Anyone else have/raise Eastern Wilds?

[jbourget]

In RI it is perfectly legal to posses wild turkeys. It is however not allowed to release them to the wild for that reason. I dont release my turkeys in the middle of the woods pushing to to fend for themselves instead i sometimes allow them to free range, they always come back, therefore not released into the wild...the real wilds are ALWAYS around, never do i not go out and not see or hear them. the pens communicate just as i knew they would with the wild ones. I beg to differ that there are no purebred wilds as you say?...of course there are. Maine is FLOODED with wild turkeys...brought down south here in trade for fisher cat. to control population. The great thing about America is you can call yours your own, and whatever you want you can do with them. Unless it is in conflict with the law of course. I dont like people telling me how to raise or what to do with my birds, or what to call them. what i do works for me. and i get alot of people that really enjoy a farm fresh raised bird instead of the commercial crap.

 

[HallFamilyFarm]

In 1977 we had a flock of wild turkeys just appear from nowhere on our large Oklahoma farm. Lake Eufaula was the south boundry. We had 743 acres with 160 tillable. Dad would set the combine to 6" and leave that much soybeans etc in the field. he liked watching the waterfowl stop and eat. Many stayed all winter. We wondered why suddenly we ahd turkeys. A few months later we were at an Oklahoma Wildlife meeting and teh speaker told of catching wild turkeys in southeast Oklahoma and trsplanting them in eastern Oklahoma. That was a year or so earlier. They did not know if it was successful or if any poults were produced. i raised my hand and when he called on me, I told him about our flock with about 50+ poults of varied ages. They now have a hunting season open to control the population.

The conservationist have learned you can not take turkey eggs from the wild, hatch them and relaese them back in the wild. They need the wild mother to teach them how to survive the wild.

 

[jbourget]

Quote:
No offence intended, but please do not call your "wild" turkeys Narragansett. We just finished a several month ordeal and fight to save Narragansett Turkeys in Wyoming. Not ready for another fight like that again. We need to all abide by the regulations or we all may suffer.

Before buying any wild turkeys, check your state's regulations. Get a permit.

Like I said in the first reply on this thred. 99.9% of people don't have "wild" turkeys but just a cross. The bronze turkey did come from the wild strains but having and breeding wilds is illeagle in most states and you do need a permit. Even free ranging domestic turkeys in areas with wilds is illeagle in most states. Your birds can breed with wilds and cause a strain of poults that are too big, too slow and too dumb to survive in the wild. Causing the hen to miss out on raising any poults for the year to repopulate the flock! When states repopulate areas with wild turkeys, they net wild turkeys and release them into the new area. They can not hatch poults, raise them and release them.

thanks for your concern but i am not free range ANY breed of turkey other then wild easterns, and yet they are purebred. i know what i have and i know that the turkeys pictured in your first post are not anywere close to wild percentage...way too big.

these are some of my birds, and you can see though they are young, they are very dainty little things. perfect for my setting, and i even caught a picture of one of the real wild ones in my field that is some sort of off color to it.

they are great mothers if provided the cover to nest.

this is the off colored wild i was explaining

 

[mckenzie]

Here are my turkeys that i bought about two weeks ago they are supposedly wild. They flew up in the trees when i turned them out this morning. They follow me around the yard all the time.

 

[easttxchick]

This is my boy, Rush. He is showing his displeasure that my husband had the audacity to come into "his" territory.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Quote:
Very pretty.

I just got a Meyer hatchery catalog and they show a wild eastern turkey for sale.

 

[easttxchick]

Quote:
Very pretty.

I just got a Meyer hatchery catalog and they show a wild eastern turkey for sale.

Miss Lydia, Rush was sold to us as an Eastern Wild as well, but I think it's like one of the other posters said, it's the turkey version of the EE/Americauna situation.
My guy doesn't seem to have the longer legs and thinner body of a true Eastern Wild...

 

[Miss Lydia]

Quote:
Very pretty.

I just got a Meyer hatchery catalog and they show a wild eastern turkey for sale.

Miss Lydia, Rush was sold to us as an Eastern Wild as well, but I think it's like one of the other posters said, it's the turkey version of the EE/Americauna situation.
My guy doesn't seem to have the longer legs and thinner body of a true Eastern Wild...

When I was reading this post I just wondered if the bird they were offering is the true Eastern Wild turkey. of course looking at the photo it sure looks like the ones we have around here. Guess the only way to know for sure would be to talk with someone who has actually bought some birds from Meyer. I love Turkeys and hope to have some one of these days. Rush is very handsome by the way.

 

[easttxchick]

Thank you, Miss Lydia, I love him.
His tail looks a bit ragged, but that's what happens when a turkey thinks it's a chicken. He tries to do all kinds of chickeny type things...poor species confused bird.

He is as fascinating to observe as my ducks and has a very social personality. Who knew?

 

[Miss Lydia]

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So I take it he won't be supper any time soon?