I lost my brain for a minute . . . maybe longer than a minute :)

[KatyTheChickenLady]

I guess I figured that with three breeding projects and something like 150 birds, that I just had a little extra time on my hands . . . so i brought home four . . . TURKEYS!!!! oh my gosh, we already love them to death

So who's the turkey expert I have A LOT of questions

BTW, they are Black Spanish X Blue Slate, in case anyone cares lol!

 

[Chicken411]

Pics PLEASE!

 

[petrelline]

I totally want turkeys but so far have managed to resist the temptation. PICS PICS PICS please!!

 

[oldbat]

Hi Katy; I personally prefer turkeys to chickens, even though I have both. While still living in Montana, I had Blue Slates, Bourbon Reds, Royal Palms, Black Spanish, Midget Whites, BBW's and BBB's. Now, on smaller acreage and hot weather and high humidity that requires more careful husbandry, I have only Calico/Sweetgrass and Beltsville Small Whites.

I found that if you live in civilization (as opposed to the Back of Nowhere) it is quite helpful (if you have them on open pasture...as opposed to covered pens), to cut the flight feathers on one wing. I didn't at first and one morning they crawled out of bed at dawn, a couple flew up on the 6 foot chain link yard fence, hopped to the house roof, then up onto the TV antenna, spied the electrical wires leading to the pole outside the fence, and sparks flew in every direction. Nobody got fried, and I even had my electricity and TV reception intact, but we went immediately to the barn and took care of the problem with no further fireworks. They do get in trouble. Often. LOL.

Turkey eggs are supposed to be wonderful for baking.....fluff things up much more than chicken eggs....or so I've been told. Don't bake stuff much anymore. My oldest batch (this year's breeders) were hatched in May of 2009, started laying that fall, and still are. I wish they'd quit!!! Now they want to set and I have quite enough turkeys. The young ones, once you get them a couple of days old are very, very tough. Still get in trouble, but are tough.

After raising my turkeys and chickens together for 25 or so years, here in OK, where the humidity and heat are both off the scale, had my first case of Blackhead. Wormed and medicated them, spread a lot of barn lime where it was wettest out in front of the shed they sleep in (also put cayenne pepper in their feed), and for whatever reason, have had no recurrance. You'll know if you ever get it.....they're droopy, tend to go sit off by themselves, stop eating, and droppings are best described as "calf **** yellow".....and VERY runny. Not fun, but if you catch it early, quite curable.

Given a chance, they will follow you anywhere and everywhere. I love turkeys. Glad you do too. Old Bat.

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

chicken411 & petrelline - I will get pics up today . . . they are so captivating. Very different from chickens though.
I also managed to resist the temptation for quite some time (and this is with a good friend with a game bird hatchery) but finally gave in when this cross popped up. My friend didn't have enogh hens to keep his Black Spanish Tom happy so stuck a spare Blue Slate girl in there. She has laid six eggs and so far I have 4 chicks. I'll butcher all but one male and one female to hold over for breeding (just for my own purposes) . . . not going to get as many turkeys as chickens . . . not . . . not . . .

oldbat - THANKS for all of the advice!!! I can predict I will be calling on you in the future

I finally found the Turkey thread on BYC, and did a lot of reading, MAN they are a bit more fragile and difficult than chickens, I didn't realize that. I have probably already doomed them because after one day of chasing the FLYING numbskulls all over my office (chicks happily sit in their little brooder boxes NOT POULTS) I moved them to the outside brooder in the coop, lights and all but on the ground - apparently a big no-no with poults. SOOO I hope they survive my ignorance.

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

wow, turkeys don't like to pose for pics!

 

[petrelline]

 

[dancingbear]

Quote:
I haven't baked with turkey eggs, but I have used duck eggs. There's definitely a difference, the duck egg baked goods are lighter and moister. You get a higher rise, too. I'm sure goose and turkey eggs would yield similar results, because of the texture of their eggs, very similar to duck eggs.


Quote:
Great info, thanks!

I've had some problems with turkeys in the past, it sounds like it may well have been the same thing. What medication did you use to treat them? I've been told to try LS-50, or the off-brand version, SpecLinx-50, which is a lot cheaper. They're exactly the same thing, a combo of spectinomycin and lincomycin. Nobody carries it around here, but Jeffer's has both, you can get it online.

But I'm wondering what you used, maybe it's something I can find locally.