Breeding methods

[kuntrygirl]

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The original trio are and are not related. The tom is not related to the 2 older hens. I purchased my Tom from a different breeder than I did my 2 hens. The 2 older hens were purchased from another breeder and they are related. They are sisters. Ok, next lesson.

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

That kind of throws things off with the hens but you can work around that. Since the hens are related just consider them to be the same hen in the chart (the original female)

What you are going to be breeding this year is your fourth generation. The 3rd generation hens to your first gen tom and 3rd gen toms for first gen hen. That will give you 7/8 and 1/8 of the fifth generation. Alot of the "old time" breeders always recommended not the breed closer than 7/8. I would bet that is where fertility issues start to show due from being too inbred. Another thing with turkeys is you can breed once a year so you will be working with 5 year old toms at that point and their fertility will start to decline due to age. With chickens you can breed more often and go further.

If you have kept the best of the best (depending on what you are looking for - egg laying, meat growth, conformation) you will have a nice flock of birds. This is just one pair of birds, ideally you would be doing this with another pair or two or three so can take those offspring and start over by taking a male from one group and female from another and breeding them. With unrelated stock to begin with you can see how you can keep a closed flock for many many years.

Steve

 

[kuntrygirl]

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So what do you suggest I do to make sure that I have the best of the best. Do I need to get another Tom? I keep my turkeys for eggs, for customers who want to buy them and for eye candy for the yard. I would say that most people that come over to my place to purchase my turkeys are just looking for "eye candy" for their yard. They are mostly looking to purchase any kind of Bourbon Red. At the same time, I want to make sure that I am selling them quality turkeys. Any suggestions?

ETA: My tom fathered about 20+ babies in 2010. I sold all but 3. I kept 2 females and 1 male. Should I trade the younger male out for another Bourbon Red with another breeder? What would you do?

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

Sorry for the delay in answering.... it has been one of those days. LOL

You are going to need to keep your young tom for a line breeding program. If you have the space to keep them another unrelated pair would give you many years of breeding. For what to keep and not to keep get a copy of the APA standard of perfection, and go to shows in your area and see what wins. The standard is good but sometimes hard to take from the book to a bird. There are a few APA judges here on BYC and I have gone to them from time to time with questions. They always answered quickly and cleared up my questions.

Steve

 

[kuntrygirl]

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Oh thanks Steve. Will do. Thanks a bunch as always.

 

[Unclebean]

I have a few questions. Feel free to make any other recommendations pertaining to breeding pen set-up and use!

1. What would be an ideal size for a breeding pen for one tom and 5 hens? Or a sq. ft./bird recommendation.
2. How long should the tom be in the breeding pen with the hens?
3. Would it makes sense to build nest boxes in the breeding pens?

 

[DVTO2]

Steve,

Just to be clear. The first generation pair needs to be unrelated for this to work?

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

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Doesn't have to be but you need to know the mix of the first pair for a starting point.

Steve

 

[Thomasturkey]

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I have a hard time with graft too. I think it is easier to understand the graft when you read it for the website it came from called Profitable Poultry Production. They explain it step by step in chapter VI. The chapter is about chickens but has lots of information about selection, things to watch out for and downfalls. Sorry is says I can't post the link but it should be a easy search by the name. There is also a chapter on turkeys that says "The same practices in breeding discussed in Chapter VI apply to turkeys. It seems advisable, however, to lay special emphasis upon the selection of breeding turkeys because throughout the country the practice of breeding from inferior stock is the general rule. Most farmers select their best turkeys for the Thanksgiving market so as to get the high prices. This is well enough so far as the market is concerned, but if it leaves the slower growing stock for breeding, it is to be condemned. The best way in order to improve one's own flock is to select the breeding stock first of all, irrespective of any market considerations. None but the very choicest, quickest growing, best birds in every respect should be selected from each year's young flock to replace the old ones that have survived their usefulness. In this way, one can, be continually improving, especially in size, precocity of development and stamina. Too much emphasis cannot be laid upon this fact. For best results turkey hens should be two years old and cocks three years old or more. They will prove useful for eight or ten years or even longer. The customary size of a flock is ten to 12 hens to one tom, though often as many as 18 or even 20 hens are used."

 

[Frosty]

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Hello, Thomasturkey, and welcome to BYC! It would be really great if you could take a minute and introduce yourself

You don't need to give your address, but a general location (so we can have an idea of climate conditions where you are) and what you have in the way of turkeys. I live in north central North Dakota and have White Hollands, a few Broad Breasted hens, and a Regal Red tom. Due to my location, you can see that what works for you may or may not work for me.

While I have raised turkeys since '94, I have never tried planned breeding before so I am excited to see what happens! Advice from those with experience is always welcome, though if it turns into a battle I generally quit reading. If any disagreements are kept thoughtful and polite, it really would be helpful for those of us just learning