Turkey Talk for 2014

[JoshU]

My turkeys are all very sweet. Not that they love being picked up but I am not lovey dovey with my birds. They will let me pet them and are very curious creatures. They are as friendly as my buckeyes and like to be right under my feet just the same too. Mine came from porter.

 

[uphilljill]

Duane Urch list info is @ https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/842143/lightbox/post/12545361/id/6098917

 

[Arielle]

My turkeys are all very sweet. Not that they love being picked up but I am not lovey dovey with my birds. They will let me pet them and are very curious creatures. They are as friendly as my buckeyes and like to be right under my feet just the same too. Mine came from porter.

Mine are mostly from Porters too.

 

[Sydney Acres]

Quote:
Since you're only dealing with one rooster, could you put him in a pet carrier at night? Once he's in the carrier, you could keep him anywhere overnight (garage, car, shed, closet, spare bedroom, etc). That would separate him from the turkey hens to make them feel less threatened, so maybe they would be more willing to go into their house at night (and if the rooster's early morning crowing is bothering your neighbors, this might muffle his crows until he is let out at a reasonable hour).

Since BBBs are so heavy, they tend to have a lot of leg problems. They could easily tear a ligament or a tendon wrestling with a feisty rooster, and there'd be no way to fix it. Were you planning on keeping them as pets, or putting them in the freezer? If they're egg laying age and they're going in the freezer, it's probably time to start finishing them before they get so large that walking is too painful. On the other hand, if you're planning on keeping them as pets, you need to start them on joint supplements, a weight control diet, super soft bedding to prevent breast ulcers, daily foot care, etc., and definitely no fighting where there could be uncontrolled landings or stress on the joints. The broad breasted turkeys are hybrids that were developed strictly for rapid weight gain for meat production, and are not easy to keep alive and comfortable into adulthood. The earlier you start, and the stricter you are with their weight control and other care, the longer they live. (My first pet chicken was a Cornish cross broiler chicken. I kept her alive and comfortable for 6 & 1/2 years, but it took a phenomenal amount of care.)

I didn't think of if on my first post to you, but leg pain may be part of the reason they are reluctant to go into their house. There's no doubt that they're upset about the bully rooster being in there, but if they already have leg pain and have sat down outside the house, it may be more uncomfortable to get up again, especially after a fight. Birds that have painful legs tend to stay down longer, even before they start overtly limping.

 

[chiqita]

THe more time I have spent with a poult, the nicer it is as an adult. Maybe it is the lines that I have to start with IDK. But I have had a bad tempered turkey  . . . . . yet. 

That is also true. And it makes me miss stuffing my Hand raised baby.

 

[gevshiba]

Since you're only dealing with one rooster, could you put him in a pet carrier at night? Once he's in the carrier, you could keep him anywhere overnight (garage, car, shed, closet, spare bedroom, etc). That would separate him from the turkey hens to make them feel less threatened, so maybe they would be more willing to go into their house at night (and if the rooster's early morning crowing is bothering your neighbors, this might muffle his crows until he is let out at a reasonable hour).

Since BBBs are so heavy, they tend to have a lot of leg problems. They could easily tear a ligament or a tendon wrestling with a feisty rooster, and there'd be no way to fix it. Were you planning on keeping them as pets, or putting them in the freezer? If they're egg laying age and they're going in the freezer, it's probably time to start finishing them before they get so large that walking is too painful. On the other hand, if you're planning on keeping them as pets, you need to start them on joint supplements, a weight control diet, super soft bedding to prevent breast ulcers, daily foot care, etc., and definitely no fighting where there could be uncontrolled landings or stress on the joints. The broad breasted turkeys are hybrids that were developed strictly for rapid weight gain for meat production, and are not easy to keep alive and comfortable into adulthood. The earlier you start, and the stricter you are with their weight control and other care, the longer they live. (My first pet chicken was a Cornish cross broiler chicken. I kept her alive and comfortable for 6 & 1/2 years, but it took a phenomenal amount of care.)

I didn't think of if on my first post to you, but leg pain may be part of the reason they are reluctant to go into their house. There's no doubt that they're upset about the bully rooster being in there, but if they already have leg pain and have sat down outside the house, it may be more uncomfortable to get up again, especially after a fight. Birds that have painful legs tend to stay down longer, even before they start overtly limping.

Thank you for the thoughtful reply. I had intended to put all the turkeys in the freezer, but my plans changed. They'll be 10 months old in a couple weeks. 3 are laying daily and the other 2 are just starting. I didn't want my birds to develop leg problems or organ failure, so I've not fed them for maximum growth. They all run, flap and get around well so far. The tom is breeding them naturally and the eggs are fertile. That surprised me. I hope to keep them through the coming summer and hatch the next group of poults for myself and maybe sell some. I know the tom will get too heavy, so I plan to butcher him in the near future and get a heritage tom. If any of the hens become painful, I'll butcher them. I've gotten attached to the hens, but I'll do what needs to be done. I'd love to raise heritage birds, but they fly too well for keeping at the neighbors. My hens squat for me constantly, which is part of the not moving problem. None of the turkeys roost anymore. I have natural branches that sit on the ground and naturally arch up, so the chickens aren't too high above the turkeys. I keep the bedding deep with grass clippings, leaves and hay. As for the rooster, he's terrified of me. I can't get near him. If I accidently corner him in the coop, he'll fly at my face. He never attacks, he's just trying to get away. He's never been friendly even though he was hand raised. He'll most likely go to the freezer soon, but since I can't catch him, I might have to shoot him. It's not like I need him. The neighbors don't mind the crowing. Go figure!

i

 

[gevshiba]

You have broad breasted bronze that have made it to laying age & can still walk???

Yes! I used to take them out to the pasture for walks. They followed me everywhere. But then they started wandering off onto the Corp of Engineers land and a coyote got one of my hens and 3 chickens. So now they are in a coop and run. I don't overfeed them and they're doing very well.

 

[Sydney Acres]

Quote:
Amazing. It just goes to show that not everything you hear about the BBB is true. I had been told that they couldn't breed naturally, and that they can't walk by the time they're nine months old. But then I have also been told that broiler chickens live a maximum of 1 to 1&1/2 years when kept as pets. Mine lived 6&1/2 years. We both restricted food on our "meat" birds, and exercised them, so maybe that's the secret. I hope your birds keep doing great.

To catch your rooster, go in the coop at night. Use the minimum amount of light that you can, as birds are relatively night blind. Ideally, you can use a dimmed head lamp with a red light, because you will be able to see but the birds won't very well. If you have a headlamp that only has a white light, you may be able to get a red filter for it, or cover the light with a piece of red plastic. Since your turkeys are not scared of you, talk to them when you approach so they won't panic and hurt themselves. Take a box to put the rooster in, or a pillow case, or wrap him in a large towel. I always take my birds off the roost 1/2 an hour before sunrise to slaughter them. Since they can't see, they're not panicked when they're taken to an unfamiliar place. Also, they've had all night to empty their crop, and their intestinal system is almost empty, so cleaning them is much easier without the stress of withholding food for 12- 24 hours.

 

[chickadoodles]

 

[chickadoodles]

Duane Urch list info is @ https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/842143/lightbox/post/12545361/id/6098917

How do we contact them to buy the poults? I don't see an address or phone number. Could you please pm it to me?
Thanks, Cheryl