A century of Turkey talk 2000-2100.

[SavKel&RynKel]

I just went into lockdown with 9 turkey eggs due monday...... I have 3 poults in the brooder with some chicks but it's always exciting to hatch new babies!

Aweeee! You'll have to update us with pictures!

 

[PolarBerry]

So am close to 10 days incubation and of my 41 eggs in the incubator I had 8 non fertile and 4 with early death/blood rings so they were removed. Fingers crossed for the rest of them!

 

[duluthralphie]

60 days of no antibiotics I guess for breeding?

Duh

 

[PolarBerry]

One of the blood ring ones... tiny embryo but was dead before I cracked it. The other 3 died earlier and looked like the clearish non fertile ones but with a blood ring. Some of my eggs were saved for 2 weeks and/or laid in the mud (silly hens) but used them as incubator filler. Some of the earliest ones are developing fine though!

 

[rjohns39]

Newbie here, why 60 days if you don't mind me asking?

Just the way I do it. They move into the convent for a couple weeks then they visit the hotel for a week. I have two hotels so basically takes two weeks to pair the hens with their toms. Then I collect eggs for a month for incubating. Basically 3 batches of ten days. I generally try to get them into the convent before they start sitting, but was late this year. The only truly reliable way to control who breeds who, is to isolate them before they start the breeding season, but this approach makes me feel better. I need to setup better breeding pens, but haven't gotten around to it.

 

[rjohns39]

Folks, You'll get a kick out of this one... Earlier in the week sam stopped by for a visit in the front yard and left a deposit. Apparently with this wacky weather she isn't ready to start setting yet so she gave us an egg.

For those who don't know sam, she's a wild turkey who hangs around the yard and pasture. She'll bring her poults through to clean up any feed my poults leave behind.

 

[duluthralphie]

Folks, You'll get a kick out of this one... Earlier in the week sam stopped by for a visit in the front yard and left a deposit. Apparently with this wacky weather she isn't ready to start setting yet so she gave us an egg.

For those who don't know sam, she's a wild turkey who hangs around the yard and pasture. She'll bring her poults through to clean up any feed my poults leave behind.

Does she come, being the hussy turkey hens are, to get bred by your Toms? I have had a wild hen join my flock for two weeks or so every spring for the past couple years. She had her eyes on JJ. Which Po'd Ethel.

But without JJ, and with the spring being what it is, I have not seen her this year.


RJ is there a way to get antibiotics to just the infected hen without the others getting any?

I don't think the antibiotics would effect the eggs. But I understand not wanting antibiotics in a bird you might eat if you can avoid it.

 

[rjohns39]

I haven't seen her or her girls in the pasture, but her girls tried to lure my boys out a month or so ago. They will hang out just outside the fence.

 

[rjohns39]

My youngest BR Tom is soooo frustrated that all the girls are in the convent... He's out in the pasture this morning doing his mating dance for the chickens and they simply don't care.

 

[duluthralphie]

My youngest BR Tom is soooo frustrated that all the girls are in the convent... He's out in the pasture this morning doing his mating dance for the chickens and they simply don't care.

I am going to be taking the Toms away from the hens in the next few days. They will get to have a few rounds of snood pulling then and spend their time rubbing against the fences the girls are in.