INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[daskhan]

Not even kind of legal.

It would be considered harassment of wildlife.

The state's turkey aren't a seed population for your domestic flock.

I was only wanting to help preserve the population I don't care for turkey it's dry and I don't kill my animals I was thinking about maybe trying to create a repopulation program.. Turkey run no longer has turkeys... Wth is up with that

 

[Indyshent]

I was basically asking because I've been thinking about getting into keeping turkeys but don't want the industries unhealthy none native species but I'd like to try local and maybe to preserve the breed.. Rather then go off of the others

Then go through utterly legal means like hatcheries and get yourself some permits. DNR may or may not allow the keeping of Eastern wild turkeys on your premises. The permit to keep and breed native wildlife is only $15/year, so there's really very little excuse not to get one.

There's nothing wrong with keeping domesticated breeds of turkey, especially heritage ones, because many of these historical breeds are going or have gone extinct. They could use your patronage, too, perhaps even more than wild turkeys, which are doing so well and expanding their range so much that DNR actually kills them as an invasive species in some places. Eastern wilds are also not particularly friendly, nor are they necessarily more resistant to any given disease or pest than all of their domestic counterparts. There's nothing wrong with trying to help them out, but they don't really need it around here.

The Royal Palm has actually proven to be more resistant to diseases than most, and is far more prolific than any other breed. They are listed as critical with very few good, breeding specimens left. Porter's Rare Heritage Turkeys (the Greenfire of turkeys) makes specific mention that the Oregon Gray and Regal Red desperately need more dedicated breeders after very nearly becoming extinct. They are beyond even the Royal Palm in terms of critically endangered breeds. Most people have never heard of them at all because they're not listed on registries for showing--there are just that few of them left.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

I was only wanting to help preserve the population I don't care for turkey it's dry and I don't kill my animals I was thinking about maybe trying to create a repopulation program.. Turkey run no longer has turkeys... Wth is up with that

There is no shortage of wild turkey - so there is not a need for preservation efforts by taking them in for captive breeding.

 

[Indyshent]

I was only wanting to help preserve the population I don't care for turkey it's dry and I don't kill my animals I was thinking about maybe trying to create a repopulation program.. Turkey run no longer has turkeys... Wth is up with that

That's because 1) you've only eaten the craptastic baby broad-breasted turkeys that are sold in stores, or 2) you're a crappy chef. Heritage turkeys are vastly preferred by 9 out of 10 tasters in pretty much every test (and the tenth guy prefers the dry, white meat to the juicy dark meat, which is the super tasty good stuff on heritage breeds). If allowed to live longer, birds develop a much better taste, reportedly. I've only eaten broad-breasted because I've only recently been able to raise any heritage and have yet to eat either of the two toms I've owned.

If Turkey Run no longer has turkeys, it's because it no longer feels like having turkeys. DNR could release them as soon as it felt like doing so because lots of professional raise wild turkeys. Let the park know you really want some turkeys there. Maybe if DNR wasn't so insistent on releasing wolves and coyotes and all manner of other predators, you'd have more turkeys hanging around the park, but alas, DNR would rather kill turkeys and release wolves. Chalk it up to the experts.

Given your love of exotics, maybe you should try your hand at oscellated turkeys. Only two breeders work with them in the US, last time I heard. They're very difficult to raise because they're not really domesticated and often fail to adapt to new environments. They're native to a small portion of the Yucatan peninsula (about 50,000 square miles over parts of Mexico, Belize and Guatemala), and it's actually cheaper to fly down, get your hunting permit, shoot some, get them stuffed, and fly back to the States than it is to acquire live ones or keep them that way.

 

[wheezy50]

Question for my hatching friends:

My midget white hen has started laying, Yay for that! I found her first 2 eggs today, one in the corner of the coop and one was laid outside. I know that they were both laid in the last 2 days, I was in both of these spots Saturday evening and there were no eggs. So, I'm confident they are freshly laid, the only problem is the one outside. It sat in the rain all day today until I found them a few mins ago. Will the one laid outside still hatch? I didn't know if the protective bloom will be washed off from the rain or not?

Anyone hatched any eggs that were left outside in the rain??

 

[tmarsh83]

I was only wanting to help preserve the population I don't care for turkey it's dry and I don't kill my animals I was thinking about maybe trying to create a repopulation program.. Turkey run no longer has turkeys... Wth is up with that

Turkey population is highest it's been in two centuries in Indiana.

The DNR discourages backyard breeders introducing their birds to the existing population. No different than the state not wanting people to stock fish in lakes as they wish.

In short, Indiana turkeys don't need help. They're doing just fine.

 

[wheezy50]

Oh, and the second part of my question, should the eggs not be hatched if I just wormed all my poultry?

I gave them Strike III, (Hygromycin B) which is mixed into their food. One pack was to be mixed with 50lbs of normal food. It will probably take my flock one week to finish all the food on their feeder, they started on Saturday. The package said to wait 3 days to butcher (which I'm not) but didn't mention how long to discard eggs.

So I don't plan to eat or sell any eggs for the next 3 weeks or so. I didn't know if there was a problem with hatching eggs while they are on the wormer?

Any experience here?

Thanks!

 

[tmarsh83]

Didn't get the entire thing wrapped. Need some more lumber to build out the door and finish the dividing wall. Also shorted myself on gable trim. Still, made good progress working by myself again today. Starting to come together.

 

[Indyshent]

Question for my hatching friends:

My midget white hen has started laying, Yay for that! I found her first 2 eggs today, one in the corner of the coop and one was laid outside. I know that they were both laid in the last 2 days, I was in both of these spots Saturday evening and there were no eggs. So, I'm confident they are freshly laid, the only problem is the one outside. It sat in the rain all day today until I found them a few mins ago. Will the one laid outside still hatch? I didn't know if the protective bloom will be washed off from the rain or not?

Anyone hatched any eggs that were left outside in the rain??

You're not going to know for sure until it hatches or starts stinking. If you don't want to risk it, wash in warm water and eat immediately

Be careful moving turkey eggs because they're Houdinis about laying and get really paranoid and inventive about hiding their broods. Pretty much every time I found a nest, I had to replace eggs with plastic or ceramic (or chicken) eggs to keep my girls from relocating the nests again.
My MW hen wound up being a tom. Major Tom's growing his beard out

. He's an adorable little stinker, but he's sick, presumably with the same thing @jchny2000 's White Hollands had because one sinus is starting to get pretty swollen, but with all of this rain, he isn't drinking the medicated water. Only time and tests will tell, but this is looking more and more like MG, which means breeding or rehoming just flew right out of the window.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Photo Credit: Trish Hovey from Facebook via The Self-Sufficient Homestead.