A century of Turkey talk 2000-2100.

[duluthralphie]

I move them into a tractor/brooder at about a week. Depending on what I have hatching. I move them out of the brooder at around 3-4 weeks. Again it depends on my need for the space. Some are mature enough to leave the tractor, others whine about being in the big world.

I start them free ranging from the tractor if I have room and nobody needing the space.

I am going to try and sell the little guy for 5 bucks just to get rid of him. A only child would be a PITA.

 

[SilkieSensation]

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!

Mine stay in the indoor tote brooders until about 3 weeks then move outside to the wire bottom hutch brooder. Then they spend at least 4-5 weeks in that up off the ground. By the last week they have no heat lamps at all. At about 7-8 weeks & slightly bigger than a bantam chicken they get to go on the ground in a grow out pen. Mine also get hatched, brooded & penned with chickens their entire lives. I know that isn't possible in some areas due to blackhead, but it is here & I find I have a much lower casualty rate that way.

 

[feistychick]

Thanks everyone! I have no other babies coming this year, so these ones can stay in the brooder for awhile. I'll look at moving them out to a coop/run at about 4 weeks then. They're so much fun at this stage - they change and grow so much every day, it's pretty cool to watch .

 

[duluthralphie]

Thanks everyone! I have no other babies coming this year, so these ones can stay in the brooder for awhile. I'll look at moving them out to a coop/run at about 4 weeks then. They're so much fun at this stage - they change and grow so much every day, it's pretty cool to watch

.

You could have a baby this year!

We could meet halfway between Minnesota and Washington and I could give you this lonely little baby I have.

I am thinking halfway is Fargo. North Dakota..

 

[mountain mom]

Fargo is such a fun town.

My dad lived there for quite a while. He grew up in Mandan though, so it was better than that! I am not a city kid, so I was a bored kid during the summer until we went to the lake!

Ralph, looks to me like your DW is smiling at the only child there.... DON'T sell it if she loves it! I don't think she will fall for anymore incubator shenanigans if you break her heart again like with Princess Di.

I would also keep tom #2 Feedman.

Feisty- I put my poults outside around 3 weeks (not that I am an expert, my hubs wanted them out of the house). The weather was miserable and I was really worried about them. But they certainly faired better than chickens would have!
I also have a heating pad that I use instead of a heat lamp for them outside. I built them a special coop out of the top of our dog kennel (the big plastic kind), and put it in the chicken run. The heating pad I have has an override button for the auto off. It worked beautifully! If they were cold, they went back in and snuggled on the heating pad and blankets.
I guess my point of adding my 2 cents is that as long as you have a safe dry warm place for them, they will be okay.

I have a "guest of honor" question. What do you feed them, if anything different, leading up to the butcher?
I am thinking Dinner will be heading off to freezer camp before November. Mostly because it could be beautiful weather, it could be below freezing and snowing. I don't want to process in cold weather EVER again.
Do they need to rest a few days like chickens? I would imagine so.

 

[duluthralphie]

I would give him corn for a few weeks before hand to pack on the extra weight and a little fat. I do not have a corn phobia like so many do. I grew up on a farm and corn is just another food crop to me.

My DW has Ok'ed my selling the baby. She knows what a pain in the rear a single chick can be. As I am typing this, I have him/her sitting a little box on the table next to the putor. He is talking to me and staring at me. It is me that may not be able to sell this one, He is such a cutey. I am trying to decide if he is a blue or a lavender. I am guessing blue, but not sure.

A turkey needs to rest! I made that mistake once, the toughest bird in the history of turkeys!

Beings it is just one bird I would wait until the Sunday before T-day and just tough out the weather. That is my plans for whomever I pick to grace our table.
I am thinking it will be big bird, as he is so huge. (my BBW)

I remove the heating light based on outside temps, if it does not get into the lower 50's I remove it at a 2-3 weeks. Depending also on how many birds I have for snuggling.

I think Penguin is the only one I dare not sell,

 

[feistychick]

You could have a baby this year!

We could meet halfway between Minnesota and Washington and I could give you this lonely little baby I have.

I am thinking halfway is Fargo. North Dakota..

I haven't been to Fargo for a few years! DH would probably have something to say about another baby turkey though - I was only getting a friend for my mystery turkey (and it turned into 4 little cuties, oops). Turkey math, they inexplicably multiply .

I have a coop that's not in use and it holds heat pretty well. When they move, I may have to put a heat light or heating pad in and turn it on at night (we're on the coast and the night temps are starting to get cool). But I'll keep them in the brooder for a couple more weeks where I can watch them and play with them

 

[mountain mom]

I haven't been to Fargo for a few years! DH would probably have something to say about another baby turkey though - I was only getting a friend for my mystery turkey (and it turned into 4 little cuties, oops). Turkey math, they inexplicably multiply

.

I have a coop that's not in use and it holds heat pretty well. When they move, I may have to put a heat light or heating pad in and turn it on at night (we're on the coast and the night temps are starting to get cool). But I'll keep them in the brooder for a couple more weeks where I can watch them and play with them

I LOVE having them in the brooder as long as I can because I can't get enough of how adorable they are! And being able to snuggle whenever I want to.

 

[mountain mom]

I would give him corn for a few weeks before hand to pack on the extra weight and a little fat. I do not have a corn phobia like so many do. I grew up on a farm and corn is just another food crop to me.

My DW has Ok'ed my selling the baby. She knows what a pain in the rear a single chick can be. As I am typing this, I have him/her sitting a little box on the table next to the putor. He is talking to me and staring at me. It is me that may not be able to sell this one, He is such a cutey. I am trying to decide if he is a blue or a lavender. I am guessing blue, but not sure.

A turkey needs to rest! I made that mistake once, the toughest bird in the history of turkeys!

Beings it is just one bird I would wait until the Sunday before T-day and just tough out the weather. That is my plans for whomever I pick to grace our table.
I am thinking it will be big bird, as he is so huge. (my BBW)

I remove the heating light based on outside temps, if it does not get into the lower 50's I remove it at a 2-3 weeks. Depending also on how many birds I have for snuggling.

I think Penguin is the only one I dare not sell,

Thanks Ralph! Just dried feed corn? Sounds good to me. I am sure the other two would love to have some too. Seeing as how the three ate all our corn crops in the garden while we were away.
I really don't know what I was thinking when I went with BBB instead of BBW. I guess it was "incase it is a hen and I can breed her to my heritage". I am going to be out there with tweezers getting all the dark pigment out.

A few years back we were up at our cabin in the middle of nowhere, which had a huge ranch neighbor just down the way. They invited us for Thanksgiving. They butchered the BBB toms that morning. It was the worst turkey I ever had. I assumed it was because they were old. This was before my adventures in poultry.
I also made this mistake on our first round of Rangers. The meat had such great taste, but was tough as nails. We thought it was because it was Big Red Hen, the rooster. Nope. Now I know to let the meat rest.

 

[duluthralphie]

We area quiet bunch today..

Anyone ever have a turkey that refuses to stay in her incubator or box?

What can I do? How many hours a day is too many to hold a day old poult?