Grown Turkeys: To buy or not to buy?

[epona4]

I may have the opportunity to by some Royal Palms who are about a year old.

This would be our first experience with turkeys and I'm not sure if it would be better to start with poults or get these. I really like the idea of birds that are old enough to start laying now. And big enough to not be hawk food.

Do Royal Palms raise their own or would I have to get an incubator?

How hard would it be to "tame/train" an older bird to be used to our family and farm?

Any thoughts or advice on getting grown birds?

Thanks,

 

[Struttn1]

I would not hesitate to buy a 1 year old pair of RP's. They are in their prime reproduction year. If they have been handled by the current owners they should be tame with you. If not they will still tolerate you approaching them but not touching. Just put them in a covered pen that is escape proof for a couple of weeks then let one of them out at a time for a few days then you can turn them both out. They should be fine.

If you want really tame birds just take some of their eggs and hatch them in an incubator and handle the poults often as they grow up and they will love to be held and petted.

 

[elliemay0305]

i would get them. you will need to keep them in a pin for at least 4 weeks to get use to you. but the good thing is you will be able to get the eggs and i think sometimes its easier to raise and keep grown birds than starting out with babies!! also i dont know how many chickens you have or if you have any but i read in a book you shouldnt keep turkeys with chickens together b/c chickens carry a disease thats not harmful to them but is to turkeys! now i will tell you i have 5 hens and 1 gobbler and mine are free range. everything at my house is. they all roost in the barn at night and i havent had any problems with my turkeys getting sick and during the day they hang out with my guineas.

they just stay together when ever they are moving about. the only other time they are with my other chickens is at feeding time and when they roost

 

[epona4]

Do I need to build a coop that is as tight a chicken coop?

I built two chicken coops in my barn. They have a ceiling (aside from the barn roof) walls and hardware cloth. The barn is not predator proof. I know coons can get in there. Will coons bother the turkeys? With they be ok with more of a "stall" set up?

b

 

[elliemay0305]

i would think with the turkeys being grown they would be ok and if they are like mine they would go to the top of your barn and roost on the rafters. the only concern you would have about the coons would be them getting the babies and eggs! if you have a way, like a door you can close to keep the turkeys in your barn i wouldnt worry about a cage. just let them have the run of the barn. they may not even try to go off after you get them but in case they are kind of wild i would pin them up a for a little while. now once they get use to you and stay around, any new turkeys you get you probably wont have to worry as much about b/c they should stay with the ones you already have. if you can enclose a stall for them i think that would be fine.

 

[Struttn1]

Coons love turkey eggs and they can do serious damage if they decide to attack a roosting turkey. Turkeys cannot see in the dark and coons see very well. Big advantage goes to the coon at night.

 

[epona4]

How are the Royal Palm at raising their own young? What kind of set up should I have to help them be successful?

 

[norm65]

I purchased 4 royal palm turkeys from a man in Terre Haute, ind. about 5 months ago and they will eat out of my hand. I have been getting so many eggs that I have been havng other people hatch them for halves. They are really gentle turkeys. Norman

 

[jvls1942]

right now I have 5 toms and about 16 royal palm hens.. my oldest hen is the best mother you could ask for.. I had an even older one a few years ago .. that old one hatched out 4 guinea eggs and raised them..

foxes and raccoons and coyotes and bears and wolves are my biggest concern with the turkeys..

they like to roost high.. mine spend their nights high in the big pine trees ..