**~~>>Second Annual Cinco de Mayo Turkey Hatchathon<<~~**all poultry welcome!

[karimw]

My hatch finished up with 9 Iowa Blue tutors (4 Silver penciled/5 birchen) and 4 poults. 1 black and 1 slate out of my eggs and 1 brown mottled and 1 yellow out of Ariel's eggs, both marked sweet grass. The other 2 sweetgrass pipped and died over night on day 28, completely in the wrong positions Now I have turkey eggs all over the place, but I'm worried if I hatch now they won't be big enough to butcher this fall. Anyone know if it's too hatch Heritage birds for Thanksgiving?

 

[debs_flock]

My hatch finished up with 9 Iowa Blue tutors (4 Silver penciled/5 birchen) and 4 poults. 1 black and 1 slate out of my eggs and 1 brown mottled and 1 yellow out of Ariel's eggs, both marked sweet grass. The other 2 sweetgrass pipped and died over night on day 28, completely in the wrong positions Now I have turkey eggs all over the place, but I'm worried if I hatch now they won't be big enough to butcher this fall. Anyone know if it's too hatch Heritage birds for Thanksgiving?

It just depends on how big a bird you need. They'd only be a month late, supposedly the ones we just hatched should be perfect. I'm planning to put in one more big set of turkeys, since the girls are starting to slow down laying (there's one more batch in the incubator now).

 

[mrshaggie810]

Agree that it depends on how big of a bird you want...I'm going to try to get a couple more poults so we have some for the freezer his fall...but even if I get them right now I'm thinking they should be ready in October.

 

[dsqard]

It depends on the breed as well. Heritage breeds do take longer to get to size but I really enjoy the fact that they can live a happy life. The ones we hatched now should be ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

 

[SilkieSensation]

My hatch finished up with 9 Iowa Blue tutors (4 Silver penciled/5 birchen) and 4 poults. 1 black and 1 slate out of my eggs and 1 brown mottled and 1 yellow out of Ariel's eggs, both marked sweet grass. The other 2 sweetgrass pipped and died over night on day 28, completely in the wrong positions Now I have turkey eggs all over the place, but I'm worried if I hatch now they won't be big enough to butcher this fall. Anyone know if it's too hatch Heritage birds for Thanksgiving?

I'd be interested in swapping for any you don't want to hatch out.

Quote: You can also always butcher when ever you decide they are ready & put them in the icebox until you want to use them. (That being said, I need a bigger icebox.)

 

[Razadia]

Number 11 is out and doing well! I might have 2 more hatch, but I don't know if they will or not. I'm just happy I have as many as I do! We're going to get feed in the morning. I just gave them some boiled egg for tonight. (which they loved

) Now to wait on everything else to hatch!

This morning I went out to the coop to make sure that the hen with chicks hatching was on the nest. I ended up finding a nearly dead chick in the middle of the coop. It was freezing, bleeding where it was ripped from the shell, and hardly breathing. I brought it inside and put it under a light to warm up. I didn't have any hope for it, but it's doing very well. The other three eggs that were under the hen are gone. The 5 hens that ate my duckling ate them as well and were working on getting to the one I found.

 

[SilkieSensation]

Number 11 is out and doing well! I might have 2 more hatch, but I don't know if they will or not. I'm just happy I have as many as I do! We're going to get feed in the morning. I just gave them some boiled egg for tonight. (which they loved

) Now to wait on everything else to hatch!

This morning I went out to the coop to make sure that the hen with chicks hatching was on the nest. I ended up finding a nearly dead chick in the middle of the coop. It was freezing, bleeding where it was ripped from the shell, and hardly breathing. I brought it inside and put it under a light to warm up. I didn't have any hope for it, but it's doing very well. The other three eggs that were under the hen are gone. The 5 hens that ate my duckling ate them as well and were working on getting to the one I found.

It looks like most of the quail are pharoah & I saw 2 Texas A & M's. Other color possibilities are buff, cinnamon, tuxedo & Italian speckled. I have all but the tuxes & whites in my flock but they carry tux just like they do the white. It pops up on occasion. There may be other colors possible as well that I just haven't seen them produce yet. Looks like your dad gets his little flock now...LOL

I think I would be processing or rehoming some hens REAL fast!!! I had 1 hen peck a chick 1 time & she has never been allowed to set eggs since.

 

[Razadia]

Quote: I have fallen in love with the goofy little things! They act so silly it's hard not to like them.

I'm working on selling the hens. I have been since they killed the duckling before it could hatch. The 3 hens that are broody are fantastic mothers. They try to hurt anything that gets near them while they're on the nest. This is the first time I've ever had hens from that line act this way. I'm disappointed.

 

[Manningjw]

Alright people it's time to play straight comb vs pea comb again - because I am second guessing my own assessment of this little chick. These were hatching on May 4th and 5th.

Chick #1 I think has a pea comb:



Chick #2 definitely has a straight comb, I am uploading this one just for comparison:

 

[ronott1]

Alright people it's time to play straight comb vs pea comb again - because I am second guessing my own assessment of this little chick. These were hatching on May 4th and 5th.

Chick #1 I think has a pea comb:



Chick #2 definitely has a straight comb, I am uploading this one just for comparison:

The first one looks like it has either a pea or combination comb. Could that be an Olive Egger?