A century of Turkey talk 2000-2100.

[KF0002]

That is not applicable to your situation. You have to look through the game & fish laws for your state. The fastest way to find out the regulations is to call your local game & fish warden or DNR agent.

It also contains false information about domestic turkeys not being able to survive in the in the wild. They are a lot more capable of surviving in the wild than that person gives them credit for.

From my experience, domestically-reared wild turkeys must do just fine back in the wild. I had a tom that went back to the wild from whence he came and I never saw him again. However, some friends of ours said they saw him after that up in the woods behind their house. He was the "biggest wild turkey" they had ever seen. He became a legend for a little while. What happened to him, no one will ever know.

The wild turkey poults I raised to about half grown left and went directly to the woods when I turned them out with my chickens. I'm hopeful that they all lived and did well.

However, I have long since learned that wild turkeys should stay wild. Special permits I believe are required for owning them but I couldn't attest fully to that. I'm sure it varies from state to state. I was a teenager and ignorant at the time. I honestly didn't know any better.

 

[KF0002]

Agree that sounds like an owl.
With the turkeys usually I don't find any talon wounds or maybe a few if they tried to get away. I think owls grab the turkey by the neck. I had one hen that had wounds in her neck was was still alive eating and drinking... until a death rattle started in her lungs. I should have harvested her right away but I thought she was going to make it. Wasted meat.
A couple cockerels had wounds in the back

That is so terrible. I have enjoyed having my turkeys so much and I don't want to lose them. They have big personalities and are very curious and intelligent. Turkeys seem to genuinely enjoy being around the people that care for them. Chickens could take you or leave you unless you're holding a feed bucket.

I will just have to make sure my turkeys roost in the shelter my husband is building in the goat lot. If they roost in a tree in the lot an owl could get them. The lot is far too big to try to cover with netting.

 

[KF0002]

Tell me, which color gene or genes is causing the white mottling?

Ccg is semi color, semi gray, correct? Would that be causing the white mottling in the tri colored mottled slate split to BWB?

 

[KF0002]

Since being semi color would allow the white from the tri color to come through and not be diluted by Dd? I am trying to learn but I get a headache trying to line all this out. lol

 

[KF0002]

You can't dilute white any further than white. Or am I completely missing the mark?

 

[Molpet]

That is so terrible. I have enjoyed having my turkeys so much and I don't want to lose them. They have big personalities and are very curious and intelligent. Turkeys seem to genuinely enjoy being around the people that care for them. Chickens could take you or leave you unless you're holding a feed bucket.

I will just have to make sure my turkeys roost in the shelter my husband is building in the goat lot. If they roost in a tree in the lot an owl could get them. The lot is far too big to try to cover with netting.

My solution is to have way too many. I came out of winter with 21 Jennies /hens 2 toms and I think 8 or 10 jakes. Owl got 3 girls ,coyote took 2 off nests and I sold 5... I got too sad with the deaths and some people were looking for girls.
I sold one jake and coyote took a tom. I ate some. 5 jakes left 3 for the freezer.
I have a tom that his nephews beat up and is lame. He's for the freezer if I can get the right mindset, I like him but he's having troubles breeding.
I think I have 34 poults left, between 8 hens

 

[SarahGfa]

They easiest way would be to watch the hen late in the evening and see where she takes them to bed down for the night, then get it from under her. I go into full stalk mode when trying to find where a hen is taking chicks or where she has hidden a nest. Catching the hen wouldn't be hard, but the poults will scatter all over and hide.

They are in a fenced yard, so finding them is no problem. I'm worried that if I go at night, the poults will scatter through the fence holes and disappear into the night, or the hen will freak out while i'm trying to figure out which one is the bronze one, and injure the poults.

 

[Molpet]

They are in a fenced yard, so finding them is no problem. I'm worried that if I go at night, the poults will scatter through the fence holes and disappear into the night, or the hen will freak out while i'm trying to figure out which one is the bronze one, and injure the poults.

I get up before dawn, mine start moving 20 minutes to a half hour before sunrise. I catch the hen in a net, into dog carrier. Catch the poults. I have several hens that will rip gloves, coats and jeans protecting the young from me. Others just rush me if the poults are a couple weeks old.

 

[KF0002]

@SarahGfa as a kid I never found the box method effective at catching chickens. I usually walk birds I want to catch into an empty pen and catch them. It's like herding cattle but sometimes it takes two people to do. We have a big fishing net we use also, but I would be afraid of injuring the poult that way. You could lure them with feed to an empty pen. Even if its a pen with wire the poults can get through, the hen will call the poults back to her and you could get the poult at night from under her then. Then you can take the poult to whomever you need to get it to if it's wild so it can be reared and released legally?

 

[KF0002]

They are in a fenced yard, so finding them is no problem. I'm worried that if I go at night, the poults will scatter through the fence holes and disappear into the night, or the hen will freak out while i'm trying to figure out which one is the bronze one, and injure the poults.

Usually at night birds settle down and don't tend to scatter like they would in the day. That's been my experience with chickens anyway, so that may not be applicable to turkeys.