Turkey Disappointment

[Oregon Blues]

I just ordered 50 Cornish Cross and added 3 BBW turkeys to the order.

The hatchery got back to me to tell me that it is a 15 turkey minimum order and they won't sell me just 3 of them. There is no way my family can eat 15 turkeys.

The local farm store sells poults, but I worry about buying birds that everyone and their cousin has handled, with no regards about sanitation.

 

[chicmom]

Yeah, unfortunately hatcheries are like that. I bought two turkey poults from a local swap meet, and they were healthy. If I were you, I'd search for a local turkey breeder.

I think you could probably be safe buying the turkeys from the local farm store, but they do make you buy six chicks around here in Ohio, and I'm not sure if they have the same rule with turkeys.

If you've never raised turkeys before, it's good to raise them with a few chicks at first because they are sometimes not very active, but chicks are good teachers for them. They tend to eat and drink and play more if they're raised with chicks.

The breeder I bought my turkeys from gave me this tip. Here in my area of Ohio, blackhead disease hasn't been a problem. I raised them together with the chickens and they were perfectly healthy.

Good luck and I hope you get some little poults.

Sharon

 

[BBUTTER]

I'd ask your farm store when will they get the next shipment in. You can show up that morning and get your poults without everyone's germs being on them. Is there another local farm store, maybe in the next town? Mine doesn't let people handle the birds.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Yeah, I did some searching earlier and almost everyone has a high minimum on turkeys. Like you, I won't eat 15 turkeys. I could not get them all in my freezer after what I put up from the garden either. The best I found was a place that would ship only three, but those were about $10 per poult plus $30 shipping, or about $60 for three. Not no how!!!! Not no way!!!!

I got five eggs and put them in the incubator a week ago. Around April 3 I'll know how many I'm raising this year. I did it last year and only got one to hatch. That was in May and he was fine for Thanksgiving.

It should be about the time of year turkeys are laying in Oregon. I'm not sure you would want to raise turkey swith broilers anyway. They don't take off growing that fast.

 

[r4eboxer]

I ordered my turkeys in December and had to order a min of 16 from Cackle, I was at first concerned about the large amount but as I have been researching I have found that turkey poults are fragile so I will probably end up losing some. I am going to keep some to breed and hatch my own eggs in the next few years. I just hope I have pairs in the breeds I ordered, I don't want muts. I wonder why the min order though. I don't see the reasoning. If you have other chicks/goslings/ducks in the order they should sell just a few.

 

[PaintedWolf]

I ordered my chicks from chickensforbackyards.com. Their minimum turkey order is just 3 poults, so you could give them a try for a small order.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I ordered my chicks from chickensforbackyards.com.  Their minimum turkey order is just 3 poults, so you could give them a try for a small order. 

I ran an order of three Royal Palms through this location. $72 including shipping for three poults. To me, cost matters.

 

[PotterWatch]

I would order 15 and then sell the ones you don't want. I find there are always people looking for a few turkey poults and selling them on craigslist should be pretty easy.

 

[Oregon Blues]

I was in the farm supply store today (to buy porcelain insulators) and they had some sad little scruffy looking turkeys. Right next to them was a bin full of Cornish Cross chicks with some serious problems: pasty butt and labored breathing. Some looked like they were in the last stages of dying.

Anyone can walk by, pick up and pet the chicks and then reach in and play with the poults.

We just had a week of cold rough weather, so I suspect that all the birds got chilled in transit. But whatever the problem is, I think I will pass.

 

[jdywntr]

Very few of the feed stores near me sell chicks. The 1 I have seen does not let people handle the chicks which are kept in a large horse trough with hardware cloth on the top.

I have heard that many TSC block off their chicks and don't let people handle them.

Poor chicks, rough trip and then potential of anyone picking up, squeezing, dropping. It would be nice if they weren't looked at as commodities.