Turkey Talk for 2014

[susan83]

I am starting to look for a pair of turkey's. Went to the sell barn and the lady only had last years spring chicks. For $40 a piece. I prefer to by baby's with my chickens and had planned on doing the same with turkey's. But was informed it is really hard to raise them from hatchlings. And that I shouldn't raise them with my chickens. And that their pen should be off the ground, which sounds kinda mean to me.I'm so confused now. So my questions are...
1. Is it really that hard to raise turkey the first year from hatchlings?
2. What would you recommend for a first time raiser? Starting with poults or last years spring chicks?
3. When I build their pen should it be off the ground?
4.And is $40 really a reasonable price for a one year old bird? $15 for a poult?
Don't want to start something full of ignorance and them not have a happy good life. I like the best I can give all my animals and love to spoil them I guess cause I fill a lil guilty they all end up on the table. Please help!

 

[SilkieSensation]

I am starting to look for a pair of turkey's. Went to the sell barn and the lady only had last years spring chicks. For $40 a piece. I prefer to by baby's with my chickens and had planned on doing the same with turkey's. But was informed it is really hard to raise them from hatchlings. And that I shouldn't raise them with my chickens. And that their pen should be off the ground, which sounds kinda mean to me.I'm so confused now. So my questions are...
1. Is it really that hard to raise turkey the first year from hatchlings?
2. What would you recommend for a first time raiser? Starting with poults or last years spring chicks?
3. When I build their pen should it be off the ground?
4.And is $40 really a reasonable price for a one year old bird? $15 for a poult?
Don't want to start something full of ignorance and them not have a happy
good life. I like the best I can give all my animals and love to spoil them I guess cause I fill a lil guilty they all end up on the table. Please help!

I always raise poults with chicks. The chicks teach the poults to eat & drink. When I hatch egggs I set chicks to hatch 1-3 days before the poults sp that the chicks are up & running & already eating well so they can teach the poults better. You will see the poults copy & immitate the chicks.

The main reason people have trouble raising poults is because they don't use the chicks to teach the poults. My poults stay in with my chicks until they either will no longer fit through the chicken door on the coop or until I separate them into breeding pens.I currently have 6 adult turkeys wintering in the same coop as my chickens & call ducks for warmth & to make my job easier at feeding time. I only have 2 pens to deal with right now. The other has my bigger ducks & geese in it. I only separated them because they like to splash & chickens & turkeys do not fare well when they are cold & wet.

Pens do not need to be off the ground. Turkeys love to forage in grass, dig through leaves & scratch in the dirt. The only time I cage a turkey off the groung is when I first get it & it is in quarantine & separated from my other birds to make sure it's not sick before going in with my other birds or when I am finishing a meat turkey for butchering. I have individual smaller cages I use to isolate meat birds for the last couple weeks to finish fattening them. It ensures they get plenty of food & doesn't allow them as much exercise so they fatten up nicely.

The only real concern with raising chickens & turkeys together is a disease called blackhead. Chickens can carry it & not get sick but it can kill a turkey. If all birds are raised together that risk is very slim as all birds will be exposed to the same illnesses at the same time. Therefore, if the turkeys are going to get it it is because it was newly introduced, not because the chickens were carriers, & the turkeys would have gotten it regardless. If you know your chickens carry blackhead then it is best to raise turkeys completely separate. That is when you would want to start with adult birds & let them raise the babies to avoid using chicks as turkey tutors.

As for prices, around here those would be reasonable prices for NPIP certified stock. I sell day old slate & palm poults for $15 each. My breders go for a minimum of $50 each. I sold a 16 week old bourbon red tom for $30 this past summer & the buyer didn't even question the price.

For non-certified stock, prices are usually a bit lower. Poults usually go for $7-10 for heritage & $5-6 for broad breasted. Adults run $15-50 depending on quality, color & stock source.

 

[K Epp]

I paid $12 each for the poults. They were raised in the brooder (Rubbermaid tub) with Silkie and bantam chicks. Then moved them to grow out coop (on ground) with chickens and now they live in barn with chickens and goats. I bought two toms for $30 each, but a friend and I went in and bought all and got discount. He was asking $40 each. I made pets out of my hens, but plan on raising and eating some of this years poults.

