Illinois...

[homeschoolin momma]

I had eastern wild turkeys. If you constantly handle them, they can be easily tamed and will follow you around the yard like puppies.

 

[Faraday40]

Tillie met her adoring fans this morning. Teddy, Xansie, & Xansie's last chick also came along to school. (Thankfully my flock is very used to camera flashes. LOL) The school assembly went well, and we'll repeat it again later this afternoon. DD helped bring the chickens around so the kids could pet them. I even brought my chicken dance toy hen for a little added fun.

 

[Molpet]

Untamed turkeys... I feel like this is something I need to worry about with 10 turkey eggs going into lockdown on Friday and a toddler who loves to go into the chicken coop and run.

lol mine are raised by broody hens, who were raised by broody hens and never handled...
my first turkeys were BBB and I got them to eat. But I raised them in a brooder and played with them. They were like feathered dogs and I had to have others 'do the deed' because I got too attached to them.... so now I don't handle them and they are a bit wild. But it's easier for me to harvest them.. by the time I catch them I am ready to whack em.

 

[BReeder!]

by the time I catch them I am ready to whack em.

 

[chickendreams24]

I bring them mice I catch in the house or I did until I bought 6 live ones I found in a birds house. Most of them got away from the hens.
They slurp up baby snakes like spaghetti I prefer to keep the snakes for rodent control
They will eat baby robins and such that fall out of the nest too... rip them apart in keep away before I can rescue them

I had the broody turkey hen kill a week or so old cockerel after her poults hatch. A bit overprotective me thinks. He kept getting 'lost' in the coop when mom was outside. Every day I would shag him out the coop door. He was annoying, running back and forth calling, 4" from the door half the time. Other than that usually everyone is very careful around babies, well unless they get in the food dish out of turn.

Thankfully my chickens have never killed a baby bird that I know of. I have seen some baby birds on the ground and the flock didn't bother them.

my turkeys are not tame, so they strike like a snake.
I have 3/7 that are broody and 1 chicken
glad the toe is better
big dogs and stairs don't mix when they get older... mine refuses over 4 steps and he goes up on an angle

Thanks about the toe yeah it's a lot better than it was. Still painful if it isn't wrapped and it really hurts when it gets bumped or especially stepped on even by a chicken.

I wouldn't consider our turkeys tame but I guess maybe. I didn't do as much as I could/wanted to; life got busy with DH2B in the fields. I was at first trying to handle them regularly to check health but also because I wanted them to trust us so they wouldn't be people aggressive which I've heard can happen. I also didn't want them to panic when we pick them up to check on them, if one gets injured, or before processing. They do like to follow us especially the jakes. The jennies are a bit more standoffish on the ground. All of them seem to settle pretty well as long as we hold their legs and hold them to our bodies. Something that isn't without effort for me with the jakes. I'm not tiny but they're huge!
Christmas is by far the calmest jake. But still needs a new name. Any ideas? DH2B has suggested Tommy after a tv show character.

Anyone know what I will get if the turkey poults end up a mix of the two colors? I haven't had the heart to lock up either of the varieties yet. They're so happy out free ranging.

QUOTE="BReeder!, post: 21272144, member: 506061"]Untamed turkeys... I feel like this is something I need to worry about with 10 turkey eggs going into lockdown on Friday and a toddler who loves to go into the chicken coop and run. [/QUOTE]

So far I haven't had any trouble with any of my turkeys no aggression at all. Even with friends visiting that were afraid of them no reaction. My turkeys haven't seen any very small children but have seen an older child and a bunch of strangers. Also we have a sheltie so they're around a dog that's much smaller than them. At first I worried they might attack my dog but they are totally unphased by her.

I think just like with any animal don't leave your little ones(because you are on the way to more than one) with them unattended but I think if you have your toddler hold them gently and have them growing up seeing the little one I would think they would be okay.

lol mine are raised by broody hens, who were raised by broody hens and never handled...
my first turkeys were BBB and I got them to eat. But I raised them in a brooder and played with them. They were like feathered dogs and I had to have others 'do the deed' because I got too attached to them.... so now I don't handle them and they are a bit wild. But it's easier for me to harvest them.. by the time I catch them I am ready to whack em.

