Turkey Talk for 2014

[Arielle]

Quote: They are all trainable. I would spend 10 minutes before getting to work and then 10 minutes in the afternoon on whatever was that weeks assignment from dog training school. Of course all interaction is training. WHen I bought my first rottie pup the breeder would not sell her to me unless I promised to get formal training. THe best thing I ever did. THat girl knew about 30 commands and obeyed them quickly. An agile dog, and I earned the top dog spot. She had one son as smart as her, like scary smart problem solving smart, and other son less so. THe lab . . . he was a lab . . . .lol

What type of hunting dog are you getting @Arielle ? We have looked into hunting dogs and have seen a few types we liked that seemed like they might fit us as a family. We likely wont get one but it has been something we have discussed for a possibility later in life. DH is newly into hunting and maybe one day if he is an avid hunter we will look into it. I plan to get my hunting license also. We currently have 2 dogs now that are very good dogs but we never trained them fully and hunting wouldn't be their expertise. If we had known 7years ago that we would be into hunting they might have made the BEST hunting dogs, but cant turn back time.

Chesapeake Retriever. I want an athletic dog that has an easy coat to take care of; a breed that works closly with humans ( as in willingly takes orders) and from a good breeder. This is not a breed for a novice dog owner. I had to pass muster and all my years of working with my rotties has given me the experience to work with the chessy. There are easier dogs for those who only want to put a little effort in. Like the loveable lab.

Each breed of dog is bred for a job. THe guy I'm buying for is a water fowl hunter and happened to buy a very good dog for hunting when he was told to take her to the dog shows. NOt many girls make champion. SHe did. SHe hunts and does the shows. As for a lab, which I have had several, look for the hunting dogs, not the show dogs. THese are water dogs. Likely to do ok for hunting on land if you are after quail, etc., or look for a spaniel.

 

[duluthralphie]

I have labs, They are hunting dogs and I did go through a training class with them also. Sounds a lot like yours, you have to spend time with a dog to get results.

I also send my older dog to "college" a boarding school for several months of advanced training ( hunting) . She is fantastic. She is a good for both upland game and ducks.


The pup taught me something, never keep/buy the alpha pup. She is too independent and does not have the natural tendency to please a lessor dog on the chain of command does. I have to constantly remind her I am alpha and not her. She has a better nose than her mother, but gets a tad more excited than the mother.

I could not agree more with you on buying good hunting stock and not show stock. My dogs while they look good are not bred standards for show, they are too large. I bought my older one based on her parents field trials. I bred her to a fantastic male with a ton of trophies, and got my pup. I kept the alpha pup.

I am partial to labs just because I like big dogs that want to be liked.

I have had a water spaniel it was too hyper for me, I have had cockers, I liked them but too small. I tried a Chesapeake Retriever she was okay but I could not get her to stay home.

 

[Arielle]

I would love to have a good hunting type lab-- around here I can only find bench dogs. I found one breeder that mixes both types but I didn't get a reply to my email. So no go. I am still determined to have another lab but of the field dog type.

I don't do hyper. lol

I do have concerns about bird dogs, like a chessie, around all these live chickens, ducks and turkeys. My rotties never touched a bird in my house or out in the yard. ( Anything in their yard was fair game. I have jumped out a first story window to make sure the dogs maintain the stay command until I could get the young turkeys out of their pen. lol)

"Leave it" is the best command ever.

 

[GregClark38]

New to turkeys. I have 10 Bourbon Reds. I need info on nesting boxes please. Size, where to place them, in the run? in the coop? on the ground or up off the ground. Thanks so much. Hope to be raising some this spring.

 

[chicken pickin]

I use a pallet leaned up against the inside coop wall ground level.

I also have a nest box outside of the coop in the run that is a box shape roughly 2x2x2 with an opening in the front for access, also ground level.

 

[R2elk]

I use a pallet leaned up against the inside coop wall ground level.

I also have a nest box outside of the coop in the run that is a box shape roughly 2x2x2 with an opening in the front for access, also ground level.

The number one preferred nesting spot for my hens is a pallet leaned up against a wall outside of the coop. The angle the pallet is placed at is such that the hens can easily get in but the openings are too narrow for the tom to get through.

 

[chicken pickin]

The number one preferred nesting spot for my hens is a pallet leaned up against a wall outside of the coop. The angle the pallet is placed at is such that the hens can easily get in but the openings are too narrow for the tom to get through.

I agree, the leaned pallet is also the number one nest spot for my hens, on occasion they will use the outside nestbox.

 

[Arielle]

Mine BR will not sit or lay out in the coop. THey like very private areas, even if it means sharing space with friends.

 

[JJSS89]

New to turkeys. I have 10 Bourbon Reds. I need info on nesting boxes please. Size, where to place them, in the run? in the coop? on the ground or up off the ground. Thanks so much. Hope to be raising some this spring.

I'd say with that many birds, just let them do their thing and you'll probably have more poults than you can stand soon.

Just give them straw and a few kennels or boxes and they will choose what they like.

 

[chickadoodles]

I gave my hens a tire with some hay in it. A couple are using the tire and one has dug a hole and filled it with hay and laid her eggs in it. It is all what they think.