Turkey Talk for 2014

[Arielle]

I have 9 bourbon red eggs I would like to get in the mail today or tomoorw at the latest. $35

 

[Jryan18]

Beautiful pictures Jryan18. It's still way too young for me to tell via pictures. At that age I could only tell on mine based on behavior between them, but with only one that may not work for you. Others with more experience may be able to give you a guess.

Why do you think your hatch rates are so low? Are these shipped eggs that arrived in bad shape, in which case 8% and 25% are par for the course? If the eggs aren't shipped, do you think there's a fertility issue, or an egg storage issue, or an incubation issue? If you think it's an incubation issue, here's some links for turkey egg incubation:
1) https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/turkey-incubation-and-hatching-guide
2) http://www.porterturkeys.com/egghatchingtips.htm

Sonderah, yes, a mohawk is typical for an adult female, as the adult males have a featherless head. But the transition between poult down and full adult glory has many, many stages, so you have to be careful not to place too much importance on a single characteristic during this stage of growth. There's also a lot of subtle differences between individuals of the same gender, so that can mess up your predictions also. With my seven poults, I changed my mind several times when they were 1-3 months old when I just looked at appearance. But when I looked just at their behavior with each other, there was never any doubt -- my original suspicion of 2 toms and 5 hens held out.

Yes they are shipped eggs so I think that is part of it, also with the first dozen I had done research but apparently not enough, a lot of the guides I found said 45-55% humidity for the first 25 days and 75-85% for lockdown. I believe it was to high at first and for the second dozen have kept it around 30-40% but for the most part left it be and check the air cells like porters stated. also I actually had two other pouts "hatch" the first time, one popped before we stopped turning and did so at the pointy end and we hadn't noticed because it was in the turner and I believe drowned and one we had to assist and it just never thrived and died about 24 hrs later. I was hoping for about a 50% rate but I guess that is a little high for shipped eggs. here's to hoping all three make it this time.

 

[R2elk]

Glad you got a few.

This is why people do need to be a bit understanding when a wrong chick or poult is hatched-- I've heard the old timers talk of upwards of 6 weeks, though most only segregate for 3 weeks and then start collecting for hatching.

Mohawk-- is also a Rhode Island Red line that is very famous.

mohawk -- is definitely the head dress of a girl turkey. lol

Jenny and jake seem to be a regional term.

Sexing-- see the old posts by Celie. She ran an experiment and came up with pretty definitive methods to sex the poults. I reposted it at the beginning somewhere of this new thread, but it appears in the fall of the 2013 thread as I remember. Any one good at ferreting out specific posts??

I suppose that you are referring to this post.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/838701/turkey-talk-for-2014/1850#post_13063705

I believe that holding the suspect on its back may have some value with turkeys but where it is really effective is with chickens.

I believe jake for a yearling tom is a term perpetuated by American turkey hunters. It definitely refers to a one year old tom turkey in their use of the term.

 

[Arielle]

Yes that is the post-- THank you R2Elk.

Celie put some effort into collecting the data. Might be helpful for those hatching out poults and want a better idea of the gender.

 

[cozadfarm]

The eggs are all fertile. I have candled them and they appeared to be about 10-12 days. I lost the turkey a day or two after my hens started sitting. He chocked on a piece if garbage he found

 

[racinchickins]

So I have three royal palm turkeys sharing a nest with 6 eggs. Lost my male last month. Very excited hoping all six hatch. Last year I incubated 8 eggs but only 5 managed to hatch. Hoping for a better hatch rate from my girls. Anyone ever have multiple hens share a nest like this? Seems odd to me.

I had three hens sit and hatch out 5 poults. I've lost two so far. One drowned in a bucket I had setting around (stupid me!!!!!!) The other looks like it may have gotten trampled by the male when some roosters went near the pen and he got defensive. I make sure that doesn't happen now too. You learn as you go, I guess. The other three are doing great, and all three mommies take care of them.

 

[Arielle]

Quote: Cozadfarm-- sorry for the loss of your tome-- difficult situation.

racinchickns-- yup just like everything else, we learn as we go. SOmeitmes we make a mistake once and never again-- mistakes usually leave an impression.

Learn as you go.

 

[chickadoodles]

We got a few of our new pens finished enough to put the BBW and BBB in one this evening. They were so excited they were all flying in a circle and some were strutting!


This is a small pen but they have more room than they did in their brooder. This is their first time on the ground. They will go into their new large pen once it is finished.

 

[Arielle]

Lots of space in that hotel!

 

[gevshiba]

I lost one of my BBB hens today. I think it was coyotes. They came over the fence. My tom put up a valiant fight, by the looks of it, but he's dead too. So sad