Turkey Talk for 2014

[SilkieSensation]

Turkeys can be a bit of a challenge to get raised out. I always put chicks in wirh mine to teach them how to eat & drink & where to go to get warm. It's best to use chicks 2-3 days older than your poults when possible. If you scroll back a page or 2 you will find a discussion on the needs of poults & the benefits of raising them with chicks. It is always better to have some extras. If you are wanting breeders you just keep the best & sell or eat the rest. It is common to lose a few, especially if you are new to poult raising.

 

[Reyvaughn]

New question tho...Is Turkey math the same as chicken math??.. Had the guy at the feed store tell me if I want 6 to get 12 because half usually die... haven't seen that discussed here.

Meat birds, yeah, maybe. I bought 12 BBBs last year and ended up with 5 - 2 had really bad leg deformities and never got past the size of a chicken. Heritage breeds should not give you those kinds of issues. And yeah, turkey math is kind of like chicken math... Until they grow up and you see how big they are. I went from 10 to 3 real quick. I am adding more this year though. I find them more entertaining. I love how they talk to you and they have such personalities. This coming from a person scarred for life because as a child every place we went that had turkeys, the toms would herd and corner me. An adult had to save me from them. I am still a bit leery of toms. The Red I raised from hatching I was fine with. The one I got from Aunt Kat I was fine with. I bought my new Red a few weeks ago (he's 8 months old) and I am not so fine with him, but I am not afraid of him either. Just cautious.


I sold the Red and Self Blue. The two BBBs in the background are the deformed girls and the three BBBs in the front... Well, the two we ate sure was yummy! I fed one girl to the cats and the other I will cook for soup someday.


I lost the black tom, but I have the two girls in with my new Red. This pic was taken back in September.

 

[Penny Hen]

It's Ok.! I appreciate your help! Yes, I did post because I had no idea how to raise them. After these pics were taken, they left for a week. Not sure where they went, but I was glad they came back. Two had disappeared. Not sure what happened to them. The poor things were in the road, and on their own, so they could have been eaten by animals, or hit by cars, or anything. But, we caught them the day the officer gave the thumbs up. I adopted some out to other people on here, and then a couple had passed away. I was heartbroken. No warning, they just passed. That was very soon after I got them. So, i have 4 left, and they seem to be doing very well and getting big.
I probably shouldn't admit this, but when I go to see them, I say "Are you talkin pretty to Mommy???",

and they chirp away at me right in my face like they are. They allow me to hold them and pet them. My husband shakes his head and walks away. He thought we might eat them, but I just can't. They are too sweet and the sound they make is so soothing to me. I LOVE THE SOUND THEY MAKE. LOL.

I have been praying the big boy doesn't get mean with me. Never experiencing Tom turkeys before, it makes me nervous. I hope this is as far as he goes. If he gets nasty, i would have to butcher him. Cant risk my kids and neighbors.

If he does ever get mean and come at you snake you hand out and grab him by the neck and lift him off the ground then shake him and throw him down again. That fixed my mean gander of coming after me. I decided to pop him in the oven anyway because he beat up his mate all the time pulling feathers out of the back of her head. I was just waiting to have a clear weekend I could take the time to dress him out when he decided to go play in the traffic and that was that.

 

[Sydney Acres]

Quote: Seriously, you were relaxing on your front porch one evening and a dozen beautiful young turkeys walked up and joined you!?! What a great day.

Don't worry about admitting how you talk to your turkeys. I have a feeling lots of people on this site do the same thing. They get into your heart pretty easily.

 

[chickadoodles]

I will be putting in an order for 10 Bourbon Reds today but and having them shipped Feb. 28th. As we will be building new brooders and pens for the new birds.
I am very excited! I wanted to get some Standard Bronze also but they won't even start laying till march so I will have to wait.

 

[chicken pickin]

Seriously, you were relaxing on your front porch one evening and a dozen beautiful young turkeys walked up and joined you!?! What a great day.

Don't worry about admitting how you talk to your turkeys. I have a feeling lots of people on this site do the same thing. They get into your heart pretty easily.

I do! I talk to all the birds. DH will see me talking and yell "Whaaaat?" and I say "Nothing. Im talking to my birds" He says "Of course you are".

 

[chickadoodles]

I do! I talk to all the birds. DH will see me talking and yell "Whaaaat?" and I say "Nothing. Im talking to my birds" He says "Of course you are".

I talk to my birds also. lol and my DH calls me the chicken whisper. lol They do talk back to... he he he he

 

[AUNT KAT]

If he does ever get mean and come at you snake you hand out and grab him by the neck and lift him off the ground then shake him and throw him down again. That fixed my mean gander of coming after me. I decided to pop him in the oven anyway because he beat up his mate all the time pulling feathers out of the back of her head. I was just waiting to have a clear weekend I could take the time to dress him out when he decided to go play in the traffic and that was that.

This is where I get into trouble. I have not yet learned to be "dominant" over the animals. I coddle. My friend that raises geese was telling me I would need to change that before I get any Geese. LOL. But I am sure if he comes at me , it will startle me enough. Not like I can threaten him that "I will get the spoon!" LOL!!!!

Seriously, you were relaxing on your front porch one evening and a dozen beautiful young turkeys walked up and joined you!?! What a great day.

Don't worry about admitting how you talk to your turkeys. I have a feeling lots of people on this site do the same thing. They get into your heart pretty easily.

I KNOW! WHERE ELSE DOES THAT HAPPEN??? We smoke on the porch outside, and here come a whole gang just walking up like "HI! We are here!". Still bothers me that they hand raised them so nice and then just left them go, though! I mean, this road is busy enough they could have been hurt (maybe some did get hurt), and all the wild animals. That just wasn't right. But, I have them safe now, so I won't start any trouble.


Quote:

I do! I talk to all the birds. DH will see me talking and yell "Whaaaat?" and I say "Nothing. Im talking to my birds" He says "Of course you are".

I talk to my birds also. lol and my DH calls me the chicken whisper. lol They do talk back to... he he he he

GLAD I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE!!! The guys at the feed store make fun of me. They knew right away those turkeys would become pets!! I have chickens that get hugged everyday and snuggled (especially the chick that was dying in TSC during Chick days so I had to buy her to "save her little life"...it worked and she is gorgeous), my goats DEMAND kisses on the nose every day, and if my animals need medical attention, we set up an old baby playpen in the house!!! LOL! I never had a farm until about 7 years ago...or spent time on a farm, so I am afraid I am not such a great "farmer". All of my animals are "different" according to friends, the vet, the hoofer guy, and my feed guys. I get told I should write a book with so many weird things that go on here. LOL! I am glad I did it! My life has never been so interesting!!!

 

[SilkieSensation]

JJ talks to the birds more than I do. I catch him baby talking "his" call duck hen all the time. I sweet talk the toms & JJ gets jealous & wants to know why I don't talk to him that way. I tell him "Cuz they listen & you don't." Lol

 

[DraigAthar]

I took a short video of Turkish and Taffy this morning. It goes like this a lot, heh. She ignores him, he tries really hard to get her to notice him.
Anyway, you can see them with all the chickens, so it gives you an idea of the size of midget whites.
Oh and Turkish looks a little ragged, sorry. We're in the middle of an unexpected January thaw, so EVERYTHING is wet.