks are nearly full-grown or the hen mates again and begins another nest |
| How long do male turkeys stay with hens after mating? | Toms will breed with multiple hens throughout the spring and early summer. |
| Do male turkeys stay with hens during hatching? | No, hens tend to become more solitary and secretive during hatching |
| How do hens behave after hatching? | Hens have to adjust from their 28 days of isolation to their normal flock affiliation. |
| How do hens get along with each other after hatching? | Hens may fight to determine the threat level to their babies. |
| How do hens behave towards other hens' chicks? | Hens soon bond together as mutual guardians and nurturers. |
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What You'll Learn
Male turkeys (toms) are often hunted after breeding
During the breeding season, male turkeys, or toms, will breed with multiple hens. However, once the hen starts laying eggs, the tom moves on to breed with other hens, and the hen is left alone to tend to her brood. This is why male turkeys are often hunted after breeding—they are easier to spot and target without the hens by their side.
Toms will breed with multiple hens throughout the spring and early summer. As the eggs develop, the hen will build a ground nest in a secluded location with good cover and close to good brood habitat. Once she starts laying eggs, she will lay one egg every 24 to 32 hours, taking about two weeks to lay a full clutch of nine to 17 eggs. In between laying eggs, the hen will focus on feeding and bulking up to withstand the upcoming incubation period.
Once all the eggs have been laid, the hen will incubate them, day and night, for about 28 days. Incubation is only interrupted for an occasional midday snack of protein-rich insects. Newly hatched chicks, called poults, can walk shortly after hatching and usually leave the nest within 12–24 hours.
As summer progresses, hens and their growing poults will join other hens and poults. At the same time, mature toms form bachelor flocks, often of similar ages. By winter, turkey flocks may grow to 200 or more birds.
While there is limited information on whether male turkeys stay with hens after the chicks hatch, it is clear that the hens take on the majority of the responsibility for incubating and raising the chicks. The toms, meanwhile, continue to breed with multiple hens during the breeding season. This separation of male and female turkeys after breeding may be why male turkeys are hunted at this time, as they are more exposed without the protection of a flock.
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Hens lay eggs and tend to broods of poults
Newly hatched chicks, called poults, can walk shortly after hatching and usually leave the nest within 12-24 hours. Hens travel in a females-only flock but become more solitary and secretive in May when it comes to nesting. After the eggs hatch, the hen and her brood may join other hens and their poults. Hens will also return to their breeding site to raise their poults.
Hens have to adjust from their 28 days of isolation to their normal flock affiliation. This can cause fights between hens as they attempt to protect their new poults. Despite this, the hens will soon bond together as mutual guardians and nurturers. They stay together until the poults are nearly full-grown or the hen mates again.
Hens may also need to re-nest if they lose a clutch shortly after laying. This can be done without having to re-breed because the sperm from the initial mating remains viable for up to 30 days.
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Hens may travel far to find a secluded nesting site
While male turkeys, or toms, breed with multiple hens during the spring and early summer, they do not stay with the hens after the chicks hatch. Hens are left to raise the chicks, known as poults, together. The chicks usually leave the nest within 12 to 24 hours.
Hens may travel far from their breeding site to find a secluded nesting site. They tend to choose nests that are secluded, quiet, and raised, with good visibility. This allows them to hide from potential predators while still being able to spot them from a distance. Hens also tend to return to the same breeding, nesting, and brooding sites year after year. Once a hen finds a perfect nesting location, she may use it for life as long as the conditions remain favourable.
Before laying an egg, a hen will make many visits to examine potential nesting sites. She will then select a site and may turn around several times, exhibiting nest-building behaviour. If there is loose nesting material, such as sawdust, the hen will spend more time building the nest. Hens also prefer nests that are dark, warm, and comfortable, with loose material such as wood shavings, rice hulls, or straw.
After selecting a nesting site, the hen will lay one egg every 24 to 32 hours, taking about two weeks to lay a full clutch of nine to 13 eggs. During this time, she will focus on feeding and bulking up to prepare for the upcoming incubation period. Once all the eggs have been laid, the hen will incubate them day and night for about 28 days.
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Hens can recognise their own chicks' distress calls
While there is no explicit information on whether male turkeys stay with hens after the chicks hatch, there is evidence that wild turkeys are social animals, and hens often come together to raise and defend the chicks.
Hens will often travel long distances to find secluded nesting sites, but they may return to their breeding site to raise their chicks. Hens are protective of their brood and will try to avoid other hens initially, but the chicks will soon mingle, fight, hunt, and show off. Despite this intermingling, poults can always distinguish and choose the clucking of their mother from other hens, and hens can recognize the sound of their chick's distress call.
Chicks utter distress calls—high-pitched, repetitive chirps—to attract the attention of their mother hen, whom they rely on for warmth and food. In response, the mother hen will make food calls, showing the chicks where to forage. In a commercial chicken barn, chicks will also call out when they are uncomfortable or socially isolated.
Animal welfare scientists have been developing automatic methods to help farmers better spot distress calls. Researchers at the City University of Hong Kong recorded the vocalizations of chickens, which were then transformed into sound pictures known as spectrograms to train an AI program. This algorithm successfully identified 97% of distress calls, distinguishing them from other chicken sounds and general barn noise.
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Male turkeys may be separated from females to avoid overmounting
Male turkeys, or toms, will breed with multiple hens throughout the spring and early summer. During this breeding season, older toms stay closer to home, while hens will travel long distances to find a mate or a secluded nesting site. This dynamic may explain why hens search out toms during the breeding season, and not the other way around.
Once a hen has found a nesting location, she may use it for life. After mating, the hen will lay fertile eggs for up to 10 days. She will then incubate them day and night for about 28 days. Once hatched, the chicks, or poults, will usually leave the nest within 12-24 hours.
Hens will often come together to raise and defend poults in a shared manner. This can sometimes lead to fighting between hens, especially if they are of different social status. However, the hens will usually settle down and work together to protect their young.
While male turkeys can live in mixed-sex flocks, they may get along better if they live away from females entirely. This is because, in a mixed-sex flock, the males may fight with one another or overmount the females. Therefore, it may be necessary to separate males and females to avoid overmounting and serious altercations.
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Frequently asked questions
No, male turkeys do not stay with hens after chicks hatch. After breeding, male turkeys are often hunted while female hens lay eggs and tend to their broods.
Male turkeys, or toms, form bachelor flocks after breeding. They may also be hunted.
Female turkeys, or hens, lay eggs and tend to their broods of poults. They may also travel to find a secluded nesting site.
Turkey hens incubate their eggs for about 28 days. During this time, the hen will only leave for a short period to feed.
No, turkey hens often come together to raise and defend their poults. Turkeys are social animals, and hens will adjust from their isolation during nesting to their normal flock affiliation to protect their young.
