➡I accidentally bought Balut eggs: 2 live ducks! Now a Chat Thread!

[R2elk]

I've never seen those. I'll need to look it up. I'm sure they're gorgeous too.

Sweetgrass tom

Blue Slate, Sweetgrass and Royal Palm toms

Bourbon Red tom

 

[FortCluck]

Sweetgrass tom
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Blue Slate, Sweetgrass and Royal Palm toms
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Bourbon Red tom
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Definitely like the sweetgrass and blue slate. They're all so gorgeous though!

Do the toms fight?

 

[ShrekDawg]

Sweetgrass tom
View attachment 2035048
View attachment 2035049
Blue Slate, Sweetgrass and Royal Palm toms
View attachment 2035050
Bourbon Red tom
View attachment 2035056

Gorgeous!!

 

[CindyinSD]

My mum wants me to raise a couple of turkeys for her to keep with the chickens. I agreed of course.. free baby birds with no long term responsibility. Lol.
We don't know what will be available yet but I was going to ask you if you had an opinion on different breeds.

My toms leave the chickens alone, but the hens enjoy torturing them... no blackhead thus far. Royal Palms are beautiful, relatively small, and I hear, flighty. My blacks are kind of mean (not to people, though.) Other than that, There are midget whites that some folks adore, so if you prefer a smaller bird that could be an option.

Broad-breasted white or bronze are meat birds with all that entails. Very nice but not a good choice for anything except fast-growing table birds. DO NOT LET THEM GET TOO BIG. Harvesting them will not be enjoyable if you do.

I have Naragansetts, Bourbon Reds, Blacks, and Sweetgrass. The first three are comparable in size. I think the Naragansetts are the prettiest not counting the show-stoppers, the Sweetgrass (which are hard to find--I drove to WY to get mine from R2elk). They're my youngest so I'm not sure about size yet. I do know a couple of the SG jakes already look nearly the size of the other toms twice their age, likewise a couple of the SG jennies.

 

[R2elk]

Do the toms fight?

Yes they do. But so can the hens. Their pecking order squabbles can be a lot nastier than chicken pecking order squabbles. Then come the breeding season fights.

 

[Tesumph]

All domestic turkeys are the breed Turkey. You can check out many of the different heritage varieties at Porter's Rare Heritage Turkeys.

If they are to be pet turkeys you will be better off to find local turkeys that are at least 3 to 6 months old so that they can be sexed and get a pair of hens. Royal Palms while very pretty are one of the smaller varieties and can be very flighty. I really liked my Bourbon Reds, Blue Slates and now my Sweetgrass.

My toms leave the chickens alone, but the hens enjoy torturing them... no blackhead thus far. Royal Palms are beautiful, relatively small, and I hear, flighty. My blacks are kind of mean (not to people, though.) Other than that, There are midget whites that some folks adore, so if you prefer a smaller bird that could be an option.

Broad-breasted white or bronze are meat birds with all that entails. Very nice but not a good choice for anything except fast-growing table birds. DO NOT LET THEM GET TOO BIG. Harvesting them will not be enjoyable if you do.

I have Naragansetts, Bourbon Reds, Blacks, and Sweetgrass. The first three are comparable in size. I think the Naragansetts are the prettiest not counting the show-stoppers, the Sweetgrass (which are hard to find--I drove to WY to get mine from R2elk). They're my youngest so I'm not sure about size yet. I do know a couple of the SG jakes already look nearly the size of the other toms twice their age, likewise a couple of the SG jennies.

Thank you both!
My MIL free ranges and wants them for "hawk discouragement." Her words, not mine.
Yea.... I know.
Anyway, I think we find out what varieties they are getting in tomorrow. Our local farmers co-op is ordering a shipment.

 

[Kiki]

What about if they have a chain link separating them? Still too close together?

Yes

 

[RUNuts]

NN are 12 weeks this week. He crowed. A strangled, gurgling, unsettling crow, but a crow nonetheless. Hoping for more weight on the hoof.

We are not amused.

 

[FortCluck]

Yes they do. But so can the hens. Their pecking order squabbles can be a lot nastier than chicken pecking order squabbles. Then come the breeding season fights.

Oh boy... Sounds like an interesting time

 

[Molpet]

I have one chicken recovering from a hen turkey that took offense. I put down one yesterday that a jake took offense to. I have had a couple chickens in the past I had to put down from jake abuse

Red pepper in the feed is a not yet studied method of blackhead preventative. I add 1/4 cup to 2 gallons of feed. I feed fermented feed. Not sure if blkhead is in my area so I can only say I never had it.