A century of Turkey talk 2000-2100.

[OneMountainAcres]

This is all new to me too so I'm learning. No, she not not separated from the others. They're all in it together so hopefully she's a protective mother though, I really don't think the others would do anything. We'll have to wait and see. I think it's 2-3 days and she'll start teaching them about food.

ETA: it's a balmy 23° right now. I'm more concerned about them catching a chill :/

 

[memphis]

That dark patch between Daisy's shoulders is new feathers coming in. Quite a bit darker than her existing color. Is that typical? Do slates darken with each molt?

 

[memphis]

Guess Pebbles will teach us both about turkey mom behavior! I'm still impressed with the fact that she accepted them so quickly. Especially since she was only broody for 10 minutes. Is she still laying eggs? Hope they stay warm.

How many do you have in the brooder now? Sounds like your selling as many as you can hatch. Wonderful! What are people buying them for.....food, eggs, pets? Raising your own heritage turkey to eat is becoming a huge trend. Only problem is half of these folks fall in love with them & they become pets!

 

[OneMountainAcres]

Guess Pebbles will teach us both about turkey mom behavior! I'm still impressed with the fact that she accepted them so quickly. Especially since she was only broody for 10 minutes. Is she still laying eggs? Hope they stay warm.

How many do you have in the brooder now? Sounds like your selling as many as you can hatch. Wonderful! What are people buying them for.....food, eggs, pets? Raising your own heritage turkey to eat is becoming a huge trend. Only problem is half of these folks fall in love with them & they become pets!

I'm totally shocked that she just accepted them too!they say that with broody hens (chickens) you need to sneak the babies under them, in the dark for them to be accepted. Unless is a silkie of course since they'll just raise anything lol. I was terrified that she'd attack the little intruders but no, she was ready and willing and only broody for just over a week lol. She hasn't laid any eggs in over a week from what I can tell but she has been hoarding them. I wonder if now she'll refuse to let the other girls lay their eggs there with her. She was just letting them and stealing the eggs after.

I have 12 in the brooder now and 4 of the 2 week olds outside in a different brooder. Person who was supposed to pick the older ones up never showed so I have to find someone who wants the older ones now. 9 of the young ones are being picked up this week. The other 3,I'm still trying to contact the people.

 

[duluthralphie]

Sidekick and the "other one"...



Sidekick ..............................................................................................Other one



Sidekick is 2 this spring, the other one is 1.. there is a 99% chance or better Sidekick is the other ones Dad.


I have no idea if it is sun faded or why Sidekick looks "different" this year. He does not have the sandy or rusty tinge Porter has in his whiter feathers, but his feathers are not as blue as they were last year.

Sidekick was my only Tom I used other than JJ.

 

[duluthralphie]

Oh yes.. the other thing.....

I went and held Ethel for a while today in the Nunnery. She was extremely quiet when I held her. Just a few little coos. No quacking. She seemed to be eating up the loving. She just sat on my leg and almost slept as I petted and rubbed her.

When I set her down, she squatted, and stayed right in the squat waiting to be mated. I told her that had to wait. She did not seem to care. I had to pick her up and move her further away and still she squatted with her wings out.



On the picture of sidekick and the nameless one, they are free ranging. The other side of the fence is the nunnery. The Toms were parading outside the fence today, but it was 40 degrees today So they were all in the mood. I had a couple hens squatting and backing to the fence for the guys. Kind of like a turkey strip club! I need to get my butt in gear and finish my breeding areas.

I am thinking of locking the hens with the toms for a day, then moving the hens to "chicken breeding pens" with the chickens so I can keep track of which egg is which turkey hen? Will that work? how long do I need to keep the toms with the hens to get a good hatch rate?

 

[memphis]

Maybe thats why Ethel quacks at you all the time. She wants to be a lapper. Both my hens love sitting in my lap getting petted. You can feel their whole body relax. Next thing you know they are sound asleep. They both hop up on the arm of my chair & step into my lap. If I don't pet Daisy right away she tugs on my cloths. Funny birds!

I'm thinking if your hens are squatting, they are getting close to laying. Better find the some boyfriends!

Ralph, both those Tom's are beautiful. I'm posting this pic again of Daisy's new feathers on her back. They are a lot darker than her current feathers. My question was if the blue just fades in the sun, or do they get darker each year. My Speckled Sussex feathers change each year. Are turkeys like that too??

 

[memphis]

Ralph, maybe you lock the girls up with the guys until they start laying. You could check those first eggs for fertility, then move 'em.

 

[feedman77]

I'm totally shocked that she just accepted them too!they say that with broody hens (chickens) you need to sneak the babies under them, in the dark for them to be accepted. Unless is a silkie of course since they'll just raise anything lol. I was terrified that she'd attack the little intruders but no, she was ready and willing and only broody for just over a week lol. She hasn't laid any eggs in over a week from what I can tell but she has been hoarding them. I wonder if now she'll refuse to let the other girls lay their eggs there with her. She was just letting them and stealing the eggs after.

I have 12 in the brooder now and 4 of the 2 week olds outside in a different brooder. Person who was supposed to pick the older ones up never showed so I have to find someone who wants the older ones now. 9 of the young ones are being picked up this week. The other 3,I'm still trying to contact the people.

Congrats on her accepting them.

Last year a storm blew my pens down right after several hens had hatched. Turkeys were scattered and I lost some hens to predators. Any ways there were some broody hens and 3 of them decided to take in a stray poult.

I posted a pic last year of all 3 of them huddled around the poult and his head sticking out.

Most of the time they will accept poults easily.

Glad she did.

 

[memphis]

Feedman, interesting story. Seems that turkey hens may be more maternal than I thought.