Giving up on the Turkeys

[Tunastopper]

Quote:
I never give antibiotics because I have had bad experiences with them. Without a correct diagnosis your shooting in the dark anyway. Many of the diseases are not improved with antibiotics. I don't give poults the powdered vitamin/electrolytes either because it had killed some poults. When it was removed, I had no losses. I think you can breed a stronger immune system into them if you don't baby them and use only strong healthy birds for breeding. Until my birds where given the bad food, I had not had any illness in a long time.

Update: I did get a check for the 20 birds that died.

I just wish it did not happen.

 

[happydog]

Steve, how high is your fence? Ours is 4' and they hop up and balance on the top wire, then hop down. On the wrong side. I've clipped one wing down nearly to the coverts. About half of them still get out every day.

I currently have Bourbon Reds and Royal Palms. Much prefer the BRs. I wasn't able to get Midget Whites from you this year but I want to get some this spring. Do you think they'd be easier to contain? Or about the same?

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

Our fence is 6 foot. Actually the Midgets are lighter and can get more "air" than a heavier variety. How old are yours now? We are growing out new breeders for the Midgets and Beltsville's this year and since spring I have had some out every day when I get home. There are only 1 or 2 that still get out now.

Try this to keep them in. Watch and catch the first one up and over the fence, that's the ringleader. The others are more than likely following it. I don't like to do it but I have ever had to clip both wings down to just about nothing to keep some really hard headed ones in the pen.

Steve

 

[Olive Hill]

Quote:
I think this is probably one of the biggest factors in both success and enjoyability of turkey rearing. Most peoples' facilities are simply not sufficient for happy, healthy, mellow turkeys. Turkeys like to have plenty of exit plans available. Being tightly confined limits their options and puts them on edge. They're flighty because they're without options, they don't know how to get away because they're confined. Without any option for escape they start to freak out. Think about being backed into a corner; your mind races, what do I do? what do I do? what do I do? You have no option but to try to go through what's got you backed into the corner. And when you do? I guarantee you're not going to be the most graceful in your attempt.

IME, turkeys are entirely different birds in confinement vs out of confinement. That doesn't have to mean free-range, but if they're fenced they need ample space.

 

[Dogfish]

Mine return to the run every evening. I have mine in with chickens, and the 5 heritage birds are a bit more skittish than the two BBB's, and I feel that having the two BBB's has calmed the heritage birds down. The BBB's were here 2 months before the heritage birds arrived, so they were shown the ropes by the older birds. The heritage birds don't stay under the covered portion of the run, they roost out on the open.

Not sure what will happen to their demeanor when the BBB's head off to the great roost in the sky in a few weeks.