Turkey Talk for 2014

[desertmarcy]

. So far we have seen both of them strut a bit, but the smaller one struts a lot more. I was assuming the bigger one with the thicker legs and the longer tail feathers would be male?

You can make guesses at sex but I don't try to definitively sex mine until almost 3 months old.

 

[CarlislesBYC]

Oh wow! 3 months! OK. Thank you I am sure that will go by fast. 3 weeks has.

 

[chickadoodles]

In your third pic on the top it does look like the one on the right might be a girl and the other a boy. Don't put it in stone. lol It is just a guess. I have some the same age and a couple of mine strut and one I am sure is a jake.

 

[podgal]

Incubator is full of 10 eggs from Porter's.... chocolate and bronze turkeys. 25 days left. This is my very first hatch. I put Delaware eggs in last month, didn't realize the fan was broken and lost the whole batch. Fingers crossed!

 

[chickadoodles]

Good luck podgal on your hatch!

Welcome to the Turkey thread.

 

[SilkieSensation]

I want to share pictures of our beautiful babes and was wondering if you guys can tell me if we have a Tom & a Hen? Or 2 Toms? Or 2 Hens? They are or first birds & we love them!! They are 3 weeks old today.(04-25-2015)

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If those are that big at 3 weeks old I'm guessing they are broad breasted. My heritage grow way slower than my broad breasted. If they are the size of a full grown chicken in another 4-5 weeks then definitely broad breasted. Broad breasted won't breed naturally &, as already mentioned, have many health concerns. They are intended to be butchered for meat.

 

[holm25]

If those are that big at 3 weeks old I'm guessing they are broad breasted. My heritage grow way slower than my broad breasted. If they are the size of a full grown chicken in another 4-5 weeks then definitely broad breasted. Broad breasted won't breed naturally &, as already mentioned, have many health concerns. They are intended to be butchered for meat.

This is true. But meat birds can be kept to as a pet. We have a CX that is turning 1 in a few weeks and lays 5-6 eggs a week.

 

[SilkieSensation]

If those are that big at 3 weeks old I'm guessing they are broad breasted. My heritage grow way slower than my broad breasted. If they are the size of a full grown chicken in another 4-5 weeks then definitely broad breasted. Broad breasted won't breed naturally &, as already mentioned, have many health concerns. They are intended to be butchered for meat.

This is true. But meat birds can be kept to as a pet. We have a CX that is turning 1 in a few weeks and lays 5-6 eggs a week.

The diet would have to be restricted & specialized to limit weight gain & such but it's possible for them to survive to laying age. The toms get far too heavy to breed naturally is the problem. They would injure the hens with their weight. Broad breasted hens can breed successfully with heritage toms. The result is an intermediate size & growth rate between heritage & broad breasted. It actually produces some very meaty birds that are in much better health, so it's a good cross if you can keep the hen healthy enough to breed & lay eggs.

 

[chickadoodles]

I raised some Broad Breasted turkey last year the two toms got to where they could not walk hardly so they went to freezer camp. I still have then hen and she has been on chicken feed (18%) since she was about 2 months old. She is a very sweet bird and she is one of my favorites and a pet. My Heritage turkey get gamebird feed.

 

[WalnutHill]

I adopted a BBB hen this spring who got too big for her owners. She was in rough shape, draggled in mud and lame. She's doing much better, laying eggs every other day, and is courted by my Narragansett tom, who has no choice but to wait for her to decide to squat for him as she's way bigger than he is.

I am gathering her eggs for a special hatch, hoping for a nice meat line from her daughters.