Turkey Talk for 2014

[NewToFarming]

HE must know the figid weather is coming in-- not a good time for poults. LOL

LOL...He is a smart boy then! LOL

 

[chickadoodles]

I am mostly fenced in with 5 foot horse fencing, and over the years the coyotes have learned to pass thru and leave the sheep and horses alone. Nothing like a mare that is alert and charges toard the howling coyote, or my own dog.

I am adding electric fencing to the outside perimeter to extend the area beyond the horses, and plan to have electric netting for inside. I also wonder if the birds would benefit from having places to hide and get out of reach. . . looking at new styles of integrated management I hear you about our own dogs. I kept my

Shrubs and bushes are great way for little critters and birds to hide. Even ones with thorns so the sheep and goats won't eat them.

We have electric fence around alot of our property on the front side but around the back and sided we have cattle fencing. The cows keep testing the electric fence to see if it is hot or not if it is not they get out and the chaos begins

dogs penned ( HUGE pen) and when I let them out I was pleasantly surprized that the chicken killers did not even notice the birds much-- yet kill what ever landed in their pen.

That is so nice for you that the dogs are ignoring the chickens. But when the chickens invade their territory that is a different story altogether, as dogs are very territorial.
DH said he will never pen a dog again... So they run the place. But they do keep the cyotes and other predators away mostly.


I have decided on Buckeye as my heritage breed--as I have a few possible human resources to help me learn them. ANd a project "breed" called Konza where I am a little more free to mess up!! lol

They Buckeyes are a very nice breed congrats! I don't know much about the Konza.


I hear you-- I started out with only wanting pretty egg layers from a hatchery figuring their highest priority was high egg production--but the amt of meat is se little on the birds I produced from these. Heritage is supposed to be better but I"m finding that is not necessarily true. Breeding tothe SOP can mean in looks only, and the birds are not as filled outin the breast as they should be, and that egg production can be forgotten. OVer the last year I have tried to track down birds used as meat makers.

I still just want pretty large birds to pet and enjoy and pretty eggs to look at and eat. lol

Can you put up a sign at the feed store for a processor ??

That is a great suggestion, thank you!

He'll get it.

I'm sure he will.

 

[chickadoodles]

Attending the NOrtheast Congress yeaterday was a delight!!!! THe second largest show in the US.

THe most turkeys I had seen at a show, I didn;t count-- about 20-30. SOme not the best representatives of the breed-- made me realize we have a long way to go to restore this bird as dinner. A blue slate went to champion row for the juniors. A bronze for the adults. GUess that is the 'open" show. Never the less exciting to see turkeys are making a come back!!

That is great

did you by chance get any pics?

 

[SilkieSensation]

 
I am mostly fenced in with 5 foot horse fencing, and over the years the coyotes have learned to pass thru and leave the sheep and horses alone. Nothing like  a mare that  is alert and charges toard the howling coyote, or my own dog.  I am adding electric fencing to the outside perimeter to extend the area beyond the horses, and plan to  have electric netting for inside. I also wonder if the birds would benefit from having places to hide and get out of reach. . . looking at new styles of integrated management I hear you about our own dogs. I kept my

[COLOR=FF0000]Shrubs and bushes are great way for little critters and birds to hide. Even ones with thorns so the sheep and goats won't eat them. [/COLOR]:cd
[COLOR=FF0000]We have electric fence around alot of our property on the front side but around the back and sided we have cattle fencing. The cows keep testing the electric fence to see if it is hot or not if it is not they get out and the chaos begins [/COLOR]
dogs penned ( HUGE pen) and when I let them out I was pleasantly surprized that the chicken killers did not even notice the birds much-- yet kill what ever landed in their  pen. 

[COLOR=FF0000]That is so nice for you that the dogs are ignoring the chickens. But when the chickens invade their territory that is a different story altogether, as dogs are very territorial. [/COLOR]
[COLOR=FF0000]DH said he will never pen a dog again... So they run the place. But they do keep the cyotes and other predators away mostly. [/COLOR]


I have decided on Buckeye as my heritage breed--as I have a few possible human resources to help me learn them. ANd a project "breed" called Konza where I am a little more free to mess up!! lol

[COLOR=FF0000]They Buckeyes are a very nice breed congrats!  I don't know much about the Konza. [/COLOR]


I hear you-- I started out with only wanting pretty egg layers from a hatchery figuring their highest priority was high egg production--but the amt of meat is se little on the birds I produced from these.  Heritage is supposed to be better but I"m finding that is not necessarily true. Breeding tothe SOP can mean in looks only, and the birds are not as filled outin the breast as they should be, and that egg production can be forgotten. OVer the last year I have tried to track down birds used as meat makers.

[COLOR=FF0000]I still just want pretty large birds to pet and enjoy and pretty eggs to look at and eat. lol [/COLOR]

Can you put up a sign at the feed store for a processor ?? 

[COLOR=FF0000]That is a great suggestion, thank you! [/COLOR]:yiipchick




  He'll get it. 


 [COLOR=FF0000]I'm sure he will.[/COLOR]

My goats go for the thorny stuff first. Anything with thorns or that will make you itch. Poison ivy, poison oak, sumack, blackberry branches, raspberry branches, multiflora roses, wild grape vines. I don't mind a bit. Once berry season is over I use the goats to clear all the brush for me.

 

[chickadoodles]

My goats go for the thorny stuff first. Anything with thorns or that will make you itch. Poison ivy, poison oak, sumack, blackberry branches, raspberry branches, multiflora roses, wild grape vines. I don't mind a bit. Once berry season is over I use the goats to clear all the brush for me.

Ok, thank you for letting me know. But there has to be something that they won't eat?

 

[SilkieSensation]

My goats go for the thorny stuff first. Anything with thorns or that will make you itch. Poison ivy, poison oak, sumack, blackberry branches, raspberry branches, multiflora roses, wild grape vines. I don't mind a bit. Once berry season is over I use the goats to clear all the brush for me.

Ok, thank you for letting me know. But there has to be something that they won't eat? 

If it grows a goat will eat it. I would suggest leaning a pallet or chunk of osb over a couple cement block or similarly sized rocks for chicken cover. If you have goats any shrubs are likely to be stripped clean & not provide much cover.

 

[chickadoodles]

If it grows a goat will eat it. I would suggest leaning a pallet or chunk of osb over a couple cement block or similarly sized rocks for chicken cover. If you have goats any shrubs are likely to be stripped clean & not provide much cover.

Thanks Silkie, I don't have any goats. I was trying to suggest something for Arielle's chickens.

 

[K Epp]

#1 thing goats won't eat:
WHAT YOU WANT THEM TO!
They have trimmed all my bushes as high as they can reach. Now my chickens hide in the stems and limbs of the Forsythia bushes. My goats only eat the leaves. I have Nigerian Dwarfs. I would be interested to know if larger breed goats eat the wood part of brush.

*** going to get on laptop to finish this instead of phone.

 

[SilkieSensation]

#1 thing goats won't eat:
WHAT YOU WANT THEM TO!
They have trimmed all my bushes as high as they can reach. Now my chickens hide in the stems and limbs of the Forsythia bushes. My goats only eat the leaves. I have Nigerian Dwarfs. I would be interested to know if larger breed goats eat the wood part of brush.

*** going to get on laptop to finish this instead of phone.

I have a mini nubian buck & a nubian/pygmy doe. I haven't seen them stripping bark but they will eat small sticks if they end up in their mouths with the leaves. Mine always have plenty of food available but I'm pretty sure if they were hungry enough they would strip bark & eat twigs.

 

[K Epp]

True... My goats are little fattys. The don't eat bark and that's probably why.

Part II:

I had a hawk attack last week. The DH called to see if I wanted him to turn any of my birds out before he left for work. I was getting off work in about a hour and told him "Sure tun the bantam out..." When I got home and walked around the house I thought it was odd that all of them were in the coop and duck house... They I saw the demon hawk take off out of the side yard with one of my d'Uccle. Poor little roo has sacrificed his self to save a hen who was hiding in brush right beside were the hawk was. I was freaked out and haven't let any of the birds out to free range all week because no one was here to protect and watch over them. Yesterday I was home all day so I opened the barn up (turkeys, goats, and LF chickens.) I watched over them until they had eat and then went about their business. I think that is the reason that I have never had a problem with hawks. The LF flock forage in the woods and brush and the bantam stay out in the open.

I have my kids old Little Tykes toddler swing and Picnic Table set out in the back yard for the goats to climb on. The chickens to take cover in it in the rain or sun for shade. I have a friend who works for the electrical Co and he is going to bring me one of those giant spools.

I would say that their color made the d'Uccle more visible to the hawk as well he was Porcelain and the hen was white. Most of my LF flock are dark in color except for a few orange and they seem to stay in the brushy areas.

Hawks wont bother adult Turkeys will they? I was thinking if the hawk comes back I would need to separate the goats and turkeys so they didn't have to stay in the barn locked up.