Q: How are they in the brooder? Do they have to be on wire? (I heard they will eat their own droppings- like chicks don't!?)
A:They are fine in the brooder, They just get bigger faster then a chicken, and yes they do eat there own poo, But this is natural for them. In the wild they eat there mothers poo this gives the extra vitimans and minerals they need to get started. Since they are closer to there Wild cousins then chickens it's more obvious. But this also leads to them being more exceptiable to diesises the chickens.
Q: How are they with preditors such as hawks? Do they get snatched as quickly by hawks/eagles as a hen will? (kinda a stupid question I know, but its like Jerasic park around here).
A: Well that depends on how big they are when you let them out. and how you let them out. Since we live in the middle of a Prairie Dog town e have lots of raptors. Our are kept in runs during the day and put in coops at night we try to let them roam for an hour or two each day. Usually an eagle or Hawk won't mess with anything that ias large or larger thenit is, unless it's really hungery.
Q:Approximate growth time, say 6, 8, or 11 months til slaughter?
A: Generally 20 week for a Great White or BB bronze, or 30 weeks for a hertiage bread. But yo can butcher earily and later if you want a larger or smaller turkey.
Q: And lastly, are they weaker then a chick and what about cocci? Do they also have this issue?
A: They do not react to some desises as Chickens do. If you have raised Chikcens before and not had a problem with cocci then most likely you won't with the Turkeys. There are a few desisies that effect turkeys harder then chickens. An a chickens imunity system is usually developed at 4 weeks a turkeys is at 7 weeks.
If you are planning a commercial operation then don't mix them. The risk are not worth losing you investment in one season. You can check with you local Ag office to see if you area has had any problem with Poultry desise out breaks.
Q: Thanks to whom ever can answer my "stupid" questions and yes, you can point and laugh!
A: I Asked the same questions at one time or another.
This year we raised Great White, BB bronze, Red Bourbon, and Blue slate.
The Great White were really mello compared to the rest, and at 22 weeks there were in the 26 pound range. But in hind sight why do we need a 26 pound turkey? The biggest we have ever purchased before was 18 pounds.
the BB bronze were about the same except when I can near them. They would strut, huff and puff, and stomp there feet when ever I can near them. More then once I watched the BB Bronze chest but another turkey and knock it to the ground.
The Red Bourbons were the best of all so far. They can charactors. we had one that when it was small would strut but trip over it's wing tips and fall down. The same one has tried to mate with our German Shepard mixed female dog more then once this month. with a small flock of turkeys it's very easy to get attached, so be carefull.
When we do get ours out side we use mobile runs, since we do have wild turkeys and unless you have a permit for wild turkeys you can have them in captivity, at least in Nebraska, it varies from State to State. The wild Toms ones can and usually do take your domestic females with them as they pass through.
The better one I built this year was from an old chevy van body and a larger mobile run. Although we are down to two turkeys in that one we don't move it very often now.
We also have lots of preditors that can take a full size turkey. So we prefer the mobile runs and mobile coops.
When try to let them out for a couple of hours every other day to free roam around some.
Although we have seperate runs/coops for Chickens and Turkeys they do free roam a couple of hours each day together.
Tom
