Nobody has to listen to anything I say. I said I am not a rookie. I do ask questions for what ever reason. I didn't say I know everything or pretend to be the expert here. I will always remain teachable. I don't produce eggs for E-bay. I have no desire to either. I just say what I do and why. I...
Quote:
HUH? https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/6612_th_scratch-head01-idea-animated-animat.jpg
What did I say to get such a hostile response?
Well excuse me for trying to be friendly. A private web site? That's a new one.
Sounds like this isn't the thread for you. I...
I am really sorry, I didn't know I had to give my resume to say what I do. I am not into bragging about my accomplishments but I am not a rookie.
Right now we are under snow. I set up breeding pens in the spring. By setting up, I do not mean that I put them up and down. I don't keep my turkeys...
Jeeze Why the hostility? We can all have a opinion here.
I just Googled Inbreeding Depression and Storys Guide to Raising Chickens says the same thing...
Quote:
I am still waiting for you to answer about your breeding method?
I think most of the term of breeding are fully covered in the links I posted on breeding.
On the inbreeding issue i'm curious as to how you do it? if you only have 1 tom to 15 - 20 hens then you must have quite a few turkeys to keep genetic diversity. What are your methods?
I noticed you did not answer my question, but I will answer yours. I said many times that I alternate toms...
Quote:
I don't breed father to daughter or bother and sister because my goal is the improve my flock. I might breed a more distant relative if I am trying to fix in a trait. Any time you inbred close relatives you can bring out a lot of faults. It will show where your problems are. In turkeys...
It is the hen who decides the mating by setting down for the tom. So not much worry of her being overmated.. Takes extra work but if you are willing to do that she should do fine...
The turkeys have a hormonal response that makes them squat. They have no mental choice about it. Hormones are...
Quote:
Really? I never knew that. Where did that information come from? I would like to read up on that.
I have read it several places but don't know where now. At the bottom right, page 159, it does say do not clip there wings on breeding males...
Quote:
Have you ever tried less Toms? Do you have fertility problems that make you think you need that many Toms? Maybe to much inbreeding? How are you keeping from inbreeding with random breeding like that? There is way to many advantages to more hens per Tom.
For those that like to read...
As adults, Toms do not normally fly. If you clip there wings it could effect their fertility.
If my hens get flapping there wings and the wind hits them just right, they will go over my fence. They also will climb on things to make there way up to my roof. When the fly down they sometimes land...
I have a crippled turkey, that makes a great foster Mom to all of my poults. She would be killed if put with any adult turkeys. She seems happy to have a job.
Hen turkeys hate seeing a rooster mate. They will attack. Most of the time it is not fatal but sometime I have found a rooster near death. It is normally the stupid rooster that fight back instead of running away. Just today I broke up a hen that would have killed the rooster. He is from a...
One of the reason I only use one tom in the breeding pen at a time is I can check on his fertility. If I candle the eggs that the hen is sitting on, and they are not fertile, I can cull that turkey from my breeding program. I do not have to feed a useless tom.
There is many reason for low...
For those people that do not want the risk of the hens getting ripped up by the toms, keep in mind a hen does not have to be bred everyday. Hens can remain fertile up to 41 days from just one breeding from a fertile tom. After 14 days there is no drop in fertility. So you can safely take the Tom...
Quote:
The biggest turkeys will not get off the ground very high with wings clipped. Light breed hens like the Royal Palm might get over a 6 foot fence now and then if they have a good reason to do so ( like being chased or good nesting spots). All turkeys go broody. All of them eat alot. If...
The book Turkey Management by Stanley J. Marsden and J. Holmes Martin, Interstate Publishing (1939).
For more detailed information on the principles and practices of breeding turkeys (and
everything else involved with turkey management), the Marsden and Martin book cited above is
highly...
Quote:
This was posted before from the turkey breeding manual from ALBC web site. http://www.albc-usa.org/documents/MasterBreeder/turkeys_combined.pdf
Large type turkeys 15 hens to 1 tom
Standard-size turkeys 18 hens to 1 tom
Small type turkeys 20 hens to 1 tom
What I do is...