Raising turkey questions

[K Epp]

I got two bronze poults Thursday. Not sure if they are standard or broad I'm going to call the feed store tomorrow and find out. They had just gotten them in when I made my purchase, but the poults are getting wing feathers now. I have them in with my small chicks (Silkies and Bantams) I tried putting them in with larger chicks, but they where clumsie and were getting bumped around. Right now they are doing fine with the little chicks. One has even made buddies with the smallest Bantam I have.



Is there anything I need to do special for them? Now they are the first to run to me when I open the brooder. They want to peck on my fingers. If I pick them up they will snuggle in my hand. I want to raise them as pets. Should I discourage them from getting my fingers. Is there anything else I should do to ensure friendly birds?

 

[Celie]

If you bought them from a feed store, they are probably BBB, so I would not name them and plan to be processing them in about 6 months or so if they are. Sorry, but BBB are not a long lived breed. I hope they are the, Standard Bronze Heritage breed, for you sake, so you can keep them for pets! If they are BBB, you will have them longer, by restricting their feed after the first few weeks, because with rapid growth comes leg and heart problems with the hybrid breeds!

 

[K Epp]

Quote:
Can you tell from a better pic of the poult? they get most of their stuff from Idea in TX. I checked their web site and they have both kinds. Hopefully I have the Standard.

 

[K Epp]

Quote:
Can you tell from a better pic of the poult? they get most of their stuff from Idea in TX. I checked their web site and they have both kinds. Hopefully I have the Standard.

 

[Celie]

Not at that age, sorry!

 

[K Epp]

Thank Goodness.... I have Standard. Now just to tell if I have Tom's or Hens... From the way they walk around now I think I have one of each. One of the little buggers hold his head up and struts around. Then he stumbles because he is so clumbsy. They are a delight to watch.

 

[Glor]

Celie, My father inlaw had turkeys and they didn't use any shelter even in the snow. We live in MA. I'm going to be hatching eggs that my daughter ordered from M McM in a few weeks. I'm planning to make a lean tube, a three sided walk in shelter when they are old enough to be outside. With my chicken eggs I keep them inside my house a week then put them in the coop which has what I call the nursery, a brooder area separated from the big birds and I put one heat lamp (make sure it is not teflon coated or they could die from that), and I also put a regular 100watt household bulb further a way and will use that method with the turkeys. How have you made out. I notice your posts were done in March, and what did you end up doing?