A century of Turkey talk 2000-2100.

[chickadoodles]

I like to get the babies to fly up on my hands and arms at play time. I just motion for them to come up with a hand gesture. Or if they peck to hard when asking for a treat I tell them no and they stop.
But I can point at any of my birds and motion for it to come with one finger and it comes. I need them to be ok with me picking them up and handling them at all ages so they will not hurt me.
When I do pick up the larger birds they don't even kick. If they get scared or startled I tell them it's ok and they relax.
When I give them a new food I tell them it's good and they eat it.

My BBB hen died today. I had asked my son to come this weekend to help me process her but she did not make it. I saw her breast drop yesterday and knew it would not be long.
She had a good life I will miss her.

 

[SilkieSensation]

I like to get the babies to fly up on my hands and arms at play time. I just motion for them to come up with a hand gesture. Or if they peck to hard when asking for a treat I tell them no and they stop.
But I can point at any of my birds and motion for it to come with one finger and it comes. I need them to be ok with me picking them up and handling them at all ages so they will not hurt me.
When I do pick up the larger birds they don't even kick. If they get scared or startled I tell them it's ok and they relax. 
When I give them a new food I tell them it's good and they eat it. 

My BBB hen died today. I had asked my son to come this weekend to help me process her but she did not make it.  I saw her breast drop yesterday and knew it would not be long.
She had a good life I will miss her. 

Sorry you lost her.

Be careful teaching poults to perch on arms & shoulders. They will want to do it when full grown too. Nothing like having a 35 pound tom with sharp claws & spurs suddenly hop onto your back for a snuggle when you bend over to pick up a food bowl. OUCH!!!

 

[duluthralphie]

Sorry you lost her.

Be careful teaching poults to perch on arms & shoulders. They will want to do it when full grown too. Nothing like having a 35 pound tom with sharp claws & spurs suddenly hop onto your back for a snuggle when you bend over to pick up a food bowl. OUCH!!!

That would be horrible!

I hold JJ everyday, but I do it more to keep him in line. He does not seem to mind, but it requires him to submit to me. I pet him, carry him, play with his snood, hold him, and he might put up token resistance but I want him to know I and people are ahead of him on the pecking order. I have no idea if this works for turkeys like it does dogs, but it seems too.

JJ is clearly top "dog" in the barnyard even though the roosters challenge him now and then. It makes me feel better about the pecking order. My grandkids, oldest being 5, want to play and pet JJ. I hold JJ when they pet him and I stand between them and JJ or somewhere near where I can be between them in a second. Even though he is my "pet" I do not trust a Tom to not attack a little kid.

Whew, I am a long winded, opps cannot say what I was gonna, I am telling this because last night I was holding him and his sharp toes were digging into my leg, I was imagining what it woul d be like had I trained him to sit on my shoulder, as MM mentioned her hubby would have JJ doing (as a joke). Ofcourse, when JJ got down he was strutting around like he was king poop. He always does, I am not sure if he was telling the other males/turkeys/chicken see I get to sit on his lap, or telling me he was boss even though I made him sit on my lap...

Anyways as he was strutting I was looking at his nearly bare chest (feathers are always wore off this time of year) and thinking what it would look like on the table....NO I will not ever eat JJ, I was just comparing his 2 year old chest to the yearlings chest.

Is there an age a Tom is too old to eat? Looking at JJ versus the two year old, I am tempted to keep the yearling until a year from now to eat him.....Thoughts please.

 

[chickadoodles]

Quote: Thank you.
I do have one hen that waits for me to bend over to get the eggs and sometimes she hops on my back. She does not hurt me and she will let me help her down. lol But she is the only one that has done this grown.

 

[SilkieSensation]

Sorry you lost her.


Be careful teaching poults to perch on arms

That would be horrible!

I hold JJ everyday, but I do it more to keep him in line. He does not seem to mind, but it requires him to submit to me. I pet him, carry him, play with his snood, hold him, and he might put up token resistance but I want him to know I and people are ahead of him on the pecking order.  I have no idea if this works for turkeys like it does dogs, but it seems too.

JJ is clearly top "dog" in the barnyard even though the roosters challenge him now and then. It makes me feel better about the pecking order.  My grandkids, oldest being 5, want to play and pet JJ. I hold JJ when they pet him and I stand between them and JJ or somewhere near where I can be between them in a second. Even though he is my "pet" I do not trust a Tom to not attack a little kid.

