Oh my goodness my Narragansett poults are sweet! I'm doomed!

[Hummingbird Hollow]

So this is my third summer raising turkeys (my 5th with chickens). The first year I had some Royal Palms (was told at the feed store they were BBW). Last year I tried Bourbon Reds and this year I dedided to try Narragansetts. Now I will say that all turkey poults are sweet, social, inquisitive little creatures...much friendlier than baby chickens, but these Narragansetts are something extra. They all gather round to examine my hands and peck at my jewelry every time I put my hands in the brooder to clean bedding or freshen food or water, but there is one that has started to hop on my hand and then climb up my arm to sit on my shoulder and talk to me. She/he comes running as soon as my hand is in the brooder and up she/he goes. My husband keeps reminding me that someday it will be 15 or 20 pounds and I should nip that habit in the bud, but it is so darn cute.

This evening I heard one of the poults calling from the garage so I went out to check to see what was the matter. It was running around the brooder trying to fly up the sides. When I reached in and picked it up it nestled down in my palm and went to sleep. Several moments later I tried to put it back down and it repeated the frantic running around until I picked it back up again. This is new, since the poults are almost two weeks old and have never done this particular behavior before.



There are eight of them so you think snuggling together would be enough. Does anyone else have turkeys that want to be cuddled?

 

[WalnutHill]

I have a yearling hen who wants to cuddle. She called to me the other day and waited to lay her egg until I was in there talking to her.

 

[Hummingbird Hollow]

That is so very cute. I am raising these turkeys for the table, hoping to give them as happy and stress free a life as possible until the last minute. However, if I continue to have turkeys that want to be held and cuddled I may be in trouble this time.

 

[WalnutHill]

If you have room to keep a breeding trio, next year could be even more rewarding. My third generation of Narragansetts is now laying the fourth generation. Eventually you'll have to swap some stock but it's a start.

 

[Hummingbird Hollow]

Yeah, that thought has occurred to me. The trouble is, I've made this deal with my husband that while I can raise all sorts of meat birds during the early summer, by late summer all I have are the turkeys and the egg layers, and by winter, only the hens. It's hard to find turkey sitters and he likes to travel, ski etc. We'll see how the year progresses.

 

[WalnutHill]

Yeah, I understand that. But if you already keep hens over the winter, just keep the turkeys in with them. That's what we do.

 

[TattooedMama]

Narragansetts are awesome!! We had some last year and they were our first turkeys. We fell in love with them and just ordered 17 poults (oops!!) from porters this past week. I blame it on our first Narragansetts.