Turkey Talk for 2014

[Momhunter]

Just found my first 4 turkey eggs, they laid them in the back of one of the farm trucks that hasn't moved in a week. : (. Took them in the house to warm a little and will put them in the bator tonight. Hopefully still good even though was down to 28 degrees last night.
What is the opinion on point down in a 1502 sportsman or on their side??? I'm going to set a few jersey giant eggs with them for teacher chicks. This will be my first poults, I'm so excited. They are royal palm and royal palm x blue slates. They are going in a pen this evening do I can find the eggs.

 

[chicken pickin]

Just found my first 4 turkey eggs, they laid them in the back of one of the farm trucks that hasn't moved in a week. : (. Took them in the house to warm a little and will put them in the bator tonight. Hopefully still good even though was down to 28 degrees last night.
What is the opinion on point down in a 1502 sportsman or on their side??? I'm going to set a few jersey giant eggs with them for teacher chicks. This will be my first poults, I'm so excited. They are royal palm and royal palm x blue slates. They are going in a pen this evening do I can find the eggs.

Congrats on finding some turkey eggs! I hope they didn't freeze and will hatch for you. Im not sure about the sportsman but I mostly incubate them upright(point down) I have also done a few laying on their sides. I think it is all really personal preference.

 

[Bluebonnet]

Can you keep both Turkeys and Chickens?

I have no experience with Turkeys, but I would love to be able to keep them on my heritage breed farm.

What do they require?

 

[RoboDuck]

I am going to have my first turkeys this year. I want eastern turkeys and have expressed interest in eggs in the BST forum. My wife did successfully hatch a turkey (I don't know what species) for a friend that is still doing very well. But we have not raised our own. She's been doing chickens for a while now but we're still learning about the other stuff. I just learned earlier this week that the medicated starter food for the chicks will kill ducks. Is there anything special we need to know about hatching and raising turkeys? They will be living in a mixed flock of chickens, ducks and geese. They will be roaming free over most of our six acres and not kept in a small pen. Any help from experienced turkey people would be great.

 

[SilkieSensation]

I am going to have my first turkeys this year.  I want eastern turkeys and have expressed interest in eggs in the BST forum.  My wife did successfully hatch a turkey (I don't know what species) for a friend that is still doing very well.  But we have not raised our own.  She's been doing chickens for a while now but we're still learning about the other stuff.  I just learned earlier this week that the medicated starter food for the chicks will kill ducks.  Is there anything special we need to know about hatching and raising turkeys?  They will be living in a mixed flock of chickens, ducks and geese.  They will be roaming free over most of our six acres and not kept in a small pen.  Any help from experienced turkey people would be great.

Like the ducks, turkey poults need a bit higher protien than chicks. Chicks can be fed the higher protien if everyone is eating the same feed like mine do. I run about 22-24% protien for all of my young birds & 16-18% layer for everyone. If you are free ranging they will pick their own food most of the time once out ranging. I run chickens, ducks, turkeys, geese, guineas & quail all on the same feed mix.

 

[gevshiba]

I went to put the turkeys and chickens in tonight and one of the hens had an injury. My hens are pretty friendly, but she saw the can of Blucote and wasn't having any of it. As I was trying to catch her, I accidently "cornered" (in the middle of the coop) my fool of a rooster. He came at my face and I never saw him coming. He grabbed my glasses and yanked them off. You'd think they'd be pretty easy to find. An hour and a half of me crawling along the coop floor, sifting through all the bedding by hand and both my neighbors raking everything out to spread on the ground, which I then went through by hand. My neighbor had tried his metal detector earlier with no hits. I asked him to try it again and he found them, still in the coop. The rooster had yanked them off, then thrown them behind me. They had landed right up against the wall. We had all searched that area multiple times. It was dark by then. The good news? I got the hen doctored. But spraying something in the semi dark with no glasses gets you 2 purple hands. As for the rooster, he's had all the chances he's going to get. Always an adventure!

 

[SilkieSensation]

I've had a few adventures with blu-kote myself...lmao

This was about 3 weeks ago. I was literally coveted in purple dots from head to toe for about a week (had to wear off) when 2 of the birds I was treating for frostbit combs decided to share the pretty purple stuff by shaking their heads as the applicator touched their conbs.

 

[K Epp]

Do you mean to say you have used it with out getting it on you. Not me I always have it on me.

 

[SilkieSensation]

I have managed not to wear it once or twice but only when someone else was holding the animal while I applied. Then they got to wear it instead...lol

Thie incident with the combs, 3 of us ended up splattered!!!

 

[K Epp]

The people I'm my office finally got use to it. They thought I was bruised. Which is funny because its always my left hand that I hold with so I guess they thought I was punching things.