A century of Turkey talk 2000-2100.

[RetiredRon]

Did BYC just change something? The interface is much different.

Its actually much more difficult to manuver..
Anyway, this is a pic of my loaner that became a pet... she is timidly reintegrating with the turkeys.
After the hawk issue, its hard to convince her to go outside and i have to watch. She is now taking a dirt bath under a trailer, so she must be more comfortable.

 

[RetiredRon]

I cant turn my back on my chickens when Babe is out.. My turkeys are much better with her...
Im glad to hear on keeping turkeys and chickens togethr being ok. Im not on sand so i may be playing with fire as far as blackhead...
I feed them all medicated starter.. the turkey/showbird and chick starter.. i was told its medicated for blackhead but idk

 

[duluthralphie]

Does anyone provide a heater for their poultry? We got into the low 40's last night and the girls didn't seem too happy this morning.

I never add heat to my coops. 40 degrees is a nice spring day for me. It routinely gets down to 40 below here and they do fine. If you add heat they do not get acclimated to the cold and that can be bad. Also heat brings moisture which is worse than cold on them.



Ron I think you have a Tom and 2 hens. Brownie looks like a Black to me, more black than Penguin even, as she does not have the white spots Penguin has. BTW I am 70% sure she is a she.

The curly is definitely a hen.

 

[RetiredRon]

I never add heat to my coops.  40 degrees is a nice spring day for me.  It routinely gets down to 40 below here and they do fine. If you add heat they do not get acclimated to the cold and that can be bad. Also heat brings moisture which is worse than cold on them.



Ron I think you have a Tom and 2 hens.    Brownie looks like a Black to me, more black than Penguin even, as she does not have the white spots Penguin has. BTW I am 70% sure she is a she.

The curly is definitely a hen.

So dont heat the coup?
Ops..
I was talking about Brownie, but she wasnt in the pictures. She was the chicken that hatched ; Tom, Curly and Larry.... ;-)

Brownie is actually sitting on eggs right now. I will post a pic of her..
They are almost like my youngens or pets... my original plan was growing, eating eggs and eating them to keep the flock rotated..
After having them awhile, it looks like I will maybe eventually sell some in pairs, but i cant eat them now.
Besides, i think i can get more for them live than i can by the proccesed meat for.

 

[charmedbaker]

I cant turn my back on my chickens when Babe is out.. My turkeys are much better with her...
Im glad to hear on keeping turkeys and chickens togethr being ok. Im not on sand so i may be playing with fire as far as blackhead...
I feed them all medicated starter.. the turkey/showbird and chick starter.. i was told its medicated for blackhead but idk

Ralph and Retired Ron, thanks for the tips about heat. I'll wait until it gets colder before I really worry. If we get into the 20s is too cold for California so I'll look into something then.

Ron, I read about Cayenne pepper and crushed peppers being good to help with black head. It may be hogwash, but I add a little of both to the crumbles and oat meal and they love it. And nobody got Blackhead. They got stick tight fleas but otherwise we're healthy.

 

[holm25]

"Frosty" is getting so big!! I hope he isnt suspicious about why he didn't get a Thanksgiving vest... Yes I do put a vest on my tom that lives through the dreaded turkey day.

 

[memphis]

Charmed...I believe turkeys can handle REALLY cold weather. They do in the wild. I don't add heat to my chicken coop nor will I to the turkey coop/pen. Its rare, but it can occassionally get down into the teens here. Normally we hoover in the 40's and maybe 30's at night. The problem we have is humidity. Makes if feel a lot colder. A bigger problem for me is the summer heat.

 

[holm25]

Turkeys do great in the cold. Mine slept on the the edge of a hay ring in the pouring snow through our -30 at night Minnesota weather. They even slept on the power line. I couldn't even make them sleep inside the coop. They refused and I learned they did much better than the two mean toms I made sleep in the coop.

 

[duluthralphie]

Turkeys do great in the cold. Mine slept on the the edge of a hay ring in the pouring snow through our -30 at night Minnesota weather. They even slept on the power line. I couldn't even make them sleep inside the coop. They refused and I learned they did much better than the two mean toms I made sleep in the coop.

I agree completely Holm!

My birds refused to go in even in those 30 below blizzards and they do fine. No frost bitten combs or snoods or anything.

 

[holm25]

I agree completely Holm!

My birds refused to go in even in those 30 below blizzards and they do fine. No frost bitten combs or snoods or anything.

Mine didnt get frost bite either. But I think it helps that I fed them quite a bit of cracked corn.