Stray Turkey Hen...

[chickenmomma16]

What would you do with her in our situation?
Here is her story...[o
We went to a friends house for dinner last night and as we were sitting in their living room a turkey hen walks up to the window and peeks in... I guess she just showed up a week or 2 ago on their property probably escaping from someones dinner table. Well they offered to catch her today and give us a call to pick her up because she will get hit by a car soon. So far everyone has just stopped and laid on their horn till she moves but all it takes is 1 stupid driver, and that would be a waste of a life. Our friends don't want to process her because they don't care too much for turkey so we offered to take her.

All we have is 17 free range chickens (2 push over roos and 15 hens), should we just process her right away to bypass any problems or would she hang out and get along with the chickens fine? We don't mind keeping her for a bit and my even snag a tom somewhere down the road for her.

I have no idea what kind she is only that she looked super healthy and had a nice green sheen on her dark feathers. She can also fly to the top of a one story house and roosts about 2 stories up in a tree for the night...

The reason we didn't bring her home yesterday. Don't know a thing about turkeys so this will be an opportunity to learn something new.

 

[Lagerdogger]

If it was me, I would butcher the turkey for several reasons.

First...yummy
Second....turkeys like company. A lonely turkey is generally an unhappy turkey.
Third....yummy
Fourth...I don't know how old it is, but if it is not fully grown, it needs different feed that what you feed your chickens. Unless you keep it isolated, the chickens will want the turkey feed and the turkey will want the chicken feed. That's just how it works. If you do isolate it, see reason 2.
Fifth....yummy.

Of course, if it is not full grown, you wouldn't want to eat it...yet.

In that case you will want more turkeys to keep it company! Good for you!

After that you wil find out how different it is to raise turkeys than chickens, you will fall in love with turkeys of many colors, your flock will grow and you your family will begin to wonder what's wrong with you, anyway. All they wanted in the beginning were three hens so you could have your own eggs, and now look at you! Next you'll be wanting peacocks! Go for it!

 

[Celie]

You haven't given us much information about your land or coop and run???? Please give us a little more information and a picture or two of the turkey in question?????? If you have the room to keep it, I would do so to find out if you like raising turkeys. If you harvest her right away, you might never know !!!! If you have 16 chickens, you probably have room for 1 or more turkeys. If you find out the breed, get another of the same for a pair and have all the turkey you care to eat! Their eggs are soooo much better tasting than chicken eggs !!!! How do you know it's a SHE??? I THOUGHT I LIKED RISING CHICKENS, UNTIL I GOT TURKEYS! I have over 200 chickens, over 100 ducks and 27 Turkeys, now! But next year it will be 60 chickens, 50 ducks and at least 75 turkeys !!!

 

[chickenmomma16]

One thing I have noticed on BYC... There are a lot of hungry members!

If it was me, I would butcher the turkey for several reasons.

First...yummy
Second....turkeys like company. A lonely turkey is generally an unhappy turkey.
Third....yummy
Fourth...I don't know how old it is, but if it is not fully grown, it needs different feed that what you feed your chickens. Unless you keep it isolated, the chickens will want the turkey feed and the turkey will want the chicken feed. That's just how it works. If you do isolate it, see reason 2.
Fifth....yummy.

Of course, if it is not full grown, you wouldn't want to eat it...yet.

In that case you will want more turkeys to keep it company! Good for you!

After that you wil find out how different it is to raise turkeys than chickens, you will fall in love with turkeys of many colors, your flock will grow and you your family will begin to wonder what's wrong with you, anyway. All they wanted in the beginning were three hens so you could have your own eggs, and now look at you! Next you'll be wanting peacocks! Go for it!

My family already thinks I'm crazy for giving chickens names, whats a turkey too?
But yes, yummy. And even more yummies with more turkeys!
Maybe I will try convince DH to keep the turkey and not eat it, YET.
But i am SO hungery right now!

You haven't given us much information about your land or coop and run???? Please give us a little more information and a picture or two of the turkey in question?????? If you have the room to keep it, I would do so to find out if you like raising turkeys. If you harvest her right away, you might never know !!!! If you have 16 chickens, you probably have room for 1 or more turkeys. If you find out the breed, get another of the same for a pair and have all the turkey you care to eat! Their eggs are soooo much better tasting than chicken eggs !!!! How do you know it's a SHE??? I THOUGHT I LIKED RISING CHICKENS, UNTIL I GOT TURKEYS! I have over 200 chickens, over 100 ducks and 27 Turkeys, now! But next year it will be 60 chickens, 50 ducks and at least 75 turkeys !!!

Oh dear... I dont think I could get up to that many fowl. I have plenty of free range space (5 acres) but the pen will be cozy with a turkey or 3 and 17 chickens.

After looking up different breeds (it was a lot more difficult than finding breeds of chickens) I think she looks like a wild turkey... but she is tame. I know it is a she because it is an adult and well, it looks like a girl! I dont have any pictures. Is there a domestic turkey that is really dark? I found you can buy wild turkey from hatcheries, so maybe domestic bred "wild" turkey? There was a beautiful green sheen on her black feathers on her back...
Sorry its so vauge!

 

[Poultrybonkers]

As for turkeys liking company my turkey is an only turkey and she don't mind she became very friendly.

 

[KrisH]

Possibly a bronze like this boy?

RobertH

 

[chickenmomma16]

After googling Bronze hen Yes. I guess she is a Bronze Hen... Now if I keep her how am I gonna find a Tom who isn't in the freezer? They look like good eating!

 

[PekinBantam]

If it were me, I would keep her, breed her with a tom, and eat the eggs or send their poults (once fully grown) to freezer camp.

 

[Frosty]

When you bring her home, keep her locked up for a few weeks so she thinks of you as home. Are you sure it's a 'she'? I didn't think the hens had the sheen (so they blend in more while setting eggs). It does sound like either a heritage or possibly a wild turkey that's used to people. Since your chickens are free range, it could fend for itself mostly. I vote to keep it! And make sure you post pics!

 

[KrisH]

the hens DO have the sheen as well as the tom. they are smaller, but still quite striking and beautiful. I will try and take a picture of one of ours later.

RobertH