- Mar 1, 2012
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I especially like the "bird" in the lower left corner.
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Last, where do you find MW turkey chicks?? I've been on crags list, poultry sites, can't seem to find any locally. What about hatchery birds??
Thanks!
When you free range your turkeys do they ever wander off? I have free range chickens and am getting my first ever order of heritage turkeys in June and I would love to let them free range as well. I have several acres (which are not fenced in) but on one end I have a huge national forest they could run off into and on the other I have a road, which isn't busy but it is still not a good place for turkeys. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!I have been running my turkeys with chickens for years. They even stay in the same coop. I started out seperate but the chickens kept jumping in the turkey pen and sneaking in their coop to roost at night so I eventually gave up and was very upset at the cost of a 1,200 dollar coop that wasn't really needed.
I have only had one instance with black head. One Tom came down with it. One morning his head just looked covered in blood. Like someone gave him rug burn all over it. I seperated him... gave him some womer (in a cow pellet form! Oh yeah! I'm fancy!). His head scabbed over (turned black with scabs) then peeled and he was fine. I returned him to the flock - and we ate him. I have been tested for pasasites and I am clean.
I live so far out in the sticks and off too many wild animals to not get tested occasionally.
I think you would do fine with the midget whites or even a pair of heritage turkeys if they were let out during the day for exercise. I have a small coop and I free range all day so the small space isn't much of a problem most of the year. It is in the summer time as I can't ever go on vacation because the coop is too cramped for a heat exchange and I need to be here to round stuff up in the evenings.
It sounds like you have a nice set up!
I have always bought hatchery birds. But this year I will incubate my own due to the hatchery bill. I would also be led to believe the multi-generational bird adapts to the area and thrives better than parents who live in a hatchery and aren't exposed to natural sunlight, grass and bugs.
I say get some birds and try it. The more space the better as you have to clean it less. The nice thing about poultry if you end up with too many is it's not hard to find homes - or just put them in the freezer at an early age.The only time I will ever eat a store turkey again is when I have to go to other folks houses for Thanksgiving.
I have been trying to find information on raising turkeys as well. It is amazing to me that there is information on how to raise chickens EVERYWHERE but NOTHING on raising heritage turkeys. I'm really disappointed and confused.