Whew, I am a long winded, opps cannot say what I was gonna,  I am telling this because last night I was holding him and his sharp toes were digging into my leg, I was imagining what it woul d be like had I trained him to sit on my shoulder, as MM mentioned her hubby would have JJ doing (as a joke).  Ofcourse, when JJ got down he was strutting around like he was king poop. He always does, I am not sure if he was telling the other males/turkeys/chicken see I get to sit on his lap, or telling me he was boss even though I made him sit on my lap...

Anyways as he was strutting I was looking at his nearly bare chest (feathers are always wore off this time of year) and thinking what it would look like on the table....NO I will not ever eat JJ, I was just comparing his 2 year old chest to the yearlings chest.

Is there an age a Tom is too old to eat? Looking at JJ versus the two year old, I am tempted to keep the yearling until a year from now to eat him.....Thoughts please.

Heritage take 2 years to reach full size and do not get tough like chickens do. I have butchered yearling toms, but better to let them have the extra year if possible. You get twice as much meat & the flavor is awesome. You can even butcher older toms (5+ years old) & they won't be tough. And they will still be delicious.

 

I like to get the babies to fly up on my hands and arms at play time. I just motion for them to come up with a hand gesture. Or if they peck to hard when asking for a treat I tell them no and they stop.

But I can point at any of my birds and motion for it to come with one finger and it comes. I need them to be ok with me picking them up and handling them at all ages so they will not hurt me.

When I do pick up the larger birds they don't even kick. If they get scared or startled I tell them it's ok and they relax. 

When I give them a new food I tell them it's good and they eat it. 


My BBB hen died today. I had asked my son to come this weekend to help me process her but she did not make it.  I saw her breast drop yesterday and knew it would not be long.

She had a good life I will miss her. 

Sorry you lost her.


Be careful teaching poults to perch on arms

Thank you. 
I do have one hen that waits for me to bend over to get the eggs and sometimes she hops on my back. She does not hurt me and she will let me help her down. lol But she is the only one that has done this grown. 

Just be glad she's not a tom.

 

[chickadoodles]

 

[duluthralphie]

Ethel is alive!

I just saw Ethel. I went out to collect eggs and she was in the coop, eating and drinking. She stopped walked over and talked to me. She looked healthy. I am thinking she is seriously broody, sitting on eggs with determination.

It was relief to see her after a week of not seeing her.

Hopefully soon she will bring me a dozen poults.

 

[feedman77]

Ethel is alive! 

I just saw Ethel. I went out to collect eggs and she was in the coop, eating and drinking. She stopped walked over and talked to me. She looked healthy. I am thinking she is seriously broody, sitting on eggs with determination.

It was relief to see her after a week of not seeing her.

Hopefully soon she will bring me a dozen poults.

Congrats on ethels return.

on ethel having a successful hatch. Wherever she has nest hidden.

 

[holm25]

Ethel is alive! 

I just saw Ethel. I went out to collect eggs and she was in the coop, eating and drinking. She stopped walked over and talked to me. She looked healthy. I am thinking she is seriously broody, sitting on eggs with determination.

It was relief to see her after a week of not seeing her.

Hopefully soon she will bring me a dozen poults.

I am glad she is alive!! I hope she brings back 2 dozen poults a few guineas and some chicks from her chicken babies!!

 

[mountain mom]

WHEW! It took me a while to catch up!

Things have been busy here in Colorado. But our summers are always busy.

The turkeys were the only ones smart enough to fly into the trees to avoid the vicious fox attack that happened. I am so glad they made it.

Dinner is getting BIG. Doesn't like being picked up much anymore, but still enjoys sitting with people. Is it normal for a turkey to pin a chicken down and peck at it? Head and neck red as can be? I assume it is all part of the pecking order of the barnyard.
My DH no longer lets Dinner sit on his shoulder. But he or she sits next to him and guards him against any other poultry trying to get attention.

Banshee and Tomahawk are still adorable. Banshee (the slate or lavender) has lost almost all head feathers. Tomahawk is just now starting to look scraggly, and still much smaller than Banshee. Sweeter disposition too.

They all still follow me all around the yard and help me pull weeds (we have a serious thistle and dock problem...). They listen to me, but I don't think they know exact words. I will have to work on it

Congrats to everyone on all the great hatches! And welcome to Aurora.