A century of Turkey talk 2000-2100.

[WalnutHill]

@mountain mom : Most of my turkeys go to market. A few are sold as poults, but most are raised for Thanksgiving dinners. I select the best for my breeding stock, I am focused on Narragansett right now, though I may keep a trio of Bourbon Red as well. Narragansett were almost extinct and finding large birds that meet APA standard for color and conformation is hard. I have a lovely tom, but he's a little on the light side at about 18 pounds as a yearling. I have one really nice hen, but she is small, perhaps 14 pounds as a yearling. I am trying to select for size and conformation as I already have the right colors.

 

[mountain mom]

I read "hatching 101" on here yesterday...

I know you think that is just like a man MM. When everything else fails read the instructions.

It says in there the humidity should be 20-30 % that is just what I have here without adding water.

I found by adding a small tall cylinder shaped pill bottle and keeping the cover off I can maintain 40-50 %.

I also cut up cardboard egg cartons to put the eggs in, inside the hatcher. When I went to remove it, it was soaking wet and limp. It had absorbed a lot of moisture. Next hatch date I am going to use a Styrofoam one. It should absorb less moisture.

I thought I would put the pill bottle in the hatcher when I put the eggs in to get the humidity base line higher. Thoughts?



I will get the tracker somewhere between Friday to Tuesday, I am hoping Ethel does not go broody before I can get her eggs,

HA! Too funny.

I think it is a great idea.. From what I read, increased humidity helps the hatch so more smoothly.

 

[mountain mom]

@mountain mom : Most of my turkeys go to market. A few are sold as poults, but most are raised for Thanksgiving dinners. I select the best for my breeding stock, I am focused on Narragansett right now, though I may keep a trio of Bourbon Red as well. Narragansett were almost extinct and finding large birds that meet APA standard for color and conformation is hard. I have a lovely tom, but he's a little on the light side at about 18 pounds as a yearling. I have one really nice hen, but she is small, perhaps 14 pounds as a yearling. I am trying to select for size and conformation as I already have the right colors.

That is awesome! Good luck with getting the size! You should post some pics of your hen and tom that are just a bit too small.

Do you process the birds going to dinner? That would be a lot of work. But then again, if you are processing that many, I am sure you have a pretty streamlined process with a plucker too.

 

[WalnutHill]

For humidity challenges (still running the furnace, so relative humidity about 20%) I have a new solution this year. I added an air stone and tiny aquarium pump to my incubator. When powered on, in my case with a digital humidity controller, it raises the relative humidity about 15% higher than the water pan alone. I may try a bigger and finer air stone for dry season incubation as I am currently using just a 1" stone.

National Beer Day...I need to celebrate!

 

[duluthralphie]

For humidity challenges (still running the furnace, so relative humidity about 20%) I have a new solution this year. I added an air stone and tiny aquarium pump to my incubator. When powered on, in my case with a digital humidity controller, it raises the relative humidity about 15% higher than the water pan alone. I may try a bigger and finer air stone for dry season incubation as I am currently using just a 1" stone.

National Beer Day...I need to celebrate!

My furnace will be on for 3 more months.....

I would like to see pictures of your stone set up. I do not understand it. Pictures help...




Howwwwwww willlll We no wheeeeeeeeeeeN you hhhhhavvve ben celibraatiing enuf?

 

[WalnutHill]

That is awesome! Good luck with getting the size! You should post some pics of your hen and tom that are just a bit too small.

Do you process the birds going to dinner? That would be a lot of work. But then again, if you are processing that many, I am sure you have a pretty streamlined process with a plucker too.

With that many birds, I pay the couple bucks to have them processed. And we live on an old farmstead in the middle of half million dollar houses...I don't think they'd appreciate a killing line in our backyard. The birds were a hard enough battle.




Here's Dorian, God's gift to turkeys. Or so he thinks. As much as a ladies' man as he thinks he is, he is rough enough to send them over to the other tom, who is also a fine bird but his colors are not so brilliant. But he is much gentler with them, so when we opened the doors, the girls all switched coops. I still want his genetics, he is the third generation of my Narragansett line and his colors are much better than these photos show. He is bright silver with no brown or red or slate or palm impurities. His conformation is great, long shanks, long smooth keel, and very well balanced. He's been mounting the started pullets in the coop so I will move one or more of the girls back in with him. 18 pound tom + 4 pound hen = not good for the hens.

 

[duluthralphie]

OH.... and how to they go to market? Where do you sell them? How?

 

[CherMoz]

Looks like a GREAT thread!! I'm interested in recipes that you've used turkey eggs in. I'm overrun in turkey eggs at the moment (Midget whites). Thank you!

 

[WalnutHill]

Water pan with air stone. Tiny air pump is suspended from the blue ribbon on the right rear.



Digital controllers: STC1000 for temperature on the left, WH8040 for humidity on the right.

 

[WalnutHill]

OH.... and how to they go to market? Where do you sell them? How?

I sell them right here at the farm. I take reservations in late summer and the birds are ordered, bought and paid for before Thanksgiving. Processing is done the week before Thanksgiving, and pickup is the weekend before Thanksgiving.

http://walnuthillfarmmi.com is my farm site. The What's New page is where I post the information for leaving the deposit. I also maintain a farm listing (not a farm store) on LocalHarvest, and if there were any surplus I'd list them on Craigslist.