A century of Turkey talk 2000-2100.

[CindyinSD]

How old do the jakes have to be (approximately) before they can breed? And the jennies I got from you... when would you expect them to start laying? I'm trying to figure how many (if any) of my other heritage ones I ought to hold on to for a while.

 

[Molpet]

I was thinking maybe just separate out the reserve tom. The jennies don't fight exactly. They just casually torment the one who's pinned down at the moment. How many girls can a tom keep satisfied, on average? Actually I might keep all the hens until I'm seeing whether my little Sweetgrass girls are ready to lay yet... I dunno.

Someone said they had 20 hens, but that seems to be a lot to me

 

[R2elk]

How old do the jakes have to be (approximately) before they can breed? And the jennies I got from you... when would you expect them to start laying? I'm trying to figure how many (if any) of my other heritage ones I ought to hold on to for a while.

They are old enough to breed now. They are sexually mature by 6 months old. I would expect the hens to start laying sometime this month.

The tom's status in the flock will determine when they start breeding. If they are dominant, they will breed now, if they are not the dominant toms, they will take a little longer.

 

[CindyinSD]

They are old enough to breed now. They are sexually mature by 6 months old. I would expect the hens to start laying sometime this month.

The tom's status in the flock will determine when they start breeding. If they are dominant, they will breed now, if they are not the dominant toms, they will take a little longer.

Okay, then I guess I'll go ahead and process the last two Narragansetts next time. Or maybe I should keep one for DH. He likes them best--probably because of them all, the Narragansetts look the most like wildlings.

 

[duluthralphie]

I have a Royal Palm setting on a golf ball and light bulb. I thought she might be broody yesterday.

Today I know she is for sure. I have been picking eggs of my work bench daily. That’s where she decided to hatch the golf ball. Today when I walked in I got the snake hiss and the “look”.

I just picked up the two eggs that were lying a foot behind her and went on my way.

I don’t golf so when the little golf balls hatch do any of you want them?

I plan to keep the light bulbs for my own use.

 

[memphis]

Ralph...your girls are characters! I so enjoy turkey personalities. They are so individual. I currently have a huge difference in temperaments.

 

[duluthralphie]

Ralph...your girls are characters! I so enjoy turkey personalities. They are so individual. I currently have a huge difference in temperaments.

They all are individuals that’s for sure.

I just don’t understand why my girls don’t lay eggs in normal egg laying places..

but it is easy to harvest them off the work bench.

 

[R2elk]

They all are individuals that’s for sure.

I just don’t understand why my girls don’t lay eggs in normal egg laying places..

but it is easy to harvest them off the work bench.

I had one hen last year that would lay her egg on top of the chicken nest boxes. Another would pause just long enough to drop her egg wherever she happened to be. The pause was really brief and almost didn't even slow her down as she walked on.

 

[Bantambird]

 

[Bantambird]

so this mostly blue poult has a reddish splotch on his head?