Turkey Question!

[Ozarkhomesteader]

It would be unfair to choose. Our Rio and his girl are the oldest at 4 years old and they have a daughter in with them who is a Spring hatch and exceptionally spoiled. The Bronze boy and two of his girls are 1 1/2 and there is a daughter in that pen and two more growing out. The Narri are this Spring and big lumbering kids...when we let them out, they follow us everywhere and get into things, like to visit all the chicken pens and puff up at the Roosters and they like to check out their reflection in the truck bumper, etc - they do all kinds of silly things. So right now, the Narri are the most fun but I am sure as soon as it gets to breeding season, they will mature up and not be as zany as they are right now.

As for meat quality, I can't make any determination on that either. We SAID we would do turkey to sell and meat for ourselves, but so far, we haven't butchered a single one. Usually they sell as poults if we hatch them or we sell eggs for people to hatch. The Narri are a show quality line, so we will probably start taking one of them to shows, If you want to see more pictures of the turkeys, we are on facebook under Chick N Stuff. We have butchered some of our chickens and Guinea fowl, but somehow we get really attached to the turks..we do have two bronze boys growing out and if they don't sell this summer, those two might be the honored guests for next year's holiday season..strange, because we hunt and do put wild turkey in the freezer.

Oh, about Guinea..both the boys and girls make lots of noise. Girls can make a 2 syllable call, but the boys can only make a single syllable call..which would be a great way to sex them EXCEPT the girls can also do the boy call..HAHAHAHA. To sex a guinea, you can tell by their helmet (the horn on top of their head). Boys have a helmet that points straight up and waddles that are rounded. The girls' helmet points towards their back and their waddles have a point that points towards their neck. I know you didn't ask about sexing Guinea Fowl, but it is such kewl info, I thought I would share.

thanks!! I've heard from other people who get a couple turkeys for the freezer that they get attached and end up keeping them They have a lot more personality than chickens (according to the ones i've met). Thanks for the info on guinea's...that stuff on sexing them is interesting. Do you incubate turkey eggs or will they hatch them on their own? I've heard that turkeys will crush the eggs sometimes.

 

[chknoodles]

We had two girls go broody at the same time and they fought over who was going to sit on the eggs and when the eggs did hatch, they squished 2 so we rescued the rest and then incubated after that. I recently read a post that said first year mothers are not real good at it and the 2nd year they do better at not breaking eggs or squishing new poults, so we will probably let the girls try again. Also I read to make sure each hen has a separate nesting area and try to keep the Tom away because he may take the fact that they are laying down as an invitation to mate. Will have to work something out for that as there is just one hutch per breed pen.

 

[Ozarkhomesteader]

We had two girls go broody at the same time and they fought over who was going to sit on the eggs and when the eggs did hatch, they squished 2 so we rescued the rest and then incubated after that. I recently read a post that said first year mothers are not real good at it and the 2nd year they do better at not breaking eggs or squishing new poults, so we will probably let the girls try again. Also I read to make sure each hen has a separate nesting area and try to keep the Tom away because he may take the fact that they are laying down as an invitation to mate. Will have to work something out for that as there is just one hutch per breed pen.

thanks. lol, the girls must get really annoyed with the tom.

 

[chknoodles]

I've known some human males just like him...ROFL.

 

[Ozarkhomesteader]

hahahaha

your hilarious

 

[Nivek]

I think Cknoodles answered the question I was for an anwer to, but want to double check. Is it ok to breed related turkeys? I picked up a pair of red bourbon "cross" turkeys this summer and to my suprise, the hen wandered off into the woods, then came back about a month later with 7 poults in tow. Lost a couple and now have 2 jakes and 3 hens. Can they interbreed with each other, or is there a risk of defects in their offspring?
Also, Tom disappeared for almost the entire month of October in Wisconsin. I thought a coyote got him or something. Then he just showed back up at the beginning of November. Was missing a few feathers around his neck and chest, but no bite marks or anyting. Do toms mate have a tendency to wander off to mate in fall and spring?

 

[chknoodles]

Ok..as for mating...it is always preferable to infuse fresh blood into your flock, but of course, that isn't always possible. Mating father to daughter is acceptable, and mother to son, but it is frowned upon to mate full-blooded siblings. Full blooded siblings will not have much genetic diversity and IF there is some unwanted trait or defect in the line, mating siblings will greatly increase the chances that the bad "blood" shows up in the babies.

As for your wandering birds, I can't give much info on that. We have our turks in large breed pens and they get to come out to run around the yard - one pen at a time. We let the Narri out for an hour or so, then shake a plastic jar with scratch in it and that is their call to return to the pen and get a treat. Then we let the Bronze group out..etc. It takes a week or two, but you can train your birds to return to their pen when they hear a noise. We use the maracas sound of scratch in a big plastic jar..but you could use a whistle, a bell or anything as long as the turks get treats when they hear the sound. And I have to say, the Narri running to their pen to get scratch...them running makes me think of Forest Gump...HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.