Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[flgardengirl]

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I dont know about all turkeys. I have the Bronze turkeys. I got them from the feed store so they are probably hatchery stock. I really expected them to be mean like dh said his were when he was little. I didn't expect them to be smart and sweet and clingy lol. Our male broke his neck somehow recently I think he must of ran into the boat trying to get away from a predator or else something else did it to him. Anyhow, I really miss him he followed me around like a puppy dog even worse than the two turkey hens that I have left do. They are really sweet. They like to be petted a little and talked to but not picked up. They are too fat too fly now and grew pretty fast. They are smarter than our chickens and will not drink nasty water...they love fresh water coming straight from the faucet best.
I think we majorly traumatized one of the hens the other day when we culled our male muscovey ducks. Dh had one butchered and draining in the killing cone and this hen came up and started the worst sorrowful call at the top of her lungs. She had a horrified look on her face too. She stood there and watched us skin him out etc and cried the whole time!!! They are not dumb she knew exactly what was going on- poor girl.

awww....thats sad....poor empathetic girlie

Yep my dd took a pic of the turkey "being traumatized" I will have to try and get it off her phone lol. Next time I think I am gonna lock her up somewhere she is just too nosy and wants to stand there and watch the entire thing.
I really don't think I can cull those two turkey girls for Thanksgiving like we were planning too. I hope dh doesn't get mad LOL!! Has anyone eaten turkey eggs? I need an arguement/justification. When do turkeys start laying?

 

[Hens and Roos]

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awww....thats sad....poor empathetic girlie

Yep my dd took a pic of the turkey "being traumatized" I will have to try and get it off her phone lol. Next time I think I am gonna lock her up somewhere she is just too nosy and wants to stand there and watch the entire thing.
I really don't think I can cull those two turkey girls for Thanksgiving like we were planning too. I hope dh doesn't get mad LOL!! Has anyone eaten turkey eggs? I need an arguement/justification. When do turkeys start laying?

we've eaten turkey eggs and they are just as good as chicken eggs, we had a turkey hen that the kids took to fair and she started laying- she was a BBBronze and was just about 5 months which I am told is early. Hope that helps.

 

[Debbi]

Despite the PO, all 18 eggies made it here unscathed!! Will let them rest overnight, then into the bator tomorrow. She did an EXCELLENT packing job!!!

I'll get a pic of the eggs later, I'm pooped...

Lynette ~ Oh the poor turkey dear!! I'll bet she's traumatized! She's probably having little turkey nightmares knowing that may also be her fate!! Animals are so smart, and they do mourn. I've looked at the Bourban Reds, and the Broad Breasted Bronzes too. The BRs seem to be most common in my area. Guess I'll have to make a special wire brooder for turkey poults...oh God, I can see where this is going already!

Yes, they lay in the spring, like March/April I think? My memory won't let me remember when spring turkey season is, but it is right before they start to lay. Don't know if domestics lay in the fall too??

 

[Hens and Roos]

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We have the best luck raising the baby turkey poults on a non-wire surface, we have had others tell us that they can pop their knee joints out when raised on wire.

Congrats on the eggies arriving safe and sound and

for a great hatch! Don't forget pictures

 

[NoisyCricket]

Can someone please critique this boy for me. He is about 18 weeks old. I am sort of new to chickens this year. I say sort of because we had a few we bought at horse auctions when I was a kid, and a several EE's my friend gave me about 10yrs ago, but I wasn't really all that into them then.

Am I right in thinking that he likely carries wheaton, due to his light colored hackles and legs? How is his body type?

Don't be afraid to call all his faults out. That is the best way for me to learn what to look for. I bought 5 chicks from someone in the next town. Three were cockerals. I gave the other two boys away and kept him because he had the nicest leg feathering.

 

[Debbi]

Oh Lordy, I can see I'm needing more research on the turkeys. I guess it depends who you ask about it, so far I've seen both arguements. Somewhere I read not to let the turkey poults on the ground where there are chickens, as they can contract Blackhead? Then there was something about BH being only in some locations, and when the chickens were wormy. Then someplace else said wild birds and earthworms carry BH too??

 

[Farmerboy16]

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I have raised turkeys and chickens together with no issues, when I first got my turkeys, I gave them meditated turkey starter to prevent Blackhead.

 

[Hens and Roos]

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We start with the turkeys in a wire dog crate until they out grow it, then they are put into a larger pen inside our work garage(has concrete floor) until the weather is nice enough at night for them to be outside. The pen outside has a gravel bottom which we tarp over and put shaving on- seems to work out for us

 

[BarnGoddess01]

Debbi: Glad to hear the eggs have arrived safely. I hope they hatch for you and haven't been scrambled during their trip!!

I have a dumb question

- is it possible for a roo to simply be too big for the girls? My BCM roo is HUGE and he also has a long, and I do mean LONG, flat back which perhaps doesn't help with flexibility. I'm not convinced he's making correct contact with most of my girls, especially the smaller ones. Does that happen with the bigger boys?

 

[Debbi]

Here is a pic of the eggs. Not the best color I've seen, but looks like a lot of them may be from new layers? I will have to ask her. Not a problem, the dark boys will darken the eggies up...I hope. Egg color I can work on, it's the other problems I hope to avoid this go around.