Is it normal for Turkens to be this large at 4 weeks?

[newchickychick]

Ours personally definitely wound up being Pioneer Broilers. They resorted to feather eating, and harassing the other chickens to do so, but were inconsolable when separated from the rest of the flock (they’d grown up together). They were starting to slow down since we couldn’t separate them to monitor feeding, and we opted to put them down as the other chickens were getting plucked raw. It was sad, but the other chickens are now far happier and we chose to get Turkens from Cackle that have wound up gorgeous and growing at a normal pace.

I think if we’d have had an additional coop that had a run attached to the main one, it might have been doable for us to restrict their diet and give them higher protein as well to maybe (hopefully) stop the feather eating. I’m sure someone more experienced than us would’ve handled it with much more grace and success!

I do know that the TSC employees at our location sent every single complaint right up the ladder to the hatchery that had sent them labeled as just “Turkens”. They haven’t been at our store since folks started to discover, and I think (and hope) the complaints were heard, or at least would be sent advertised as Pioneer Broilers! I am sad we couldn’t make the very best of our situation, but it did lead us to our five lovely Turken pullets from Cackle that are just stunning and sweet. Really hoping you (and everyone else!) has an outcome you are happy with in such a peculiar situation.

 

[Amsgrat]

Ours personally definitely wound up being Pioneer Broilers. They resorted to feather eating, and harassing the other chickens to do so, but were inconsolable when separated from the rest of the flock (they’d grown up together). They were starting to slow down since we couldn’t separate them to monitor feeding, and we opted to put them down as the other chickens were getting plucked raw. It was sad, but the other chickens are now far happier and we chose to get Turkens from Cackle that have wound up gorgeous and growing at a normal pace.

I think if we’d have had an additional coop that had a run attached to the main one, it might have been doable for us to restrict their diet and give them higher protein as well to maybe (hopefully) stop the feather eating. I’m sure someone more experienced than us would’ve handled it with much more grace and success!

I do know that the TSC employees at our location sent every single complaint right up the ladder to the hatchery that had sent them labeled as just “Turkens”. They haven’t been at our store since folks started to discover, and I think (and hope) the complaints were heard, or at least would be sent advertised as Pioneer Broilers! I am sad we couldn’t make the very best of our situation, but it did lead us to our five lovely Turken pullets from Cackle that are just stunning and sweet. Really hoping you (and everyone else!) has an outcome you are happy with in such a peculiar situation.

Thank you so much for the quick response. I am going to have to monitor them closely. It has already been a stress because the “pullets” both appear to be surprise cockerels and I don’t have the space in the flock for multiple roosters. They already (6 weeks) are showing signs of stress from their size. They lay down constantly, pant way more than any of the other chicks/hens etc. I appreciate the feedback!!

 

[newchickychick]

Thank you so much for the quick response. I am going to have to monitor them closely. It has already been a stress because the “pullets” both appear to be surprise cockerels and I don’t have the space in the flock for multiple roosters. They already (6 weeks) are showing signs of stress from their size. They lay down constantly, pant way more than any of the other chicks/hens etc. I appreciate the feedback!!

Ours were supposed to be pullets too, all roos! It’s a shame, one without a naked neck we got from the same bin was a sweetheart until the last few days when the feather eating started. But definitely showed the signs of stress from weight. I’m sorry you’ve had to deal with this surprise too! Definitely cannot recommend trying again elsewhere if the opportunity ever arises though. Our newest ones are about a month old now and just so sweet!

 

[Amsgrat]

Ours were supposed to be pullets too, all roos! It’s a shame, one without a naked neck we got from the same bin was a sweetheart until the last few days when the feather eating started. But definitely showed the signs of stress from weight. I’m sorry you’ve had to deal with this surprise too! Definitely cannot recommend trying again elsewhere if the opportunity ever arises though. Our newest ones are about a month old now and just so sweet!

That’s a happy ending all the best!!

 

[Exhibitionhouse]

Just finished reading everyone’s input on this thread and wanted to share our experience. We got three “turkens” from tsc. This is the first time I’ve really decided to look into why they’re so much heavier and wider than my other chickens. They were full grown at like 8 weeks. Seem to be pioneer broilers from what I can tell. Two of the three can’t roost and lay down much more than the others. And one has a visible limp. I don’t think I’m strong enough to put either of them down. I’ve been putting them on the lowest roost bars every night so they don’t get pooped on. Limiting food isn’t really realistic for our flock but at least our RIR and barred rocks chase them around constantly and they free range all day.

 

[Amsgrat]

Just finished reading everyone’s input on this thread and wanted to share our experience. We got three “turkens” from tsc. This is the first time I’ve really decided to look into why they’re so much heavier and wider than my other chickens. They were full grown at like 8 weeks. Seem to be pioneer broilers from what I can tell. Two of the three can’t roost and lay down much more than the others. And one has a visible limp. I don’t think I’m strong enough to put either of them down. I’ve been putting them on the lowest roost bars every night so they don’t get pooped on. Limiting food isn’t really realistic for our flock but at least our RIR and barred rocks chase them around constantly and they free range all day.

Just finished reading everyone’s input on this thread and wanted to share our experience. We got three “turkens” from tsc. This is the first time I’ve really decided to look into why they’re so much heavier and wider than my other chickens. They were full grown at like 8 weeks. Seem to be pioneer broilers from what I can tell. Two of the three can’t roost and lay down much more than the others. And one has a visible limp. I don’t think I’m strong enough to put either of them down. I’ve been putting them on the lowest roost bars every night so they don’t get pooped on. Limiting food isn’t really realistic for our flock but at least our RIR and barred rocks chase them around constantly and they free range all day.

To update about mine, they are 18 weeks now and both are hens. I was confused about them possibly being roosters because they matured and got red combs and wattles so quickly. They stopped growing at about 10-12 weeks but are definitely huge compared to the rest of the flock. They fit in nicely with the rest of the flock and are very sweet. They can’t make it to the roosting bar so they do both unfortunately sleep on the ground in the coop.

 

[Paradisewife]

I absolutely LOVE my Turkens!! I will always have them now. But I will look for a heritage line that isn't crossed with anything.

They do well with a perch that is 2" to 4" off the ground (or inside a smaller coop). We started with about 6" up in the coop when they were under about 12 weeks old, and then dropped it to 4".
Face it: they are total clutzes. We a
Gave them the same 2"x2", but on ground level, it's aparently not a perch. 2 inches up and they are now happy.
They are also not pilot material. No flying that counts. We wanted them up off the ground, of course, but didn't want crash landings, so Jason decided to build a ladder. He used scrap wood, and is someone who 'wings it' and 'goes with the flow'.
Don't be harsh, it works
The ideal height of each step seems to be about 6"-8". My 4 girls use it for up AND down, thank goodness. The roost inside is now perfect. Sorry the next photo was before I cleaned....4 in a row, nice & tidy.

The two boxes on the ground no longer have perches. They started laying this last week (22 wks), and have layed in both, as well as behind the perch up top.

We're in the high desert - 4300 ft in SW New Mexico, and these ladies were the champions of the summer. The sun is intense at this altitude. Even with misters, fans & plenty of shade, we had 4 chickens in our 'ICU' (in the house, in air conditioning) for 3-7 days at different times during the summer because of the heat. 3 were black chickens and 1 was dark red (buckeye). The Turkens? Shade, damp dirt and a mister nozzle nearby = happy Turkens.

Cuddles, CocoaPuff, Plushy, & TeddiBear. And the Porcelain d'uccle rooster: Silver Marauder, (aka Commando, aka Contra, aka Striker, etc)

Aka "Would you get off of her!!!!??: