Post picture of your turkeys!

[Meaola]

Pics of my very first turkeys! I am in love. I am just floored at how different they are than chickens. My hubby knew I wanted a couple of Bourbon Reds and a couple of one of the wild turkey breeds to go along with what I am incubating this year. (Midgets and a heritage breed mixture). I had given up on them because we will have enough and I didnt want to order a big order of more. We also have 10 Broad Breasted turkeys coming in a couple of weeks, which we are planning on processing. I am splitting that order with a friend from work. Anyhow, a local breeder had Bourbon Reds and Rio Grandes at the feed store yesterday...and instead of flowers, I got 2 Bourbon Reds and two Rio Grandes (good man..lol). One of the Rio Grandes peeps like crazy when he cant see us. They are in the house, at the moment. I named it Peeping Tom...boy, he is needy. Not sure of course if it is "he"...but it is the largest one. I carried one of the Bourbon Reds around last night, keeping it extra warm and tube feeing it pedialyte and egg yolk, as it was not doing well. This morning it is eating and drinking with the others just fine. It is the smallest of the 4. We will put them in the brooder today. They spent the night in a dog carrier with a heat lamp on them in the house. They said they were about 9 days old...does that appear
correct?

 

[WalnutHill]

They look to be about a week old give or take a few days, but I don't see any Bourbon Reds in that box!

Bourbon Reds look like this:

 

[Meaola]

LMBO.....well, that is hilarious! There are two darker striped ones...supposed to be Rio Grande turkeys and two lighter striped with reddish tint in the fluff and feathers that we were told were Bourbon Reds. Omg, I can't stop laughing. I sure didn't do my homework. So what kind do you think they might be? I suppose it might be hard to tell? Oh well, I love them anyway! Boy are they needy and affectionate! I never knew turkeys were like this. Every time I walk away from them, they peep, peep peep. It was just one, but now two of them are at it. They are still in the house and sleeping is a bit of a challenge with Peeping Tom and Bo PEEP. I am sure they would be very content to just hang out with me all day and NIGHT. . I did most of my research on incubation of the eggs and the adult turkeys so I had no idea that poults were not like chicks. It is a very pleasant surprise...not that I don't like chicks . I just can't get over how different they are.

I wonder if the others are actually Rio Grande Turkeys...?

 

[WalnutHill]

You'll find out what they are when they get some feathers and a few week's growth on them.

All of the wild turkeys have dark and distinctive marbled patterning which provides excellent camouflage in the wild. Standard bronze and broad breasted bronze have the same pattern, bot not quite as much contrast. Narragansett show a little more silver early on, a slight fade to the color, but unless you see them side by side it is VERY difficult to ID a Narragansett poult from a bronze poult by color until itts adult plumage comes in. Broad Breasted Bronze will soon distinguish themselves by size and rolling gait.

Broad Breasted bronze are very fast growing and affectionate. My Narragansetts are the most interactive turkeys I've ever had, they call to me from the coop when they see me and even as adults, approach when I come down. One hen still likes to crawl in my lap and snuggle, she is over a year old now. The toms come up to get petted. And it's not for treats, I don't give them.

Whatever you got, they are adorable!

 

[Meaola]

You'll find out what they are when they get some feathers and a few week's growth on them.

All of the wild turkeys have dark and distinctive marbled patterning which provides excellent camouflage in the wild. Standard bronze and broad breasted bronze have the same pattern, bot not quite as much contrast. Narragansett show a little more silver early on, a slight fade to the color, but unless you see them side by side it is VERY difficult to ID a Narragansett poult from a bronze poult by color until itts adult plumage comes in. Broad Breasted Bronze will soon distinguish themselves by size and rolling gait.

Broad Breasted bronze are very fast growing and affectionate. My Narragansetts are the most interactive turkeys I've ever had, they call to me from the coop when they see me and even as adults, approach when I come down. One hen still likes to crawl in my lap and snuggle, she is over a year old now. The toms come up to get petted. And it's not for treats, I don't give them.

Whatever you got, they are adorable!

The two that have a reddish tint resemble the two in your profile pic. But, I know many of them look so similar at this age. I will post pics of them as they get older and hopefully, by adulthood, we will be able to figure it out. I will call the feed store today and give them a head's up. I don't think the owner knew. I have been working with him for three years with the horse rescue, and I am sure he wouldn't have told us the wrong info unless that is what he was told. Thanks for letting me know so I wont continue to look like a boob...still LMBO though. I also believe they have coccidia. I saw a couple of specks of blood in the littlest one's poo, and one of the others. I started treating the water yesterday and actually tubed the small one with meds as it was still pretty weak, droopy winged...etc.. It does seem to be improving and the others are not weak, but their poo was not right. It was very stinky, too. Have you ever dealt with coccidia? I would like to have a game plan because we have more birds coming from two different hatcheries in the next few weeks, and I have eggs in the incubator. I am not sure how long I should leave them separated. Also, I know there are several strains of coccidia and although we live in a super dry climate, I am sure there is some around here and I read that some people actually start introducing the soil into the brooders when they are a few weeks old to build immunity. The turkeys will be housed on "virgin" dirt and away from the chickens and I was thinking that they should stay seperate in the brooder until? These will be the oldest ones anyway. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[Meaola]

The other issue I am having is that the little one is getting run over. Two of them are growing very fast and I bet they are now about 3 times the size of the little one. (One darker one and one reddish one) The other dark one is about twice the size of the little one. They are all catching on to "Mom is gone, let's pace and peep for her to come back", and I am not kidding... The second I come back, they are quiet and either go to sleep or happily wander pecking food and drinking.. and the little one gets mowed over during the "Come back MOMMY !"phase. I am worried that if I seperate the smallest one that it may not eat and drink by itself...but, since I will be home today, I may try it. Any advice for this would be appreciated, too. I still have not set up the brooder in the garage as I am waiting for some rescue dogs to leave. They are placed, but need to be fixed this week and I do not trust them in the garage with them...so the babies are in one of my carriers I have used for all sorts of rescued critters over the years that is cat and dog proof and a light can sit nicely on top for warmth. These little turkeys know when I walk out of the room and they let me know they are not happy about it.

 

[WalnutHill]

The two that have a reddish tint resemble the two in your profile pic. But, I know many of them look so similar at this age. I will post pics of them as they get older and hopefully, by adulthood, we will be able to figure it out. I will call the feed store today and give them a head's up. I don't think the owner knew. I have been working with him for three years with the horse rescue, and I am sure he wouldn't have told us the wrong info unless that is what he was told. Thanks for letting me know so I wont continue to look like a boob...still LMBO though. I also believe they have coccidia. I saw a couple of specks of blood in the littlest one's poo, and one of the others. I started treating the water yesterday and actually tubed the small one with meds as it was still pretty weak, droopy winged...etc.. It does seem to be improving and the others are not weak, but their poo was not right. It was very stinky, too. Have you ever dealt with coccidia? I would like to have a game plan because we have more birds coming from two different hatcheries in the next few weeks, and I have eggs in the incubator. I am not sure how long I should leave them separated. Also, I know there are several strains of coccidia and although we live in a super dry climate, I am sure there is some around here and I read that some people actually start introducing the soil into the brooders when they are a few weeks old to build immunity. The turkeys will be housed on "virgin" dirt and away from the chickens and I was thinking that they should stay seperate in the brooder until? These will be the oldest ones anyway. Any advice would be appreciated.

Those in my profile are Narragansetts. They are a beautiful bird, bronze based pattern but the brown is replaced with silver/gray. It's not visible until the adult feathers come in, where bronzes develop dark wing coverts and Narragansetts develop a steel gray wing bar. The rest of the body feathers color according to variety as well.

I like the heritage turkeys, each variety is a little different and they are so curious and friendly!

Coccidia is a "normal" event every year when we move our brooder babies out into the coop and onto the ground. Corid, available at TSC, dissolved in drinking water is a great tool to combat the coccidia. I've never lost a bird to it after using Corid. I prefer to get my babies raised to 2-3 weeks before putting them in contact with soiled surfaces, and I start the Corid right away. Corid doesn't kill them all, it just knocks it down to a number that the birds can fight. Springtime is the worst around here, when the worms (which carry coccidiosis) come up out of the cool moist ground for easy feasting by the birds. Wild birds bring it in in their feces.

Given the uncertainties of avian influenza, I would physically isolate groups of birds for 30 days before bringing them together. That means no swapping of waterers or feeders, no sharing of ground.

When you do bring them together, turkeys are generally a lot less drama then chickens. A flock of sex link layer hens will kill one or two different looking chickens introduced in the bunch. Turkeys? I think they consider themselves a higher order of life and for the most part don't engage in as many petty squabbles.

To keep your little ones from getting squashed, you can add a low roofed shelf for the little ones to rest under, like a board on two bricks. If it edges up to the feeder and waterer, they can snack without interruption.

