Stupid question: When do turkeys look distinctively turkey-ish?

[Rosalind]

PQ: Thanks for the pics! That really helps. I think as long as they aren't quite bald, I'll tell him they are some sort of packing peanut meatie type chicken that just grows real real fast... Combined with my order are some Jersey Giant chicks for a friend, so he might even believe me.

Pat: *sigh* He actually saw a guinea a few weeks ago and asked me why we can't have one of those! Not a bad idea...

farmerlor: Yeah, I'm hoping...

Miss P: Thanks so much for the advice!

 

[PacsMan]

Quote:
Rosalind
How sad for you

Your poor husband.

Good luck with raising your turkeys. You may be able to spend lots of time with them...

Edited to not be such a flamer...

 

[PQ]

Quote:
Just tell your husband its going to be a yummy thanksgiving and Christmas dinner, thats what I tell mine and he just smiles rolls his eyes and says what ever makes you happy, LOL Dont worry they come around just not (note) that turkeys are loud little things you may want to try a broody hen or stuff animal if you have one it makes it so much easier and quite LOL Blessings have fun and and your family will have a great dinner sortly.

 

[emmalynn]

Pacsman- OUCH! We all get on here and spend some good times unwinding with some friends. Be gentle with criticism or just don't

 

[Cara]

If it makes you feel better, my husband threw a hissy fit when I got some turkey eggs in the mail last year. He didn't want turkeys and it really made him mad. I offered to just throw the eggs out and he told me no, I should incubate them since I had them. Well they all developed, and all but two hatched! He got over it quickly, and was just as upset as me when a raccoon got in my coop and killed most of them. Now he really likes them. They are interesting to watch as their behaviour is so different to chickens, and for some reason turkeys and ducks are cool but chickens, guineas and geese are not. Men are strange creatures.

 

[silkiechicken]

I grew some broad breasted bronze and well... they were pretty turkey by a few weeks old... and sounded very turkey at a week old when they would make this "peep-peep peep-peep peep peep" when they got "lost". They grew up with cornish x meat birds and their rate of growth was a bit slower, however, they stood taller. I could raise them with chickens here no problem as blackhead is not an issue in western WA, (source is poultry sci dept at Oregon State University) and had them all on a game bird feed. I let them roam around at about 3 weeks old and they were able to get inside to heat when they got cold. They were awesome! Good luck!

Here is one at about 3 weeks standing in front of a meat bird of the same age.

And this is the about week by week.
Day 2

2.5 weeks

3.5

4.5

6.5

7.5

8.5

9.5

And they very quickly dwarfed the silkies:

 

[Rosalind]

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He owes me quite a bit more than a few turkeys, given some of the surprises he has sprung on me over the past 13 years. I'm sure he'll get over it. There are just some things that he needs to be dragged into doing, kicking and screaming. It goes both ways, too--lots of things I wouldn't have done except he insisted on it, and it turned out to be just fine. Turkeys fall into that category, along with motorcycles, apple orchards, big tattoos, swimming pools, yogurt (don't ask), oh, a whole bunch of things that one of us said, "No way! I don't want any part of that!" and the other said, "Tough, I'm having it without you then!" "No, wait, hang on...I'll just try one..."

silkiechicken: Those pics are awesome! They look fairly chickeny or guinea-ish for, like, six weeks! Thank you so much!

 

[Boyd]

Quote:
Hey! I resemble that remark!