How did you get started with Turkeys and what breed do you like?

[mamawolf544]

I love them, they are very friendly, and love to show off. I have cut way down on my chicken breeds to have more heritage turkey breeds.

I raise Midget Whites
Royal Palms
Blue Slates
Chocolates
Rio Grandes

and I am waiting on my Sweetgrass, Self Blues, Bourbon reds and pencilled reds to come in from Porters in the spring.

 

[Krazyquilts]

I know this is an old thread, but I got my first turkeys this summer when I saw that the guy I was buying guinea keets from raises his guineas with Narragansett turkeys all the way from the brooder up, so that's how in a why-the-hell-not moment, we added turkey poults. Five out of the six are running around in the poultry pasture right now (one died when the new brooder was too hot) and next year we are planning on raising a dozen. (Of course, when my husband says "up to 12 turkeys" next year, my poultry math hears, "around 15 turkeys" lol so we'll see. )

I'll probably get some more Narragansett's from the same guy since we will already know what to expect from them but another farmer I bought "fancy" colored guineas and Buckeye chicks from has Chocolate turkeys and I've fallen in love with how gorgeous her tom is, so I really want to get some Chocolates from her next year too. I do want to raise my small self-replacing flock of turkeys eventually, but I want to try at a few different types first, including one of the smaller ones like the Midget White etc before I settle on just one variety. (Who am I kidding - it will probably be like all my other poultry projects and I'll end with 50 turkeys and half a dozen types by next year alone!)

 

[aliciaplus3]

I am afraid that poultry is an addiction..... lol I purchased 4 turkeys 2 years ago when I worked at the local feed store..... due to bad luck the surviving 2 turned out to be Toms so they became thanksgiving dinner, I wanted to get more turkeys this year but my husband seemed overwhelmed with the number of chickens I had hatched..... I felt that the new coop needed to be filled.... right? Right now I have 4 turkey eggs in the bator that are from a bbw hen that was in with a bourbon red tom. They are due in a week, along with a few chicks, wait 22 is a few right???? Lol so we will see what happens. Right now I am enjoying hatching and love that we are buying less chicken from the store. I would love to be able to raise enough turkeys and chickens to keep our family of 4 able to eat as much as we want.

 

[aliciaplus3]

I am afraid that poultry is an addiction..... lol I purchased 4 turkeys 2 years ago when I worked at the local feed store..... due to bad luck the surviving 2 turned out to be Toms so they became thanksgiving dinner, I wanted to get more turkeys this year but my husband seemed overwhelmed with the number of chickens I had hatched..... I felt that the new coop needed to be filled.... right? Right now I have 4 turkey eggs in the bator that are from a bbw hen that was in with a bourbon red tom. They are due in a week, along with a few chicks, wait 22 is a few right???? Lol so we will see what happens. Right now I am enjoying hatching and love that we are buying less chicken from the store. I would love to be able to raise enough turkeys and chickens to keep our family of 4 able to eat as much as we want.

Update on my hatch...
We had 17 chicks and 3 turkeys hatch... due to a heating pad problem.... we lost one turkey and one chick