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Thanks! How old is your roo? My boys are huge too, but have noooooo problem getting the job done. Crack a few open and check for fertility, or pop some in the bator??
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Well since this has turned into a social club of late, will give you a pointer. Look at the backend of his comb and I can not see real good but believe he has a Carnation or at least a sprig.
Just to add that his leg color is what is called for in SOP, light slate.
Quote: NoisyCricket ~ The first thing that really stands out to me, is he is a little roachy in the back. Second are the light hackle/saddle feathers and light eyes. At 18 weeks, he has a lot more growing to do, and I have seen those roach backs grow out as they mature. The color won't get better though. He has a lot more filling out to do body-wise too. Depends on the line he came from too, as to how long it takes them to fill out. I have one roo that is almost a year old, that is still growing. He has always been much slighter than my other boys, but all of a sudden, he is filling in and getting broader. I do like your boy's tail and shank feathering! Hang on to him as long as you can and see how he developes.
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Thanks! How old is your roo? My boys are huge too, but have noooooo problem getting the job done. Crack a few open and check for fertility, or pop some in the bator??
He is 22 weeks old. I'm shaking my head a bit with this boy. I keep thinking he might be over weight as well. He's SO big. (He has HUGE legs so it isn't just a weight issue if he is over weight. He is a BIG boy.) He doesn't even try with some of the smaller/younger girls that are offering themselves to him. And with the girls I do see him mounting - he's missing the mark - literally.
Maybe something is getting home but definitely not all.
Alright, this is my first time posting here--I was given some Davis Copper Marans eggs this summer. They were old but free--I was able to hatch 2 chicks from them. I had admired the eggs from these birds but knew very little about them and now I have 2 of them. I think they are pullets--what do you think?
I am really crossing my fingers for hens....
I like them so much I am thinking of adding some more to the flock in the spring!
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Thanks! How old is your roo? My boys are huge too, but have noooooo problem getting the job done. Crack a few open and check for fertility, or pop some in the bator??
He is 22 weeks old. I'm shaking my head a bit with this boy. I keep thinking he might be over weight as well. He's SO big. (He has HUGE legs so it isn't just a weight issue if he is over weight. He is a BIG boy.) He doesn't even try with some of the smaller/younger girls that are offering themselves to him. And with the girls I do see him mounting - he's missing the mark - literally.
Maybe something is getting home but definitely not all.
Do you have other roosters that he can learn from? I know we had one rooster that was a jerk to his girls and they didn't like him but he must have started paying attention to the boy in the next pen and took lessons from him- it seemed like all of a sudden he change his ways. If he is big does he have a balance problem and he's not at the right angle?
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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.
Oh thank you that means my hens should be laying any time now
We eat muscovy eggs and they are fabulous to bake with but haven't ever tried turkey eggs before. I'm glad to hear they are good too. I think mine are just the regular bronze (not BBB), at least that's what people on the turkey forum said.
The turkeys my dh had when he was little that were mean were big white ones. Maybe the bronze types of turkeys are nicer.
Debbie: I've heard that about blackhead as well but I run all my ducks, turkeys, guineas, and chickens together when they freerange and no problems. In fact one of my blue birchen marans girls is best friends with the turkey hens and she thinks she is a turkey too. Boy would she be mad at me if I took her turkeys away from her to put in freezer camp lol.