keeping turkey tails nice

[onthespot]

Say, (if my turkeys lay, eggs are fertile, poults hatch, grow nice, and look good as blossoming young birds...) if you wanted to show a turkey in the fall, how do you keep their tail feathers nice? Mine all have jagged broken tail feathers. I think it is from the hens breaking them off, or from them strutting aganist the wire... how do those show winning turkeys have such perfect looking tails? Wing tips too. You can't bind them up in foil wraps like show dogs. That much I know...

 

[Cacklin" Hens]

That is a REAL REAL GOOD question!!!!!!!!!!

 

[CountryPantry]

When I was showing poultry, our fairs were in November(county) January(district)
and February(state). We were fortunate enough to have some extra large stalls that we use to use for foaling mares. We covered the floor in shaving and put hay in a corner and a very low roost, about 2 feet off the ground. Our toms went in to these stalls in August after a bath....thats lots of fun!!. Each stall had its own paddock area so we could let them out for a little while each day. We would do this to 3 different toms as this is all the area we had available. The hens were put in a stall all together in August, they would usually start their molts then as mating season was over. This always worked for us. We had champions many years in a row. The week of the fair we started grooming the turkeys, washing feet, faces everyday so that they would be calm when we took them off and started handling them everyday. Ours were big pets so they all sat in our laps and liked to be petted. We showed Royal palm, Bronze and Holland.

 

[CountryPantry]

Sorry duplicated

 

[onthespot]

Thank you!!! That sounds like something I could manage. I think I'm getting the drift, no hens, no toms to agitate them through the wire, and as deluxe settings as possible, and "out" time to keep them happy, and lots of handling to help them deal with going to the show.... I'm not sure, but I'm thinking about it. Thanks for your help! I think I could do this...

 

[chickenannie]

I want to know how you wash a turkey tom's face (and feet) for that matter!

 

[ChanceRider]

Quote:

My only guess would be.... carefully?

 

[chickenannie]

Country Pantry,
Still wondering how you do it?

 

[pdpatch]

Turkeys only need to be together to mate every 15 days at the maximum. since the female will store vital sperm that long. So it would be possible to keep them in separate pens for about 2 weeks them put them together for a day or two.

Washing the face:
Well the first problem is getting a hold of the turkey, Then is not much more of problem then washing the face of a two year old kid.

This last summer when I rebuilt the out door pen I had a piece if wire i didn't get clipped. A female got her leg caught in it and the others tried to get her out but they ended up really hurting her really bad. As a result of that i had to clean here head several times a day for several weeks. I would clean a place on the floor for me to sit. Try and capture her which was not always easy. Cradle her on my left side with my arm wrapped around her and gently holding her heck just below her head. Then using my right hand wipe her eye's and wounds on her head, Yes she survived but she has no snood, no hair on her head, and crooked beak.

As far as the feet go I would guess it would take two people.

Tom

 

[CountryPantry]

Sorry I didn't answer sooner. We use a washcloth and warm water to wash the face and wattles of the Tom's. They don't like it at first but after a few times they will tolerate it.
I would straddle him and put my arms around his upper body while I washed his face. The feet are pretty easy, we just used an old baby bathtub and put warm water and Dawn dishwashing detergent in it, they like standing in water (or mud).