A century of Turkey talk 2000-2100.

[OneMountainAcres]

Wow, ever since I moved my Marans trio in with the turkeys, I haven't needed to worry about fluffing or raking the straw around in there. Those ladies are doing a fantastic job of shifting it all around for me. The turkeys all just flatten it down and look at me like it's my fault that they don't have nice fluffy bedding in there. It took a few days for everyone to get along good but it looks like the turkeys are pretty much done letting the chickens know who's in charge and the chickens have finally figured out that they're sleeping in the turkey coop now and thar they're not supposed to try to find a way out every night to get back to the main coop.

 

[rjohns39]

Wow, ever since I moved my Marans trio in with the turkeys, I haven't needed to worry about fluffing or raking the straw around in there. Those ladies are doing a fantastic job of shifting it all around for me. The turkeys all just flatten it down and look at me like it's my fault that they don't have nice fluffy bedding in there. It took a few days for everyone to get along good but it looks like the turkeys are pretty much done letting the chickens know who's in charge and the chickens have finally figured out that they're sleeping in the turkey coop now and thar they're not supposed to try to find a way out every night to get back to the main coop.

I added another bucket of kitchen scraps and a couple big bags of shredded paper to the compost pile yesterday. Was a 5' pile, then a 2' pile, got it all the way up to 3'... Today, the chickens decided it needed work. Had a half dozen brats working it all day. It's now about a 1.5' pile. But it's looking good for spring planting.

 

[R2elk]

It really wont matter so much if we get poults from the tom with our bronze hens.... paul said he really liked the colors on them but i think just healthy birds are most important to us right now really. We wont keep them separated so barnyard mutt babies it will be. We have been lookin/talkin bout different varieties lately because i saw the porters mix they are offerin. From what i am readin if the rp tom is over the bronze hens we would get narry hens and bronze toms. That would be ok too. I love the looks of sweetgrass and slates so maybe one day we will get a few. For right now addin these two if we do will be enough for a bit. Gotta get a goat place built by spring.... cause we wants milks! Lol. And payin for goat milk round here ain’t cheap.

A Royal Palm tom and a Bronze hen will produce Narragansett Semi-Color Semi-Gray hens and Bronze Semi-Color Semi Gray toms. Unfortunately there are no reference images.

 

[Flashpoint]

I let the turkeys and chickens out in the run today. Chickens and turkeys ended up at the same end of the run. So, Tommie Turkey and TR Rooster had a faceoff. The hens all ran inside to hide. Even so, TR ended up literally backing up and into the shed. Tommie gobbled and strutted and was really proud of himself. Enter Australorp head hen. She beat the snot out of Tommie and Iron and THEY ran into their room. So the rest of the chickens took over the run.

It can be so awesome watching them.

 

[stephcraig78]

Thanks!! We think they are good looking birds. I am very happy the mystery bird turned out to be a tom. We have killed 3 coons so far this fall. I feel like the predators have figured out the Chickens and turkeys are there now and so almost every night there is something in the trees around their pens. Crazy. So to candle I just take eggs to dark room and shine a bright flashlight behind it. If I see veins or start of embryo I let her keep them. She seems to be very broody. Only coming off nest long enough to eat quickly and then she’s back on em.

 

[stephcraig78]

Sorry about the double pics on that post. Not sure what happened!

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

My first recommendation is to use a different tom for breeding. In my experience "clumsy" (poor breeders) do not get better at it and will continue to injure and kill hens. Make sure that only one tom has access to the hens. Many hen injuries occur due to one tom attacking the other tom while he is on the hen.

My turkeys spend the nights outside all year long. It gets down to -30°F here during the winter. They do fine. The turkey roosts are in the run under a section of flight netting.

I'm considering rehoming him, perhaps. I don't know if it's fair to keep him separated from the girls, but he has injured two previous hens, and I don't want to risk another. Maybe I will try a hen saddle first.

I can make a turkey saddle for you. I tried it once on Sweet Pea and it didn't work out too well but that was before I perfected them lol. I just need to buy more denim first. PM me if you'd like any.

As for sleeping outside, mine did that for a while. I've found that hanging a light in the coop helps encourage them to go in but honestly, I think they'd be fine. Wild turkeys don't seem too bothered by it.