 

[Meaola]

Those in my profile are Narragansetts. They are a beautiful bird, bronze based pattern but the brown is replaced with silver/gray. It's not visible until the adult feathers come in, where bronzes develop dark wing coverts and Narragansetts develop a steel gray wing bar. The rest of the body feathers color according to variety as well.

I like the heritage turkeys, each variety is a little different and they are so curious and friendly!

Coccidia is a "normal" event every year when we move our brooder babies out into the coop and onto the ground. Corid, available at TSC, dissolved in drinking water is a great tool to combat the coccidia. I've never lost a bird to it after using Corid. I prefer to get my babies raised to 2-3 weeks before putting them in contact with soiled surfaces, and I start the Corid right away. Corid doesn't kill them all, it just knocks it down to a number that the birds can fight. Springtime is the worst around here, when the worms (which carry coccidiosis) come up out of the cool moist ground for easy feasting by the birds. Wild birds bring it in in their feces.

Given the uncertainties of avian influenza, I would physically isolate groups of birds for 30 days before bringing them together. That means no swapping of waterers or feeders, no sharing of ground.

When you do bring them together, turkeys are generally a lot less drama then chickens. A flock of sex link layer hens will kill one or two different looking chickens introduced in the bunch. Turkeys? I think they consider themselves a higher order of life and for the most part don't engage in as many petty squabbles.

To keep your little ones from getting squashed, you can add a low roofed shelf for the little ones to rest under, like a board on two bricks. If it edges up to the feeder and waterer, they can snack without interruption.

Thank you. At what age can they have scraps of veges and stuff like that? Is there anytihing that turkeys should not eat? I do give my chickens left over fruit and veges, stale bread, etc ( I do not give them any meat though) can turkeys have the same? OMG...they crack me up! Chris is going to have to make us a play pen to play outside when it is warm....today would have been a perfect day for it... Trying to type and they are getting louder and louder since I walked away. Um, how in the world will I be able to eat them if they stay like this? I can see the news now...horse rescue gone under, owner became a turkey hoarder <3 I do enjoy my chickens, but these turkeys have me wrapped! Glad to know they are not as dramatic and "territorial". More are coming and I am so looking forward to my Midget hatching. I really hope it makes it. Lock down for it and the Dorkings in 5 days.

 

[WalnutHill]

I'm surprised that with 4, that you have a crybaby. One lone turkey is definitely not going to do well without a lot of hands on interaction. But I have three right now, and they don't give a care if I am there or not.

I only feed starter and grit for the first week. The second week I might toss a treat or two in, but not to make a measurable portion of the diet. You can train them very easily, but be careful as you may have more attention than you want out of the deal. I have a "lap hen" who is always checking my pockets for goodies. I am not aware of anything that is good for chickens that is not safe for turkeys.

During breeding season toms can get stupid, and sometimes dangerous. The same behavior as roosters, but on a larger scale. That said, I have two Narragansett toms in breeding hormones right now and I can walk in and pet them and pick them up without the slightest concern.

You will find that your snaps, buttons, zipper pulls, shoelaces, glasses, jewelry, nail polish, and anything different is going to be inspected and tasted. Turkeys are insanely curious.

 

[Meaola]

Thank you for all of the info. I have read blogs where some think turkeys are slow or dumb. I don't think so! But then, some people believe the same about other species of animals. They appear to be pretty intelligent to me. For goodness sakes, they are training me to come when they call. Two of them are doing it now. Good to know about treats and about potentially aggressive behavior. I am using Albon (sulfadimethoxine) for the little one since it had blood in the stool and pretty serious lethargy. I don't know where to go from here, though. Today is day 2 and the stools are now normal. I am not sure if I should stop or continue for a couple of more days. I am actually surprised this one is still alive. It has perky moments and is eating and drinking, but still not normal amounts. (Sleeps a lot) I had to make a decision since I did not have Corid on hand, but had the Albon. It is supposed to kill it and I know that small amounts of coccidia is normal and helps to build an immunity...so maybe I should still use Corid later just before they go out and are mixed with others? When I have a chance, I will try and take pics of the size difference. I am not sure if it is younger or just hasn't been thriving (even before I got it) Maybe you have some tips for me. I have raised many different spieces of birds, and am skilled at tubing them...so I have been supplementing this one. It does feel heavier. At first it was just skin and bones. The others were not plump either, I might add...but even in just two days, their growth is obvious. Are yours in the house? Maybe these are like this because they can hear and see me come and go around them? They know when I go outside and they REALLY get loud then.
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