Prices sound about right and you will get a bunch of answers on how to raise them. Back in this thread is a very detailed post you might find helpful.

 

[Arielle]

Arielle:
I do like butchering my own-- good meat and less expensive than $5 each at licensed butcher. I'm adding heritage bred breeds aka meat birds this year and dropping some of the hatchery birds.


I wish I could get my birds butchered for us.

What kinds of meat birds are you getting?

I looked for any kind of large bird for our uses. And I thank you for all your suggestions. I still would like to add some of those Chantecler's you mentioned. But I will have to wait till fall.

We have plenty of land here Arielle, but our dogs and all the coyotes and other predators here it is just best to keep the birds in pens for their own safety. I wish I could let them free range.
But our pit bull we have had for years is used to hunting for "MEAT" we have cattle farms on three sides of us and when they have one dies including one of ours, our dogs go get what they want.

I wanted the birds at first to be able to use our own eggs and meat. But my DH does not want to process them, and neither do I. So we eat the eggs. lol
I have ordered 10 heritage turkey bourbon reds and standard bronze. I am hoping I will get some hens this year! We will also be adding a few BBW turkey.

I wish you luck with your breeding plans this year.

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 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.

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


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.

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

Yesterday I witnessed what looked like Jive Turkey (our bronze breasted) finally getting it on with Tina, our bronze breasted hen. He even got the right end this time. Since he's so huge, though, I have no idea whether or not he was successful. I'm just happy he seems to have figured out the general mechanics. She's been squatting for him for weeks now, unrequited.

He'll get it.

Quote:

 

[Arielle]

I am starting to look for a pair of turkey's. Went to the sell barn and the lady only had last years spring chicks. For $40 a piece. I prefer to by baby's with my chickens and had planned on doing the same with turkey's. But was informed it is really hard to raise them from hatchlings. And that I shouldn't raise them with my chickens. And that their pen should be off the ground, which sounds kinda mean to me.I'm so confused now. So my questions are...
1. Is it really that hard to raise turkey the first year from hatchlings?
2. What would you recommend for a first time raiser? Starting with poults or last years spring chicks?
3. When I build their pen should it be off the ground?
4.And is $40 really a reasonable price for a one year old bird? $15 for a poult?
Don't want to start something full of ignorance and them not have a happy good life. I like the best I can give all my animals and love to spoil them I guess cause I fill a lil guilty they all end up on the table. Please help!

1. I do as well with poults as chicks; however I do hatch chicks to be turkey tudors. Like all small creatures they need approporate food , water, and source of warmth to replace the hen.
2. I started iwth a pair as I didn't have access to anyone selling poults. NOw people drive long distances to buy my poults. Buying good stock is important. Ultimately I bought a number of poults from POrters and have selected breeder stock from that.Evaluate the adults--- see if they are worthy of becoming breeder stock. BEcause not every poult is breeder quality when it grows up.

3. IF you have a problem with blackhead you might need to be off the ground. I brood in a box in my house so they are technically off the ground. ANd slowly introduce them to the out doors ( in a mobiltdog pen) and get on the ground that way.

4. Reasonable prices for sure. IFyou are buying just one or two, think of the sellers time to organize that sale. Adults have eaten a lot of food-- $40 is very good.



Raising them together, chickens and turkeys-- you need to understand the risks and research black head. SOme areas have it , others donot. contact your ag extension for detailed informaition.

Eating-- I didn't eat my pair, but I did roast up their offspring. MY opinion is On't play with them if you intent to eat them. I can't eat them if I make pets of them.

 

[Arielle]

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!!

 

[uphilljill]

I was surprised to see so many MWs (as they're not a recognized breed.) Good small size. That bronze was a handsome guy.

 

[chknoodles]

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!!

We have shown our Bronze and won a Blue and a Red with them. However, we did local (2 hr drive at the most) because it is so difficult to transport a full grown heritage turkey and not damage it's feathers. Just got a used van yesterday, so that means more shows that our Turkey Boys will attend!!

 

[K Epp]

Guess that answers my question. Bird porn.

 

[Arielle]

Quote: I noticed a few beat up feathers and totally understood the issue. I suspect the right carrier is helpful as well as the monthe of care before the show.