A Good Price For A Turkey Pair That Just Start To Lay?

[youdontknow32]

A Royal Palm or Narragansett Turkey Turkey Pair, I am just wondering what is a good price to pay.....Birds that are around a year old...that just began to lay.

Thank you,
Nicole

 

[Struttn1]

Are you asking as a potential buyer or seller?

 

[youdontknow32]

buyer

 

[Harp Turkey Ranch]

I am just wondering what is a good price to pay.....Birds that are around a year old...that just began to lay.

You can expect to pay 70-100 on average for a good breeding pair at this time in the year.​

 

[youdontknow32]

Thank you..

 

[Struttn1]

Quote:
When buying breeding pairs this time of year you are paying for birds that the seller has put a lot of feed through since last year and turkey feed is not cheap and a grown bird can sock it away so you will probably pay prime price. If you check your local classifieds and poultry sales/swaps you might get a decent price.

If you are not set on having adults right now you can order 10 poults from Ideal in mixed varieties for about the price a breeding pair will run you. Buying the poults gives you the opportunity to tame and bond with them.

If you do go with breeding pairs beware of someone trying to unload older birds. You want young birds to purchase for breeders.

 

[youdontknow32]

Thank you, yea that is what I am worried about too, I mean I do not know how to tell an older turkey from a younger one, atleast not that I know of....the asking price was $85.....we were going to order some from ideal, but we heard that keeping the chicks alive was very hard.

Thank you so much for all of your advice, I really do not know what to do....

 

[Struttn1]

It can be difficult to age a hen by sight but you can tell an young tom from an older one by the length of the spurs. Spurs that are 1/2 inch or shorter are probably an indication the tom is a 1 year old or less. 3/4" to 1 1/4 " spurs are probably on a 2 year old. When the spurs get over 1 1/2" then you are looking at at least a 3 year old. Usually when the bird ages the spurs tend to get sharper on the business end. When the spurs start curving then you are dealing with a bird that has been around a few years.

When you buy poults you know for sure the age you are getting. I have never had any problem raising poults. Keeping them warm and dry is a must. A chilled poult is usually a dead poult. I like to keep young poults indoors for the first 3 weeks and then move them to my pole barn to my brooding cage for another few weeks then I open the door to let them roam out of the cage in the big pen and they return to the cage to roost at night until they are ready to roost with the older birds.

 

[youdontknow32]

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you...so spurs just like on chickens.....I will look at his spurs when we go.

 

[sandspoultry]

Also, look at the beard on the toms. The longer the beard the older the tom. But some breeds do grow faster/longer beards than other breeds- the White Holland is a prime example. We have a two year old tom with about a 5 or 6 inch beard. We have other breeds the same age that only have a 2 inch beard.

Steve in NC