Darn it turkey people, now I'm addicted to Turkeys.

[LeBlackbird]

Welp, I'm finally sucked into turkeys

can't get enough of them! I've been raising chickens and ducks for a looongggg time, turkeys have always been at the back of my mind, but when a 10x20 run suddenly finds itself without use, why not start now? I guess I'll start getting addicted to these beauties too!

So, I caved into a Porter's Heritage Turkey order. Best arm and a leg I've ever spent...
Guest list~

10 Mottled Black
3 Narragansetts
2 Blue Palms

Can't wait

time to do extensive planning on that turkey house before the poults arrive in June! I've heard that Narragansetts might not play nice with others, so I'll keep an eye on that. If there's anything else I should know, by all means, do tell! I'll gladly listen to all tips and tricks!

 

[RThomas]

We raised turkeys for the first time last year. Absolutely loved them. We had a Royal Palm, 2 Narragansett and 2 Black Spanish. The Royal Palm was beautiful, but we liked the Narragansetts the best. The Blacks kind of looked like buzzards.

The Narragansetts were the most friendly, and very pretty. If we were going to get turkeys again, we'd get those. Just talking about them makes me want to get more! Anyway, we sold them this past fall.

Not much advise, really. Just watch them closely the first few days and make sure they are eating and drinking. Make sure you get the correct starter feed. They have different feed requirements than chicks. Otherwise, they can be raised just like chicks. They are fun and inquisitive. Good luck!

 

[r4eboxer]

Turkey poults are fragile, when are they being shipped? If they get cold in shipping you are going to lose some. I had mine shipped in April and it just happened to be the ONLY week that spring that was cold. I lost 6 within 2 days. Turkeys also need to be shown how to eat. If you have a few chicks brooding put them in with the turkeys for a few days so they can show them how. If you don't, get some shiny object too big for the poult to swallow and put it in the feeder. Turkeys like to peck at shiny stuff and will get the idea of eating food by trying to figure out the shiny object. I'd plan on losing some for sure. I just have never read where someone did not lose any shipped poults, they are hard to get started.

They also do not do well under a regular brood light especially if they had a rough trip. Get a RED 250 w bulb, it makes a difference in the number of poults you may loose. Watch them closely, where do you plan on brooding them?

They do need a special feed. At least 28 percent protein. Purina makes a turkey poult starter, my feed store had to order it special so make sure you check around and know that it is kept in stock. It is more expensive but I only needed one bag of the starter (18 poults) before it was time to move them to a grower feed. An all poultry layer feed is what I use now for my Turkeys, Chickens, Ducks and Geese.

Poults are fragile but juvenile and adult turkeys are VERY hardy. Are you going to herd them into the coop at night? Will they free range? Turkeys do not like to go to a coop to roost. I've got a thread on here about my turkeys not going in to roost. I wouldn't put all that much effort into a coop they might not use. They also are very cold hardy and can withstand rain, sleet, wind and snow. It's amazing to me how fragile the poult is and then how hardy the grown bird gets.

 

[LeBlackbird]

Turkey poults are fragile, when are they being shipped? If they get cold in shipping you are going to lose some. I had mine shipped in April and it just happened to be the ONLY week that spring that was cold. I lost 6 within 2 days. Turkeys also need to be shown how to eat. If you have a few chicks brooding put them in with the turkeys for a few days so they can show them how. If you don't, get some shiny object too big for the poult to swallow and put it in the feeder. Turkeys like to peck at shiny stuff and will get the idea of eating food by trying to figure out the shiny object. I'd plan on losing some for sure. I just have never read where someone did not lose any shipped poults, they are hard to get started.

They also do not do well under a regular brood light especially if they had a rough trip. Get a RED 250 w bulb, it makes a difference in the number of poults you may loose. Watch them closely, where do you plan on brooding them?

