Selecting Your Best Turkeys for Breeding ALBC Manual

[OmaBird]

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I thought that was from jtownchickens? If it's the same jtownchickens that's in another group that I belong to, he is in PA, not NC...

I still wish quality poults were more readily available online. It just encourages folks to get hatchery quality because it's what is available. I wouldn't quite compare it to dog breeding, because the dogs have a registered pedigree and somebody could buy one sired by a champion, breed to their pet quality pooch and use the champions name and pedigree as a selling point. Though for that matter, if it's hard to get a dog from a reputable breeder, doesn't that encourage back yard breeders and puppy mills?

Read every post that jtownchickens has wrote and look at the others in the post, and then you will know who jtownchickens is.

 

[OmaBird]

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I don't know if you raise other poultry or not but many lines have names attached to them. People buy them and breed them, then they advertise that they are such and such line. Many breeders do not like that. They say there birds are their line based on there choice of who to breed. Like the manual how to pick your breeders. Maybe the person even breed a bird that was not even breeding quality. Now this persons name is attached and being advertised in what could be inferior stock. I see this alot with the duck and geese people. I own 50 or more Holderread birds (both ducks and geese) from there show quality lines. He tells you one in three may be show quality. I see people who buy them and breed them and still call them Holderread lines. I can see both sides but to me it is now their line not Holderreads line anymore.

I thought it was funny you said doesn't that encourage back yard breeders. Isn't that what this forum is about? The problem I see in most back yard breeders if they are going to order from hatchery's or other backyard breeders, then they need to at least order 3 times more birds than they need for breeding so they can pick the best. Every bird is not breeding quality. I use to be able to go to shows and buy birds. This year and a few others, I didn't see any turkeys and even the chickens is not what it use to be. Do you think that is the economy or lack of intrest?

 

[Lotsapaints]

I think it come down to being able to get good quality reading on here it seems that there is lots of interest just no help in getting it and learning how to keep it going there needs to be a mentor program from some of the established breeders who are willing to give back to the breed....I looked for good quality New Hampshires couldn't find any so went with Cackles as an example same with my Midget Whites they came from Welp I'm working with what I have gotta start somewhere

 

[OmaBird]

I remember some of the old timers use to come to the yahoo heritage turkey message board when it first got going.

I do agree you have to start somewhere and use what you got. Of the hatchery turkeys that I bought, two turned out good and one I made work. My first standard turkeys where from Strongberg. I did raise BBB and BBW before that. I could not find them anywhere else. I think they where good quality since standard breed turkeys where not a hot market at the time. My next ones where from Sandhill. I waited a long time for them. I think only 2 out of about 20 where what they should have been. I was disapointed but I have found some interesting genetics out of the birds. They where good size birds so that was a plus. My last hatchery order was Welps. They also had good size and the colors where good. I also did the best with what I had. I am very much a work in progress. I am not anywhere near where I would like to be, but I am not bringing any new birds in. So now it is all about selection.