My Breeding Royal Palm

[SaraF]

I just wanted to share pictures of my breeding royal palm tom. He is 7 years old now, and is my show bird, almost perfecting the Standard of Perfection. He has shown at the county fair for many years, winning Grand Champion Breeding every year. Also showed at the State Fair when he was a young jake, but no longer allowed becuase he is over 1 yr old. Also will be showing at the Ohio National hopefully, in November. Quick Note: He is a Hatchery Bird!I did not breed him in a long time to get his qualities, I got him from Murray McMurray, and he was the only Royal Palm Tom I ordered. (ordered 1 male RP, 1 fm RP, and 2 blue slates) What luck.

Just this summer, he fathered 7 beautiful poults. Majority were female, and 2 males. I gave most of them away, saving 1 male and 2 female for showing in the next years. They show some great quality, but not as superior as their father, since the lack of their mother's color. These were their first hatch in their 7 years of trying! I am so proud.

If they produce a next batch, or their poults (who are going on 3 months now) produce some, watch out

I might be selling some.

So here he is... "King Tut", (female/mother of poults: "Queenie")
He is missing some feathers; he's going through a new feather stage and loosing some flight feathers, chest feathers, and the second band(tail coverts) in the pictures.

His offspring with juv. feathers. 3 months, male on right, female on left.

Tell me what you think!

 

[OmaBird]

I think that is great breeding when they produce to a old age. I have some old toms that I use for breeding too. Some people only use there breeders for three years. Fertility should not drop in only three years. In my opionion if they are not good and fertile to a old age they should not be breeders and I don't want that line. That is part of the standards of the heritage breeds.

My first heritage turkeys where from Strongberg. I have heard such bad things about hatchery birds and strongberg, but the birds I got where the best. Long lived and fertile to a old age. I still have a few hens that are laying that I think are 9 years old. They seem to lay as well as any other hen. Can't even imagin needing breeder replacements every three years. I think the original stock I got was the reason my birds now are so fertile.

Royal Palms have Oregon Gray in there bloodlines. That color is related to good fertility. I hope you make lots of money with your babys. Are you sure you want to sell them?

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

Quote:
Who uses breeders for three years? List names of BYC members, the mods like that when you call somebody out in case you don't remember your vacation. If you want to go back to getting snippy again please knock yourself out

There is no reason to go back to that.

Steve

 

[OmaBird]

Thanks for the e-mail Steve trying to provoke again. I didn't say anything about you.

 

[toto65]

Beautiful Palms, I am still waiting to see if my 3 are male or female. They are 14 weeks old so hopefully it won't be much longer.

 

[Tunastopper]

I just love the Palms. Very nice looking Tom. You should be proud.

 

[SaraF]

Quote:
Well, I dont have much room for a large stock. In this years case, I keep the best ones for show. The others were sold to an indian family who keep them for their unique colored feathers and make them into gifts. Those birds wernt of such great color. and I sold the next ones under the ones I kept to a family with a young girl starting 4-H, she is planning on showing them and I encouraged her to get into poultry. Though I gave them to her at a young age, her birds may have better quality than the ones I kept

I think I will continue to keep some of the better coloring, and sell the others to families who enjoy turkeys. Once the line gets better and produces much better color quality, I may sell them to other breeders/showers. I will be going to college next yr for Pre-Vet and will have to leave my turkeys behind, so we will have to see what happens

 

[SaraF]

Toto65- It shouldn't be much longer! once they get around that 1month-2months you should really be able to tell. When looking, first look for large legs/feet and a wattle start, those are usually the males.

Tunastopper- Thank you

I am very proud, it has taken me such a long time.

 

[momma's chickens]

Very pretty!

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

Quote:
not to heat the pot, but
dont think it's an issue of fertility at all, but productivity,
males are good at any age, hens will slow down with age.
At least mine do after 4-5 years. They still lay well, but nothing like the 1 a day younger hens do, and not nearly as long. My young girls lay 9 months out of the year, while the geriatrics only 6 months and 1 every other day.
This has nothing to do with genetics, as I have tons of turkeys, wild and domestic, from a multitude of lines, all of them do it here after they hit 4-5 years of age. Just part of getting old, all birds of any species slow down in production with age, not fertility....