Turkey Talk for 2014

[TNBEARCHICK]

THought I would share a few pictures.

 

[SilkieSensation]

Very nice flock of bourbon reds!

 

[TNBEARCHICK]

Thanks.

 

[Teazle333]

Wanted some opinions on the best turkey breeds as pets also weights and temperaments, have been looking at bourbon reds, thoughts ?!? Also is it said like bourbon (bur-ban) whiskey or like the biscuit (bor-bon) !!! Have decided to call my male Sir Gobble Wobble haha x

 

[chicken pickin]

Wanted some opinions on the best turkey breeds as pets also weights and temperaments, have been looking at bourbon reds, thoughts ?!? Also is it said like bourbon (bur-ban) whiskey or like the biscuit (bor-bon) !!! Have decided to call my male Sir Gobble Wobble haha x

Bourbon like the whiskey.

I love bourbons they will always get my votes they are friendly and sweet and taste good. Here are a few of my BRs to help persuade you lol

 

[TNBEARCHICK]

We love our Bourbons. They are sweet and nice size.

 

[Sydney Acres]

Wanted some opinions on the best turkey breeds as pets also weights and temperaments, have been looking at bourbon reds, thoughts ?!? Also is it said like bourbon (bur-ban) whiskey or like the biscuit (bor-bon) !!! Have decided to call my male Sir Gobble Wobble haha x

For standard weights of the APA breeds, go to page 21 of this thread, post #204.

As far as temperaments, it depends on the line you get. Some breeders select their birds for breeding based strictly on physical characteristics, in which case some aggressive or anxious birds can get into the line and pass on those attitudes. Other breeders, however, take more than just the physical appearance into consideration when selecting birds for the breeding pen. If you find a breeder that thinks temperament is important, you will likely get a great pet regardless of the breed. In general, all breeds of turkeys have a reputation for making great pets.

I have not had Bourbon Reds (pronounced like the whiskey), but they have a universal reputation for being wonderful. I have the APA assortment pack from Sandhill Preservation Center, and ended up with 2 Blue Slate toms, one Blue Slate hen, 2 Spanish Black hens, one Bronze (heritage type) hen, and one Royal Palm hen. If I were to rate them in order of pet quality, the Spanish Black hens would definitely be numbers 1 & 2, the Blue Slate toms would be numbers 3 & 4, then the Bronze hen, the Blue Slate hen, and the Royal Palm hen, in that order. My Spanish Blacks are the sweetest birds, love to cuddle, have the most lyrical sounds when being petted, follow me everywhere, love to be carried around, know their names, come when called, and put on their happy colors when I rub their necks and faces (their facial skin and caruncles change colors like a mood ring). One is breeding quality and will be bred to the best Blue Slate tom. The other hen is not breeding quality, but will still be kept as a treasured pet until she dies of old age.

If you want a few turkeys to keep as pets and a few to eat or sell, then you could probably get a breed assortment order from one of the larger breeders, such as Porter's (http://www.porterturkeys.com/), Duane Urch at Turnland Poultry (no website, but here's a copy of their 2012 pricelist with contact info https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...list-updated-2012-price-lists/20#post_7762336. --there's other copies of more recent lists that I've seen, but couldn't find them right now.), Plum Run Poultry (http://heritageturkeyhatchery.com/turkeys.htm), or Sandhill Preservation Center (http://www.sandhillpreservation.com/). From these large breeders, a few of the birds will possibly be great, most will be fair, and possibly some will be quite awful with regard to breed standard and suitability for breeding. There will be a minimum order of 15 poults (although if you order from Sandhill, and possibly Turnland or Plum Run, you can order less poults if you also order chicks and have them all shipped together in the same box). But you will be able to order a few of each breed that you choose, or order a hatchery assortment group (they pick the breeds, so it's cheaper), and then decide which variety you like the best as a pet, then eat or sell the others.

On the other hand, if you only want to have a few as pets and don't want the stress of having to get rid of the extras after you've raised them, then I would order from a private breeder, where you can hopefully find better quality birds. Find a breeder that believes that a good temperament is important in their stock, and takes that into consideration when deciding who goes into the breeding pens. If you have children, see if you can find a breeder that also has children of a similar age, and feels safe letting their children around the birds. That is likely to be a breeder who selects birds with good attitudes. If the breeder is close to you, you can likely just buy a few birds as day old poults. If the breeder is too far away to drive, you will likely need to either order a few eggs for the incubator (remember, shipped eggs don't have a perfect hatch rate, so you should get extra eggs), or order the 15 poults necessary to provide enough body heat to hopefully survive shipping (poults are more fragile than chicks, so pay for the fastest shipping available to minimize losses). If you've selected a good breeder then most of the poults will likely turn out to be good pets, so you can keep as many as you want and sell or give away the extras right away, before you get too attached to them. If you only want the birds as pets and not for breeding towards the SOP, you can select mixed breeds as well as purebreds, which will be equally good pets but hopefully less expensive.

 

[abmaddox1981]

Hi guys! I'm *hoping* to get turkeys this year. We tried last year but folks around here rarely sell hatching eggs and im too cheap to pay $20ea for mix breed poults. So, we may end up going through a hatchery. Unless someone here wants to enable my bird addiction. lol

 

[Teazle333]

Thanks everyone for your amazing advise I am a vegetarian, so they would be safe for ever haha xx

 

[SilkieSensation]

I don't have a single animal I would not trust with my children. My children help with feeding & it's their job to run everyone into the coops each night. The few hostile birds I have had didn't get to stay long. My kids are almost 7 & 10 but have been doing this at the age of 4. Every bird I hatch gets carted around by my kids. Even if I get them a bit older my kids corner them & pet them whether they like it or not...lol