New turkey keeper with day old poults and questions!

[maidenwolfx80]

One male will mate with several females like chickens

 

[Gypsy07]

PsS. The one with the curled toes has just died, so I won't get to try straightening them out. I guess it just wasn't right straight from the start. It was oddly shaky and didn't really try to stand up. The one I pulled out of the dried up egg is now out of my incubator and in with the other nine. It's a bit runty beside the rest of them but looks full of energy so I'm hoping it'll turn out okay...

 

[Gypsy07]

One male will mate with several females like chickens

Ah, thanks. So if these ten poults are five male and five female, I'd only really be looking to keep one of the boys then...

 

[maidenwolfx80]

Yes although I have 3 toms and 2 hens, i tried for 2 toms and 3 hens but that didnt work out, I love turkeys they are so full of personality they will not be butcherd.

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

Well, I'm hoping to pick out the best ones and keep them for breeding, and sell the spares for Xmas dinners. I don't think they'll be full size by this Xmas though so there's every chance I'll end up keeping them all if they're friendly and they've all got different little turkey personalities.

Oh, they'll have a LOT of personality.

We got our first turkey as a joke on me by my boyfriend and one of the "funny" people at the feed store (hahaha, they are SO funny as babies, but hahahaha they don't make as nice housemates as the chicks due to the voluminous stenchiness of their droppings, and hahaha time to build another coop because we don't want them getting Black Head from the chickens, never mind we probably don't have that here, and hahaha now it's time for another coop because we grossly underestimated their growth rate and the poor turkey coop is bulging at the joints). So we got a few more to keep Joker company (hahaha the "friends" cost me about $50 extra). That means we were not very careful about breed selection. We ended up with 5 Broad Breasted Bronze birds (3 toms, 2 hens) and they are SO much fun. Unfortunately, research tells me they are not a breed you can keep ... they're Frankenturkeys that grow so large they don't survive well beyond maturation, and they weigh so much they can't really breed. So, even though we're totally attached to them, they protect the yard better than our goofy dog and actually come when called, and they're constant clowns, we're going to have to dispatch them to dinner tables around Thanksgiving time. They should be up to 50 lbs by then. Not sure my oven will handle it.

Next time we'll select a keeping breed ... someone suggested Royal Palm. There are a few other heirloom breeds of turkeys to choose from, so it might depend on what's available.

From what I can tell, raising heritage turkeys, harvesting them right at the holidays so they're never frozen, and pasture raising them (organic, if possible) enables you to sell the birds for like $7 per pound! And this in an area where the major grocery stores give away commercial turkeys if you buy enough other groceries the week before Thanksgiving.

If the heritage turkeys are as easy and fun to raise as the Broad Breasted Bronze, we might do a CSA for them. But we are absolutely dreading this year's harvest.

I mean, seriously, look at those "little" faces!

 

[Gypsy07]

Aawww, they ARE very cute looking. I may have similar 'dispatching' problems a few months down the line. Mine aren't double breasted, just normal Bronzes, so they should be able to live and mate and all that stuff quite normally. I just love the noises turkeys make. Already notice that mine are MUCH noisier than chicks the same age. Also that (so far!) they're less skittish and don't all run and hide whenever I look in the brooder...

P.S. 50 lbs !?!?!

That's just wild!

 

[frank53061]

Like Chickens the Hen Picks the Tom and there can be several hens to one Tom the Strongest and prettiest get the most Hens.

 

[Turkeytruff]

one male services several females, if given the chance

 

[20736]

I think you will do fine, mainly because you seem to LOVE having turkeys and are willing to go the extra mile.
Like the others said, more protein for 14-16 WEEKS.
Our Royal Palms did fine with 18-20% protein. Plus, they can weed and get greens and bugs while doing it.
When they go outside, keep them penned up for a couple weeks before letting them out. They have to learn where home is.
GOOD LUCK!