Turkey Talk for 2014

[desertmarcy]

Yeah that's crazy. Those r called Royal Palms. I sell my pouts for $10 each

farm n louisana, the Royal Palm should not have the colored barring on the tail like that tom has, the tail feathers would be pure white with the black band at the tip. The hen also has rusty color in her tail. I believe those turkeys are a mixed (mutt) breed. Royal Palm with some other genetics mixed in no doubt.

 

[Momhunter]

Thanks for all the replies on hobby or business. I started with just a few chickens for insect control and fresh eggs to eat. Within 3 years I am npip with jersey giant chickens, peafowl, royal palm and blue slate turkey and raise XLD jumbo coturnix quail from James Marie farms. My friends and family think I've gone nuts, that is except for when they get to enjoy a great meal of fried fresh quail!! But we love the eggs and meat that we basically get paid for by the eggs and chicks/poults that I sell. This year I have completely paid for my gqf incubator, hatcher, brooders,coops and pens, the labor on the other hand is a different story. We keep so busy working 50 hours a week, 2 teenagers and the 85 acre farm. We have cattle, horses, mules, wildlife, bees, a huge garden and the poultry. Not much down time. My DH just added the bees and made the garden bigger this year. I told him that those bees will be his project, I'm busy enough with the birds!

 

[Kelsykin]

We have 9 turkeys hatched and it looks like more coming.

 

[BullChick]

We have 9 turkeys hatched and it looks like more coming.

 

[Kelsykin]

Updated counts

Hatched
10 turkeys
2 ducks

External Pipped Eggs
2 Turkey
5 Duck

Nothing yet
9 Turkey
2 duck

 

[TurkenItUp209]

farm n louisana, the Royal Palm should not have the colored barring on the tail like that tom has, the tail feathers would be pure white with the black band at the tip. The hen also has rusty color in her tail. I believe those turkeys are a mixed (mutt) breed. Royal Palm with some other genetics mixed in no doubt.

They are Narragansett Turkeys, a heritage breed. I have a breeding trio. They are not "mutts"

 

[Kelsykin]

I have turkey i think is dead in the shell. External pip. Then one of the other hatchlings pecked the shell off around the pip spot, but nothing has happened in the past 6 hours. it also does not look right. the beak is a funny color. not like the others.

 

[desertmarcy]

Thanks for all the replies on hobby or business. I started with just a few chickens for insect control and fresh eggs to eat. Within 3 years I am npip with jersey giant chickens, peafowl, royal palm and blue slate turkey and raise XLD jumbo coturnix quail from James Marie farms. My friends and family think I've gone nuts, that is except for when they get to enjoy a great meal of fried fresh quail!! But we love the eggs and meat that we basically get paid for by the eggs and chicks/poults that I sell. This year I have completely paid for my gqf incubator, hatcher, brooders,coops and pens, the labor on the other hand is a different story. We keep so busy working 50 hours a week, 2 teenagers and the 85 acre farm. We have cattle, horses, mules, wildlife, bees, a huge garden and the poultry. Not much down time. My DH just added the bees and made the garden bigger this year. I told him that those bees will be his project, I'm busy enough with the birds!

You have got your hands full. I started with chickens because I didn't want to eat eggs and meat from abused factory-farmed birds any more. Then I read Barbara Kingsolver's book "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" and was inspired by her to delve into heritage turkeys. Yes, really! After reading that book, I ordered my first turkey poults, Royal Palm and Bourbon Red. A wonderful book. I also raised Cornish cross chickens for the first time and butchered and froze them for our table. Then I started getting interested in Standard Bred chickens and showing birds...OMG, it has turned into a disease? Obsession? Addiction? All of those? I keep adding pens, we have a live-on-property caretaker to help out a few hours a day, but I still don't have time to do much else besides take care of birds...especially this time of year, with hatching going on. I butcher and process birds for us, also sell them, but that part is slow going, getting people to understand the difference between the store-bought CX and Standard Bred poultry. I started a bee hive years ago and used to extract the honey, but haven't had time or energy for that in many years. We have a big garden (for a desert garden) and many fruit trees and landscape trees. I am from PA and it is totally different gardening here in the desert. A lot more work, and a ton more hungry creatures out to eat your bounty---the garden has to be totally enclosed, top and sides, or the critters would get everything.

 

[desertmarcy]

They are Narragansett Turkeys, a heritage breed. I have a breeding trio. They are far from "mutts"

Did not mean to insult you. Photos can be deceiving, and in the photos, they look decidedly white. I was referring to the photos that Farm N Louisana posted, so perhaps there is some misunderstanding.

 

[TurkenItUp209]

Did not mean to insult you. Photos can be deceiving, and in the photos, they look decidedly white. I was referring to the photos that Farm N Louisana posted, so perhaps there is some misunderstanding.

I did not mean for what I typed to sound condescending. I wanted to express they are a purebred Heritage Turkey. Yep the ones in those photos, here is my tom.