LoL I bet you are ready to whack 'em.

 

[Faraday40]

Christmas is by far the calmest jake. But still needs a new name. Any ideas? DH2B has suggested Tommy after a tv show character.

When your turkey eggs hatch, you can call him "Father Christmas"!


Tom the Turkey is kind of simple, but at least you won't forget his name. How about Big Bird, Giblets, or Stewie? ....And, your blue slate tom can be Smoked Turkey or Smokey for short! Now I'm getting hungry!



Our poults & chicks are due to hatch Tues. (5 out of 6 eggs look good) Perhaps I'll use some of those above names. I'll also share some of the student-created names. They're great for a chuckle. (La Peep. Chicka Boom Boom, Chicken Little, etc) One name that stands out was a caterpillar named "Sponge Bob." It hatched into a big, beautiful monarch. When I returned to release it, I informed them that it was a female. The teacher quickly changed its name to Sponge Barbara. Sponge Barbara even made it into the yearbook.

We candled at the last school today & every teacher had to stop by. They are so excited with the hope of hatching their 1st turkey. Several have never seen a live turkey.

 

[Molpet]

Well today was a sad day.
I had a chicken hen prolapse. I was setting up the processing table when I seen Dinner was out and heading towards the turkeys. By the time I got into the poultry yard the spare tom had Dinner by the neck. By the time I got to that yard Dinner wasn't breathing. The saddest part was at lock up his hens were calling for him
Dinner had been picking fights with the turkeys so I had moved him, but he went over the 4' fence.

He dressed out at 7lbs and the jake 17

 

[chickendreams24]

Well today was a sad day.
I had a chicken hen prolapse. I was setting up the processing table when I seen Dinner was out and heading towards the turkeys. By the time I got into the poultry yard the spare tom had Dinner by the neck. By the time I got to that yard Dinner wasn't breathing. The saddest part was at lock up his hens were calling for him
Dinner had been picking fights with the turkeys so I had moved him, but he went over the 4' fence.

He dressed out at 7lbs and the jake 17

Oh no I'm so very very very sorry!!

Sending you hugs. I can't imagine how angry I would be.

Poor Dinner.

I'm sure @Faraday40 would have another cockeral/rooster that will need a good home if you would like one.


I'm sorry I know this is terrible timing but what would you sell turkey hatching eggs for? I have no idea what is considered the norm. I'm not wanting to make a ton but a fair price for someone that wants a bunch of eggs and will likely sell some of the poults.

 

[Molpet]

Oh no I'm so very very very sorry!!

Sending you hugs. I can't imagine how angry I would be.

Poor Dinner.

I'm sure @Faraday40 would have another cockeral/rooster that will need a good home if you would like one.


I'm sorry I know this is terrible timing but what would you sell turkey hatching eggs for? I have no idea what is considered the norm. I'm not wanting to make a ton but a fair price for someone that wants a bunch of eggs and will likely sell some of the poults.

Thanks I had gotten Dinner to breed and then eat, but he was such a sweetheart.... I kept telling him to stay away from the turkeys... The other roos just run away. For some reason he was trying to take on two turkeys before I moved him.
The hen today was the best of his daughters and was in a breeding pen... I think she was too fat. First prolapse I have had.

Well I have an ad up on FB $3 a piece or $30 a dz and haven't had a buyer... A couple people were interested but backed out... Some other people are asking $4 an egg another is$25 a dz. None of their ads have any taker comments...
eBay is $30 to $90 plus shipping

 

[BReeder!]

Thanks I had gotten Dinner to breed and then eat, but he was such a sweetheart.... I kept telling him to stay away from the turkeys... The other roos just run away. For some reason he was trying to take on two turkeys before I moved him.
The hen today was the best of his daughters and was in a breeding pen... I think she was too fat. First prolapse I have had.

Well I have an ad up on FB $3 a piece or $30 a dz and haven't had a buyer... A couple people were interested but backed out... Some other people are asking $4 an egg another is$25 a dz. None of their ads have any taker comments...
eBay is $30 to $90 plus shipping

We're any of the eggs you gave me from Dinner? I would gladly gift a Male chick back to you. They are set to hatch on Monday.