Male-female ratio in a heritage flock ?

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

Molt can be triggered by stress, you can force a molt by withholding light and lowering protien in the feed, -stressing the bird.

A way to bring one out is quailty feed, but still that will take time, the molt has to run it's course once started. At 5 months old you should be feeding 19%+ protein feed.

If loosing feathers and growing in more at 5 months there may be something else going on? The weather could figure in but at his age he should be coming into the adult feathers. Without knowing what had happened before you got him it's hard to tell.

Give him some fresh greens - cabbage, collards, squash they seem to really like. We boil back alot of our eggs to the birds and that helps. If you have a dog look at what some raw eggs in their feed does to their coat.

Steve

 

[Harp Turkey Ranch]

For outside space as much as you can give them, our pens are probabably a 1/3 of an acre which give them plenty of room.

Can you post a pic of your pens so we all can get an idea of what that size would be ??

So u give all ur turkeys a 1/3 acre pen each breed ?? all to themselves ?? how many turkeys or other birds do you have in these pens all at the same time z??​

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

Quote:
Can you post a pic of your pens so we all can get an idea of what that size would be ??

So u give all ur turkeys a 1/3 acre pen each breed ?? all to themselves ?? how many turkeys or other birds do you have in these pens all at the same time z??

Harp,
our pictures are all over our web site, and have been posted all over BYC we aren't camera shy in the least like you are.

Our Bronze have a pen to themselves
Bourbon Reds share with a quad of White Embden Geese, a trio of India Blue Peafowl and Buff Orpingtons
Royal Palms share with a trio of Toulouse Geese, Muscovy ducks, & Araucana's
White Hollands share with Cuckoo Marans chickens
Beltsville Whites share with Cochins
Midget Whites share with RIR's and jumbo Guineas

Steve in NC

 

[Harp Turkey Ranch]

Removed flaming commentary.
If you have a question, ask it in a polite manner.
Do not accuse and do not flame.

 

[BeccaOH]

So, I got the trio of BR on Saturday. The tom has a scratched eye from being in a rather confining cage for half the day.

But he let me apply a bit of bag balm around it.

(yes, I should get pictures)

I'd have to guess the tom being 2 years old. Will I get any more fertile eggs from this trio this year?

If not, I'm considering letting this tom be turkey dinner (too tough?) and letting my young tom take over breeding in the spring.

Is it true that if old tom even sees young tom there could be a big fight?

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

once they settle in it's possible you will get some eggs this year.

We eat older birds all the time and it's all in how you cook it. If you do the usual whole roasted bird in the oven it probably will be chewy

. For the older birds we cut them up and slow cook them. Yesterday we smoked 2 breast fillets on the grill from about a 18 month old tom, it was nice and tender....I wouldn't have to eat again for a couple days it was so good.

The toms will fight but what they are doing is setting up the pecking order. once they get that sorted out they will be fine. We just keep an eye on them to make sure they aren't doing major damage to each other and let them go.

Steve in NC