Topic of the Week - Getting started, keeping turkeys

[chickencheeper]

What a crazy coincidence! Just yesterday I was at the feed store/fishing bait shop(I was getting bait) and I pointed out to my dad jokingly “hey we should get some turkeys and surprise the rest of the family!” There were roughly 30 rare heritage breed turkeys there. We didn’t end up getting any but it kinda stuck

 

[Rlmp817]

I got a turkey poult to integrate with my flock. She (hopefully!) is already very attatched! We named her OverWatch as her job is eye to the sky!
If she turns out to be a he- the name will be changed to Thanksgiving Dinner.

 

[Ms Biddy]

The most dangerous thing about raising a turkey to eat is that far too often the people become so attached to "dinner" that it ends up as a pet instead.

I grew really fond of our turkey, but it didn't stop me from eating him. He was delicious.

We got 4 extra because we heard they die easy. So far we had one act like it was having trouble breathing, but recovered after a sort of "crop massage".
They do act quite different than chickens, but I've heard people say they aren't actually that easy to kill and we'll probably make it to the feast with ten. Which i guess means some will be christmas feasts!

Last year, since we wanted to raise 1 turkey I bought 3 poults and 2 died. I was bummed but I heard the same thing, that they're fragile. Some people seem to have great luck with them though.

 

[R2elk]

Also I suppose this means I should research what variety of turkeys make the best pets in case I keep him forever

The variety of turkey to get if wanting to keep them around is a heritage variety. The meat turkeys are docile, fast growing and tend to develop health problems if kept long term. There are a few cases of people who have managed to keep a broad breasted turkey for more than a few years but there are far more cases of people who have lost their broad breasted turkey at ages under two years.

Heritage turkeys can live long healthy lives. I had a Bourbon Red tom that was taken on Thanksgiving evening by a predator when he was 11 years old. I currently have a 10 year old Blue Slate hen and her 9 year old daughter.

 

[SavKel&RynKel]

I had a Bourbon Red tom that was taken on Thanksgiving evening by a predator...

...when he was 11 years old.

Oh...well, sorry you lost it, but at least you got that many years out of it!

 

[Ms Biddy]

Heritage turkeys can live long healthy lives. I had a Bourbon Red tom that was taken on Thanksgiving evening by a predator when he was 11 years old. I currently have a 10 year old Blue Slate hen and her 9 year old daughter.

That's terrible. It reminds me of when we lost our best ever rooster on Thanksgiving day. For some reason we left them out while we were gone celebrating. Predators attacked and had a feast of their own.

 

[Rondack]

The most dangerous thing about raising a turkey to eat is that far too often the people become so attached to "dinner" that it ends up as a pet instead.

Why? If the turkey is inside you then you are even more attached to it... right?

 

[peacockfarmer]

My Advice:
1. Raise Heritage Turkeys
2. Keep records on a computer

This is "Mocha Hen" Mocha hen was my first hybrid hen. Her father was a wonderful Eastern Wild turkey and her mother was my best Royal Palm mother hen. When that happens the poults come out a mocha brown so we call them Mocha turkeys. This hen was one of the best mothers I ever had. This hen will be 11 years old next month. I have had many heritage turkeys live to be 8 years old, two lived to be 10 and this hen is 11 years old. I only know that because I keep a computer log of who was born and who died.

Turkeys love dry roasted peanuts in the shell no salt. I have to shell peanuts for my peacocks but turkeys love to eat them shell and all. The trick to raising turkeys is to have good mothers and Mocha Hen was the best mother I ever had.

 

[SavKel&RynKel]

My Advice:
1. Raise Heritage Turkeys
2. Keep records on a computer

This is "Mocha Hen" Mocha hen was my first hybrid hen. Her father was a wonderful Eastern Wild turkey and her mother was my best Royal Palm mother hen. When that happens the poults come out a mocha brown so we call them Mocha turkeys. This hen was one of the best mothers I ever had. This hen will be 11 years old next month. I have had many heritage turkeys live to be 8 years old, two lived to be 10 and this hen is 11 years old. I only know that because I keep a computer log of who was born and who died.

Turkeys love dry roasted peanuts in the shell no salt. I have to shell peanuts for my peacocks but turkeys love to eat them shell and all. The trick to raising turkeys is to have good mothers and Mocha Hen was the best mother I ever had.

Do you log anything besides their birth and death? That's the same thing i log for our chickens, just wanted to make sure i didn't miss something.

 

[peacockfarmer]

everything who got sick and why. when she set day one on the eggs, when they hatched. how many hatched, how many DOA. how many died a few days later. medicines, vets, varmint attacks. who got sold to who and how much. everything