Turkenstein25's Turkey Talk for 2015

[WalnutHill]

Right, if it's not fertile after a week + you will see only clear/yellowish and an air cell. If it's developing or has developed you should see pink tint, dark mass and air cell.

 

[CowboysAngel]

Right, if it's not fertile after a week + you will see only clear/yellowish and an air cell.  If it's developing or has developed you should see pink tint, dark mass and air cell.

Yay! I will candle again Monday or Tuesday, then she should only have a few more days...

I am so amazed at the gentleness of this bird...I didn't get the egg back before she Sat again, and she just puffed up a lol and hissed but once she realized I was replacing her egg she settled and let me put it back... Can't wait!

 

[RachelJG]

Anyone have suggestions for things to plant for BB whites to forrage? I have been able to cut my feed bill for broiler chickens significantly by feeding them squash and black soldier fly larvae and whey and such. Looking at pasture a batch of thanksgiving birds for the first time this year and the folks hosting my animals suggested we plant some grains or something in the pasture where we intend to graze the turkeys... orac/quinoa perhaps? Peas of some sort? I'm in east Texas, so it will be hot soon.

 

[WalnutHill]

Mine love wheat, either as grain, sprouted, or soft green growth. And it puts a nice finish on them.

 

[Ironsights]

Cranberry looks like there's some red bourbon in the mix (to my definitely untrained) eye.

 

[Finnie]

Cranberry looks like there's some red bourbon in the mix (to my definitely untrained) eye.

Thank you so much for this! I got some feedback from a Narragansett breeder across the state from me. She also pointed out that Cranberry had some brick red feathers coming in, and thought that indicated a single Bourbon red gene. From what I have learned so far by playing around with the Turkey genetic calculator, it takes two of the red genes to make a Bourbon Red, and if there is only one, it will make what they call "red bronze". Like this one from Porter's website: http://www.porterturkeys.com/redbronze.htm I could see Cranberry turning into that.

She suggested that female turkeys can retain sperm from a mating for months, and that possibly being the first eggs collected for the year, what my breeder assumed were pure Narragansetts might have been mixes. Well, Cranberry did hatch on Feb 7!! I think the man was super excited to get his first eggs for the year and probably didn't even have his pairs separated yet at that point. Or he may have separated them and figured they would produce pure eggs. But he obviously had to have put them into his incubator in very early January. Being the first of the year, my two poults were spoiled in his living room for their first two weeks before I got them.

Oh, and the Narri breeder who critiqued my photos for me said Muffin looks to be shaping up as a nicely marked pure Narragansett. One out of two's not bad. And I like Cranberry the way he is anyway. I just wish he would stop pecking my rings!

 

[Ironsights]

Well I just learned something too! Thanks

 

[CowboysAngel]

They're hatching! Boy am I counting my blessings! Godiva's eggs are hatching! (Yep chocolate turkey, I named her Godiva) went to the mountains for 5 days, thinking I had another week or more to wait and see and our room mate informed us the eggs are hatching! 3 so far and she's sitting like a champ...

 

[feedman77]

They're hatching! Boy am I counting my blessings! Godiva's eggs are hatching! (Yep chocolate turkey, I named her Godiva) went to the mountains for 5 days, thinking I had another week or more to wait and see and our room mate informed us the eggs are hatching! 3 so far and she's sitting like a champ...

Congrats.
On the way Godiva came about and the hatching of her eggs.

From what I see of the poult in the pic it looks pure chocolate as well.

 

[CowboysAngel]

So do I still need to buy a Tom, or can I keep one of her son's, and use him as Tom to her and daughters?