new to turkeys-needing some help please

[charlielynnsingletary]

This is Gibblet. A neighbor gave her to us in July. The only thing i know about her is she was under weight they were only feeding her sweet feed. They had gotten her last November and she was already laying. She has put on a good bit of weight since we got her. We feed her laying pellets, cracked corn, fresh veggies and fruits. Can anyone give me any tips on how to keep her happy. And when can expect some eggs. Thank you.

 

[bargain]

She would really like some turkey feed. I'm guessing she's about 4 months old....Do you know?

Looks like she's a royal palm....

She won't lay eggs this year but will probably be laying in the spring sometime..... Our Royal palms started laying back in March if I recall. They went pretty strong until about 2 weeks ago and now an egg about every three days...kinda like a see you next season card...smile...Surprisingly enough our turkey eggs have been fertile even this late in the season. We have a happy jake with the 4 girls.

She would probably like some company....like a young jake about her age would be good for her also.

Fresh grass and grubs they love to eat....Do you have any way to make that cage mobile so you can move it around the yard? Ours are presently in mobile hoop pens. They will go to a large run in a few days, with the girls on one side and the boys on the other side and a guardian animal for them.

Congratulations on your lady. Please let me know if you have more questions.

Have a blessed day.

 

[retiredwithchicks]

They do quit laying in the fall and wait until spring to begin again. Ours have been quit for several weeks now.

 

[the Old Rebel]

Sure enough, the laying season is pretty much over for this year. But if you want her to lay well next year, she needs some turkey or gamebird breeder feed. Gamebirds like turkeys and guineas and peacocks need a higher protein content than chickens. Did she lay at all for you this year??

She is a pretty girl.

Keeping her with chickens is ok, but can be dangerous for the turkey. Chickens carry blackhead disease. It doesn't hurt the chickens, but it can be deadly for turkeys. I've raised them together without any problems, but now I keep them separated for that reason.

Good luck with her!!

 

[charlielynnsingletary]

no she didn't lay. i just got her in july. the person we got her from said she laid last year though. we are in the process of expanding and building a couple different coops and runs. so hopefully she will be moved before she starts laying.

 

[the Old Rebel]

If she laid last year, she should have been laying in July and August of this year. Her malnutrition probably kept her from doing so. So the weight gain is good. But get her gamebird breeder feed.

Also, you may want to worm her. You can safely use Safeguard (also known as panacure). Also, Wazine helps in the control of large roundworms.

Be sure to check her for "bugs" (lice and mites). If you can hold her, check around her vent for signs of lice and/or mites. Also on the back of her neck and under her wings. If you see tiny little crawling things, get a good mite and lice spray and spray her with it, being careful not to get it in her eyes. Mites and lice can really deplete a bird. A lot of folks on BYC use DE (diatomaceous earth) in pens and coops and wherever their birds take a dust bath. That also helps in the control of external parasites.

If I can be of any further help to you, please feel free to "PM" me (that means private message me - just in case you don't know that. I've been on BYC forever and I'm still learning what a lot of stuff means and how to go about doing it). But I'll be happy to help you any way I can.

Good luck with your girl. Turkeys are absolutely awesome creatures.