They do need a special feed. At least 28 percent protein. Purina makes a turkey poult starter, my feed store had to order it special so make sure you check around and know that it is kept in stock. It is more expensive but I only needed one bag of the starter (18 poults) before it was time to move them to a grower feed. An all poultry layer feed is what I use now for my Turkeys, Chickens, Ducks and Geese.

Poults are fragile but juvenile and adult turkeys are VERY hardy. Are you going to herd them into the coop at night? Will they free range? Turkeys do not like to go to a coop to roost. I've got a thread on here about my turkeys not going in to roost. I wouldn't put all that much effort into a coop they might not use. They also are very cold hardy and can withstand rain, sleet, wind and snow. It's amazing to me how fragile the poult is and then how hardy the grown bird gets.

They're being shipped out mid-june, so I am slightly concerned about temperature. (It should be pretty hot by the time mid june rolls around) I can brood them with chicks if that's the case, thank you for letting me know

I have quite a few local breeders around and I can just pick up eggs and hatch them a bit before the poults arrive so they have "Buddies". Do I have to worry about disease transfer with this though? I had no idea about the red bulb, Is there any reason why that seems to be more effective? I can pick one up at my local feed shop along with the game bird starter. They're "Coop" will look more like a deep, three-sided shed with roosts in it. I figured it would be more turkey-orientated, and I could probably use it for other things in the far future. I just feel safer with a structure where they can hangout, and a place where I can keep feed from getting too gross. It's good to know how hardy turkeys really are, It's relieving

Oh, and I plan on brooding them indoors until they get too big to stay. I have a lot of space available, and no indoor house pets that will threaten their safety

 

[r4eboxer]

That all sounds good, I don't know where you are located but June should be warm enough that they do not get cold. I'm not sure why the red light is better for poults, If I'm remembering correctly it does not stress them as much as a bright white light.

Them being inside is great, mine were in the garage and I wasn't keeping as close eye on them as I should. I was brooding chicks in another brooder in the garage and didn't lose any of them but poults are just different. Though they do look the same as chicks when hatched, that quickly changes though.

Your coop sounds just perfect for Turkeys, don't be surprised though if they choose to hang out in the trees or somewhere other than where you want them, they seem to prefer being out in the elements.

 

[LeBlackbird]

Thank you, I'll keep it in mind! I'll have to give the roof extra support and construct it out of a more decay-resistant material in case the top becomes a more popular place to hangout than the inside

 

[Celie]

That all sounds good, I don't know where you are located but June should be warm enough that they do not get cold. I'm not sure why the red light is better for poults, If I'm remembering correctly it does not stress them as much as a bright white light.

Them being inside is great, mine were in the garage and I wasn't keeping as close eye on them as I should. I was brooding chicks in another brooder in the garage and didn't lose any of them but poults are just different. Though they do look the same as chicks when hatched, that quickly changes though.

Your coop sounds just perfect for Turkeys, don't be surprised though if they choose to hang out in the trees or somewhere other than where you want them, they seem to prefer being out in the elements.

Chicks like Leghorns, need red light so they don't peck each other. Commercially white leghorns are so crammed together that the egg factories have to debeak them or they will turn cannibalistic. I use white lights and a heater with turkeys. Turkey poults are a lot more delicate than chicks. Watch them close. If they all smuggle close to one another, they are cold and need more heat!

 

[1MrsMagoo]

I raise Beltsville Small Whites and love the crazy little buggers. They are hilarious to watch and easy to raise. I grew out 15 of them last year alongside 3 BBB. Only 1 of the broad breasted birds lived long enough to make it out of the brooder (he made it to Thanksgiving) while I didn't lose one Beltsville to sickness. I did lose one to a bobcat....I said they were hardy...not smart. It managed to get over the pasture fence and landed right in front of the bobcat, which was hiding in tall grass: My son saw it and we managed to get the bird, but not save her.

Lucky for my husband that we got chickens, ducks, and geese first....or their would be a whole lot more gobbling going on outside! The turkeys are my second favorite behind the geese. I am anxious to try some Bourbon Reds next!