A century of Turkey talk 2000-2100.

[Molpet]

It feels like coccidiosis is going to be a major problem. I've heard some people treat their flocks twice a year regardless?

I get it when it gets hot and humid. I keep corid on hand and treat as soon as a poult starts to look fluffed and cold for no reason.

 

[Molpet]

Besides humidity, I think the type of soil makes a difference with coccidiosis. I have clay and r2elk is on a high plains sand dune.

 

[Beccatrix]

Besides humidity, I think the type of soil makes a difference with coccidiosis. I have clay and r2elk is on a high plains sand dune.

We are on top of some pretty good farmland overall in the county. A little hard and rocky depending on where on the property since we butt up against wetlands.

 

[OneMountainAcres]

It feels like coccidiosis is going to be a major problem. I've heard some people treat their flocks twice a year regardless?

Always keep corid on hand but only use it if you notice coccidiosis developing (droopy, sleepy, tired, not interested in food, bloody poo (not always). Treat the entire brooder of you notice it. I never treat for it though unless I see someone with an issue. I believe once they're through it, they keep an immunity to it. At least the specific strain that they had.

 

[Bantambird]

It feels like coccidiosis is going to be a major problem. I've heard some people treat their flocks twice a year regardless?

depends on your climate, I have never had coccidiosis here, either.

 

[Bantambird]

My goal next year is to completely fence off our orchard area, and move the turkey part of the operation if we run into too many problems. I'm glad my husband is a motivated hunter (sadly, it'll be a long time before I can join him due to health).

Is it common practice to keep a backup tom? Out of 8, I'm thinking we might only have 3 females (not sure what age they become jakes and jennies), but it's early yet. I know I need patience to expand and meet our goals over time. It just makes me that much more nervous about the small amount of birds we have now.

I keep a backup tom. Sometimes we eat him, or sell him. Sometimes if we have enough hens we keep him through the season and then he gets eaten during the big thanksgiving butcher. I brood the first 100 eggs in the spring, then I eat the eggs. Once the weather is good, I let them set and hatch. I have 2 brooder pens and often the hens will co parent. I sell extra birds to pay for food and their electricity costs for hatching and brooding. Once the poults are old enough to not die by breathing in the wrong direction, I let them out with their moms. Certain experienced hens get more leeway than others, Rosabelle is now 9 years old and she is a very good mother and excellent caretaker. New mother hens often make mistakes and have to learn from them. Poults are more fragile than chicks. They are more sensitive to hot, cold, and wet than chicks, and they do better with a hen than without, but only if then hen has some knowledge of what she is doing. Rosabelle lost all her poults her first time 8 years ago. Now she very rarely looses any poults. Turkeys teach their poults and are more intensive in their teaching than chickens are.

 

[Beccatrix]

I keep a backup tom. Sometimes we eat him, or sell him. Sometimes if we have enough hens we keep him through the season and then he gets eaten during the big thanksgiving butcher. I brood the first 100 eggs in the spring, then I eat the eggs. Once the weather is good, I let them set and hatch. I have 2 brooder pens and often the hens will co parent. I sell extra birds to pay for food and their electricity costs for hatching and brooding. Once the poults are old enough to not die by breathing in the wrong direction, I let them out with their moms. Certain experienced hens get more leeway than others, Rosabelle is now 9 years old and she is a very good mother and excellent caretaker. New mother hens often make mistakes and have to learn from them. Poults are more fragile than chicks. They are more sensitive to hot, cold, and wet than chicks, and they do better with a hen than without, but only if then hen has some knowledge of what she is doing. Rosabelle lost all her poults her first time 8 years ago. Now she very rarely looses any poults. Turkeys teach their poults and are more intensive in their teaching than chickens are.

I'm a little nervous about my 8 free ranging when old enough. They'll have a secure barn and pen if they'll come back to it. Without having an adult to show them how to stay safe, I think I worry more about instincts.

 

[Bantambird]

I'm a little nervous about my 8 free ranging when old enough. They'll have a secure barn and pen if they'll come back to it. Without having an adult to show them how to stay safe, I think I worry more about instincts.

free ranging is a risk. Turkeys can be killed by many things. Do not free range unless you are prepared to loose some occasionally. I have also invested in a livestock guardian dog who now lives with my goats and poultry. At night is when they are most vulnerable. He sleeps in the barn with them at night, and gets up often to check out anything that catches his fancy. His biggest defense against predators is his territory marking, by pooping and peeing along property edges and barking pretty often. Don't get one if you have easily offended, close living neighbors. They are also very big, so they eat a lot. They are an investment, and don't let anyone tell you they don't need training; they do. They are very independent, but they are still dogs, even if they are working dogs. You do need to train them to sit, come, and leav it, especially if a stranger comes you need to be able to call them off or they may hurt or worse. Some states require signage for these dogs for liability.
that said, when he is working, no foxes, raccoons, skunks, or neighbor dogs have bothered my birds, and the vagrants are staying out of my dairy goat pasture. He is only 6 months old, but he is already around 100 lbs. Last year I lost about 100 birds to predators, and we have caught several vagrants trying to camp in our pastures, scaring my dairy goats. There will be no more of that.

 

[Beccatrix]

Turkeys are almost 8 weeks (this coming Tuesday), and have spent the last week outside in a 3 solid walled and one half quarter inch hardware/ half solid walled outdoor lean to with a roof, spending most of their days in a small run. Temps are supposed to drop to 51-52 degrees tonight. The lowest it's gotten before has been 63. Will they be ok?

 

[R2elk]

Turkeys are almost 8 weeks (this coming Tuesday), and have spent the last week outside in a 3 solid walled and one half quarter inch hardware/ half solid walled outdoor lean to with a roof, spending most of their days in a small run. Temps are supposed to drop to 51-52 degrees tonight. The lowest it's gotten before has been 63. Will they be ok?

The temperature drop will not be a problem for them.