Maybe the saddle would be an option, but I have 6 hens, and 2 toms.

I have a light on in the coop most nights until I get home, but the stupid girls escape the large run every day and can't figure out how to get back in the fenced in area. So they roost at least 12' up in the pine tree next to the coop. When they free range, they can actually get into the coop easier. Silly birds.

I'm zone 7 as well, and my turkeys have been sleeping on the stake rack of my 1-ton Ford. They don't want to go inside, and they're too high for coyotes or anything like that to get them. They've been ok so far.

That's good to know. As I said above, my girls are probably 12' high in a pine tree.

Hey all! Just wanted to give a quick update on our little gang. We still have our two turkey hens, doing great and getting along nicely with the enormous Spanish black TOM! Have finally decided it has to be a tom. Gobbles frequently especially when the rooster crows. Has been full blown strutting big time for the girls. They have slacked off laying for awhile now so no eggs. My husband knows a guy with a rp trio they are planning to breed. They said if ours produce some poults they would like to trade babies with us so we can both get different breeds. Also our new rooster is doing awesome. He protects the girls but doesn’t get mean with us. He does play chase when we walk away but has never tried attacking us. He has one favorite silkie hen we call his wife. They grew up together and have apparently formed a close bond. They sleep in an old truck camper by themselves. We close the lid at night to keep predators out. Neither of them shows any interest in going in coop with the others. He breeds only with her so far as I’ve seen. She is now sitting on about 8 eggs. Not sure if they will actually hatch though. I wanted to ask you all about them. It took her about 10-12 days to lay them. And I’m not sure if she was actually setting on them during that time. How long can the eggs stay viable without her constant heat? She’s been on them for about a week now so at what point can I candle them? We are making plans to build a second coop/pen area to separate out the turkeys and Chickens finally. It’s gotten to crowded in the main pen. Plus I don’t trust the tom to not pick on or beat up the Chickens. I’ve included a few more recent picks for you all to see how they are doing. Thanks for all your great input and tips. You’ve helped us through our second year as poultry owners. We enjoy every one of them and every aspect of having them in our lives. Also happy to have great people like you all to share the love with. View attachment 1198818View attachment 1198821 View attachment 1198822

Lovely pictures, You can easily candle after a week. However, if the eggs were laid at different times, development will be scattered, and you may need an incubator as a backup.

The only issue I'd be worried about with turkeys sleeping in trees & trucks is their exposure to nighttime predators, such as coons or owls. Turkeys are fine in cold weather....I think mine prefer it.

That is my concern too, predators. I wonder how high a racoon can climb?

You might be surprised just how high coyotes can jump. I have personally seen a coyote take flying songbirds out of the air at 8' high. Given anything to use for a boost, they can get much higher.

Wowza, my girls probably roost at least 12' high.

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

Sorry about the double pics on that post. Not sure what happened!

Candling eggs is easy, you can do it right in the coop at night when it is dark. Just hold the egg (don't drop it!) carefully and shine the light through the base. At a week in, you should see some definitive veining and a dark blob (the embryo). Best of luck!

 

[Molpet]

I'm considering rehoming him, perhaps. I don't know if it's fair to keep him separated from the girls, but he has injured two previous hens, and I don't want to risk another. Maybe I will try a hen saddle first.



Maybe the saddle would be an option, but I have 6 hens, and 2 toms.

I have a light on in the coop most nights until I get home, but the stupid girls escape the large run every day and can't figure out how to get back in the fenced in area. So they roost at least 12' up in the pine tree next to the coop. When they free range, they can actually get into the coop easier. Silly birds.



That's good to know. As I said above, my girls are probably 12' high in a pine tree.



Lovely pictures, You can easily candle after a week. However, if the eggs were laid at different times, development will be scattered, and you may need an incubator as a backup.



That is my concern too, predators. I wonder how high a racoon can climb?



Wowza, my girls probably roost at least 12' high.

coons can climb to the top of a tree.. I have great horned owls that live in the forest preserve by me.. and snowy owls have been spotted already 40 miles North of me

 

[memphis]

Boy yeah....coons are expert climbers!