A century of Turkey talk 2000-2100.

[memphis]

Feedman:

#1 - Grouch = guest of honor
#2 - Wimp = could make a come back if #1 & #3 are gone. Keep him only if you like him. Never feed mediocre.
#3 - Mismark - don't go with an incorrect color pattern. You may be breeding in something hard to breed out. May pop up in future generations.

2 young ones - hang on to them till they are a bit more mature this spring. Pick the best of the two & invite the other to dinner

Just my off the top thoughts.

I've been breeding Australian Shepherds for 30 years. Kennel Hall of Fame and an AKC judge. I may be a turkey novice....but I know how to breed a great dog. Based my opinion on that experience. Of course turkey breeding programs are tons different!

 

[R2elk]

Need a little advice.

Gonna thin down to 3 varieties of turkey come spring. (Chocolates, palms and bourbon red).

I have 3 adult toms. 1 is 4.5. Beautiful bird but old and grouchy. Hes a dinner guest.

#2 is 3.5 was main breeder this spring til he got dethroned. Now he is lower in pecking order than hens. Don't know if he will recover any status.

#3 is 1.5. Unproven breeder. But his tail is almost solid brown no white. Don't know how traitable this would be in offspring.

I also have 2 young ones that I hatched this spring. That have good color.

Should I try and keep one adult over winter and hope they perform next spring.

Should I make the adults dinner guests and take my chances with this year hatchlings.

Im on the fence either way.

What I do is to keep one adult tom over winter on a just in case basis along with my chosen young tom or two. If the adult tom is a good tom there won't be any trouble with the young tom coming up. It is equally matched toms that creates the problems. In the spring I sell whichever tom that I am not going to keep. There is usually someone in the spring needing a new tom due to over winter losses.

This year I already know that my breeder tom from last spring is definitely going to be someone's dinner in the near future. I am likely to pick out two or three toms from this year's crop to keep until next spring before I decide who is staying and who isn't.

As far as your #3 tom, if I am trying to conform to breed standards, I would not allow a tom of non-standard color to do any breeding.

Good luck in your choosing.

 

[feedman77]

Thanks memphis and r2elk.

I think 1 and 3 are dinner. #2 i'll keep into spring and see if his mojo comes back. If not we will part ways.

These are bourbon red toms.


Thanks again for giving me a little more tilt the way I was leaning.

 

[memphis]

I'd give #2 a chance. What time is dinner?

 

[SilkieSensation]

Need a little advice.

Gonna thin down to 3 varieties of turkey come spring. (Chocolates, palms and bourbon red).

I have 3 adult toms. 1 is 4.5. Beautiful bird but old and grouchy. Hes a dinner guest.

#2 is 3.5 was main breeder this spring til he got dethroned. Now he is lower in pecking order than hens. Don't know if he will recover any status.

#3 is 1.5. Unproven breeder. But his tail is almost solid brown no white. Don't know how traitable this would be in offspring.

I also have 2 young ones that I hatched this spring. That have good color.

Should I try and keep one adult over winter and hope they perform next spring.

Should I make the adults dinner guests and take my chances with this year hatchlings.

Im on the fence either way.

Go with what you decided below plus keep at least the best looking poult, if not both poults, until spring to see who will be the best breeder. Always keep a back up tom over winter. I only have 1 tom right now because I down sized for my move. I will be keeping at least 2 young toms & 5 young hens to winter over on top of my current tom & 3 hens. Come spring, if I haven't had any losses, I'll have 1 pair for sale to start someone else's spring breeding program up.

Thanks memphis and r2elk.

I think 1 and 3 are dinner. #2 i'll keep into spring and see if his mojo comes back. If not we will part ways.

These are bourbon red toms.


Thanks again for giving me a little more tilt the way I was leaning.

 

[duluthralphie]

I would keep #2 and a young one..



Here are pictures of my lone Poult hatched today.

she is spoilt already, she would rather be held than be in her incubator..

 

[feistychick]

I would keep #2 and a young one.. Here are pictures of my lone Poult hatched today. she is spoilt already, she would rather be held than be in her incubator..

Oh my, what a cutie. Being an only child often leads to being spoiled .

 

[feistychick]

Does anyone have any advice about how long poults should be in a brooder? I have heard that once they are fully feathered they can go out. Do they still need a heat source if they are outside at night? Wow - I'm full of questions today lol. The little ones are starting to get really busy and perhaps a bit bored being contained. Is there anything I should be doing for them, three are just over a week old and one is about 2 weeks. Thanks for any suggestions!

 

[memphis]

Feisty.....I've never raised poults. So I'm clueless. ..but I do know they are susceptible to cold & wet. I was perusing the Porter site and he has tips on raising poults that I found interesting. He is also having an end of season sale. $5.00 per poult. Wow. That's a deal. Wish I could order some. His birds are gorgeous. Love looking through the different varieties he offers. Sigh....maybe some day. ......

 

[feedman77]

Does anyone have any advice about how long poults should be in a brooder? I have heard that once they are fully feathered they can go out. Do they still need a heat source if they are outside at night? Wow - I'm full of questions today lol. The little ones are starting to get really busy and perhaps a bit bored being contained. Is there anything I should be doing for them, three are just over a week old and one is about 2 weeks. Thanks for any suggestions!

If I'm not pressing for space I try to leave in brooder for a minimum of 4 weeks. Longer if possible.