The Front Porch Swing

[Beekissed]

14 hatched out of 18 set. All that hatched were healthy and sound. Two quit somewhere along the way and two were not fertile. If I can get it done anybody ought to be able to. But I do believe I might have had a big dose of beginners luck- if there is such a thing.

That's a great hatch rate! Have you done other hatches with similar good rates?

 

[Triple Willow]

That's a great hatch rate!  Have you done other hatches with similar good rates? 

That is the ONLY ONE I have ever done! LOL I hope any more I attempt will go near that well. I had much much rather let a broody do it. I don't think we can't hold a candle to them raising chicks. Personally, I think chicks are cute about the first week or so then I want to kick them out and them start laying eggs by week two! LOL That cute chick thing gets old pretty quick to me. I want meat and eggs!

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

It sounds like you already have some good foraging opportunities if the birds are finishing out that good on feed and forage! I understand your want and need for simplicity in feeding rituals...that too is one of my goals, always! I live for simplifying things!

The turkeys get to free range, the chickens don't. The turkeys know where all the fruit trees on the property are. They'll take quite a walk for dropped apples (and all the bugs thereabouts). They first batch of 5 stayed a bit closer to home, and seemed to think it was their job to "guard" the chicken compound. Here is Kisa up a tree trying to figure out how to outsmart the turkeys ... the chickens were up against their fence to watch the showdown.



One is tempted to take down all the chicken fencing right now and just let the main flock free-range. One does understand there would likely be some sort of dispute between Tonka (3/4 sized rooster in charge of any escapee hen), and the roosters managing the General Population in the compound. But one believes the probable cutbacks at the rooster management tier or the company would be worth it when compared to quarterly health and productivity reports. Unless the hens start hiding the eggs ...

Turkeys are great foragers ... even the commercial literature suggests turkeys can forage 30-40% of their rations.

It seems to me the toms mostly strut and rest close to home once they reach a certain size, but the hens go everywhere right up to processing day ... they are very loyal to their nesting spots. When we dressed the birds, the toms had lots of "skin" fat, but very lean interiors. The hens were the opposite ... very fatty body cavities and obviously fatty livers (more orange instead of deep red) but thinner skin. Hens in the 20-30 lb range, toms up over 40 ... dressed weights. All would be considered "toms" at the butcher because of weights ... any turkey over what? 15 lbs? is a "tom" ... more industrial marketing weirdness.

 

[Triple Willow]

...in my dreams. lol

 

[Triple Willow]

@Leslie... would a turkey or two be good to raise with chickens to help guard them?

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

@Leslie... would a turkey or two be good to raise with chickens to help guard them?

That depends on if you have Blackhead (parasite fatal to turkeys) in your area. I called our extension service was informed that we do have blackhead here. Technically, the turkeys & ducks & chickens should not be house together or forage in the same areas. But lots of people keep them together without issues.

Some people use guineas as guard birds -- because of the noise? Some people run geese in with their chickens for protection -- geese can be extremely protective of property, though I'm not sure how well matched they really are for hawks or coyotes.

 

[Beekissed]

Salatin does his turkeys in electric poultry netting paddocks. That would come in handy to keep the hens from going out to nest in the woods...that's what happened to my sister's turkey hens and they mated with wild turkeys and then the coyotes got them all. She's not very good at any type of farming...no common sense at all.

I can't even imagine how one would fit a 40 lb turkey into an oven!!!!

 

[Triple Willow]

That depends on if you have Blackhead (parasite fatal to turkeys) in your area. I called our extension service was informed that we do have blackhead here. Technically, the turkeys & ducks & chickens should not be house together or forage in the same areas. But lots of people keep them together without issues. 

Some people use guineas as guard birds -- because of the noise? Some people run geese in with their chickens for protection -- geese can be extremely protective of property, though I'm not sure how well matched they really are for hawks or coyotes. 

Thanks for the info. I don't know if we have blackhead here or not. Have to check on that. I bet some game birds would be pretty good guards.

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

Your poor sister! We don't have wild turkeys here. We have a lot of coyotes, though. If we move the turkeys further from the house the coyotes might be a factor.

Salatin also now raises his poults in with his broilers so the broilers teach the poults how to eat and stay warm without piling up, etc., and dying. When the poults get too big and clumsy they get their own pasture pens.

I think I'm going to set up one particular field for the turkeys. If I do them again. That field has a lot of fruit trees already established. Not too many places to stash eggs, so I'll have to help with that. I will need fencing to keep the females off the road, a shelter and a waterline ... but the shelter can be very basic. Turkeys don't seem to want to sleep indoors, but do like to be off the ground a bit. We weren't going to do turkeys again, but the people who bought them this year want more ... and now we're talking about it.

A shepherd (person) is good for turkeys. They are SO friendly. And they're fun to take for walks. They come looking for you if you ignore them for too long. The females develop crushes ... it's all very endearing. Mine hang out below the kitchen window and gossip.

The first year ours just got Purina Flock Raiser and did great. Last year I tried to do it "right." Le sigh.

 

[Beekissed]

Maybe they could just roost in the fruit trees? I've noticed that turkeys seem to live healthier lives if they live rough instead of indoors or in static runs/pens. They would be great to run through your orchard...think of the bugs and dropped fruits they could glean! You could even feed them with the timed feeders they use for wild turkeys that cast out grains every so often for them to pick up. Would sure take the work out of feeding, equipment and shelters at that point.