Rare Turkeys

[BobwhiteQuailLover]

Hi everyone!!
I have a few questions!!

1. Are Burbon Reds, Blue Slates, Chocolate, and Royal Palm Turkeys easy to raise? Which one would be the best?
2. Which turkeys are the quietest?
3. Do they do better on wire or ground?
4. Are they tamed easily?
5. When do they start breeding season?


Thanks!!

 

[RAREROO]

Quote:
They are all about the same to raise. With poults the main thing is to keep them warm and dry and vaccinate for fowl pox at 6 weeks.

2. Which turkeys are the quietest?

They are all about the same, not really too loud

3. Do they do better on wire or ground?

For starting them, a brooder with wood chips would be better but wire works well too. When they do go to the ground, make sure their run stays dry and doesnt hold mud and water.

4. Are they tamed easily?

Mine were, I didnt put any effort into taming mine and they are usually at my feet all the time.

5. When do they start breeding season?

Usually from early spring to late summer is the breeding season. Some may start laying earlier or keep laying later than that though.​

 

[ColbyNTX]

Are you looking for heritage birds to eat? The RP's are real pretty but pretty small for a Thanksgiving feast. They all have a good taste. All of the heritage birds I have are nice but I hatched and raised all but a few. Of the breeds I have, the Narragansett is the sweetest bird of all not to mention stunning. Turkey poults are a little more difficult than chicks but not bad. I raise mine on 1/2X1/2 wire floor brooders until they are feathered out and then I move them to a natural floor pen in my barn until they get about half grown. Next they go outside in another pen for a few weeks so they can get to know the other turkeys and the others can get to know them. When I let them into the flock, there is a bit of fighting but it's usually just pecking order. I do watch for a while just to make sure nobody is too aggressive.

 

[BobwhiteQuailLover]

Thanx!!

No, I am just raising them for 4-H!!

 

[BobwhiteQuailLover]

Anyone else?

 

[Denninmi]

My royal palms are pretty quiet. My ducks overall make more noise.

While they are strictly pets, I do admit to having some "impure thoughts" and looking them over a couple times in terms of meat -- they definitely look and feel "scrawny" compared to what I'm used to seeing on commercially raised turkeys from the store or market. They are a much more trim breed, not overly muscle bound and obese like a broadbreasted white would be. And, believe me, if anyone should have fat turkeys, it should be me, because I give them a LOT of extra goodies along with their regular diet of turkey pellets and a bit of cracked corn now that it's winter.

 

[Olive Hill]

Den -- I hate to be the bearer of bad news but those are not Royal Palms.

Did you get them from a hatchery?

 

[Breac]

With the exception of the Broad-breasted varieties, all turkeys are pretty much the same in terms of behavior, feeding, housing, and tameness. They all make the same amount of noise- which isn't all that much - and they all start breeding around the same time as well. Choosing a turkey mostly comes down to aesthetics and taste.

If you are raising them for 4-H, then I'd be careful about the slates, since they are VERY hard to breed for good show colors. Most will have some splashing on them. As for royal palms... well, make sure you buy from a breeder. Hatchery RPs aren't always purebred.

I'd suggest raising them on the ground, since it's easier on their feet. Turkeys are pretty easy to tame. My first two turks always wanted to sit on my lap when they were young. It got very heavy very quickly.

As far as breeding goes, it took almost 9 months for my splash slates to start laying eggs.

 

[Denninmi]

Quote:
Yeah, you're right. They're actually mutts -- they were eggs from E-bay, from a backyard breeder. Royal Palm x Calico Sweetgrass according to the add -- I just liked the look of them in the photos from her listing.

I guess I should be more specific, its just that I just got sick of writting all of that out. I guess I could call them Royal Mutts or Calico Palms of something.

It's kind of irrelevant to me, because they're just pets and I won't be breeding them for more, since the last thing I need is MORE birds -- probably just going to use the eggs as eggs. If I get some more eventually, I'd try a different color, just because I like variety. Probably Black Spanish or Narragansetts.

 

[u8sushi]

I vote for the Narragansette. A fairly quite birds that is very tame. My wife has spoiled ours so bad they fight over who gets to be held first. A very striking turkey. My toms love to show off with all their strutting. Spring time is the season for turkey love. I keep mine off the ground until they are about 2 months old. I hatch the eggs but narragansette are good mothers.