Turkey Talk for 2014

[SilkieSensation]

LOL

THere is hope then for the  2013 poults that gew up with the chickens and raiding the garden-- I knew the chickens were busy but didn't credit the turkeys. Maybe that goup DOES know how to eat the good stuff!! lol

My turkeys grew up with the chickens & winter with them...therefore they eat what the chickens eat.

 

[Sydney Acres]

LOL

THere is hope then for the 2013 poults that gew up with the chickens and raiding the garden-- I knew the chickens were busy but didn't credit the turkeys. Maybe that goup DOES know how to eat the good stuff!! lol

Oh yes, there's hope. Introducing them to unusual foods frequently makes them less picky. I started them young. When they were 2-3 months old I noticed that the disabled poult wasn't growing like the others -- she's not blind, but has very decreased vision and some other neurological issues making fine motor control of the head difficult. She would hear the other birds eating, make her way to the bowl and crudely start throwing her head towards the food. If she accidently hit another bird's head they would peck her, so she wasn't getting enough to eat. And she didn't seem to like the pellets very well, so she didn't push to keep eating after being pecked. Once the others left the bowl, she didn't hear them pecking and couldn't find the food. I tried helping her, but she was so unmotivated by the pellets that she got frustrated and gave up. So I decided to cook her something that would be flavorful enough that she would keep eating. My chickens loved hot peppers, so I decided to saute some hot peppers and curry in some olive oil, then add brown rice, then double water to cook the rice slightly underdone. Then I added in an equal amount of broiler grower mash and cooked another 5 minutes. They all loved it!! After a week of giving them this once a day, I tried to change to a sweet flavor and they were hugely disappointed. They loved the hot stuff. Later I started adding tomatoes, sweet potatoes, sweet peppers, apples, pears, etc to the base recipe, after it was all cooked and cooled, and they learned to eat it. The handicapped bird liked it enough that she learned to focus and push into the bowl, and now she eats everything fine, including pellets, as long as it's in a bowl -- she can graze grass, but only by blindly pecking at the ground imitating the others -- sometimes she gets grass, and sometimes she gets dirt. But she's at full weight, is fully integrated with her flock, and happy, so everything's fine. And being the most charming creature ever, she'll have a nice long life as a treasured pet, and her eggs will be delicious, but never hatched.

 

[DaisyMeadow]

Thanks all for the information! My turkeys free range with chickens and geese, so I guess they'll eat everything among them all. I've had chickens in with rhubarb before, and while the leaves are toxic, they pretty much leave it alone. I also have vinca (periwinkle) and holly and have not had any problems with the birds eating those and falling ill. I guess they have some sense of know how when it comes to toxic plants.

I'm going to get creative this year about fencing my garden in and my birds out. It's a really big area, so poultry netting is too expensive of an option. Even a short section of chicken wire would cost a great deal more than I can reasonably do. I have hotwire now for the deer, but the birds step right on it to get through the fence. It doesn't seem to shock them through their feathers, either.

 

[DraigAthar]

I'm going to get creative this year about fencing my garden in and my birds out. It's a really big area, so poultry netting is too expensive of an option.

How big an area is it?

 

[chknoodles]

Had to look up Rio Grandes. They are pretty! If I read right, they would be between midget white & royal palm on weight but are a good bit taller than either due to much longer legs. Does that sound right?

They are definitely bigger than the Midget Whites, but shorter than our Bronze. The Rios are 2 years old and our Bronze will be a year old this Spring. Very friendly and not flighty at all. Here are some pictures of Clyde taken 11/9/13 and one of Bonnie, his hen.










Bonnie laid 70 eggs last year and went broody twice, but it was her first year and she didn't start laying until mid-March. Hoping she will start earlier this year!

 

[SilkieSensation]

They are definitely bigger than the Midget Whites, but shorter than our Bronze. The Rios are 2 years old and our Bronze will be a year old this Spring. Very friendly and not flighty at all. Here are some pictures of Clyde taken 11/9/13 and one of Bonnie, his hen. Bonnie laid 70 eggs last year and went broody twice, but it was her first year and she didn't start laying until mid-March. Hoping she will start earlier this year!

Gorgeous! I would be interested in eggs or poults later if you have any to spare.

 

[chknoodles]

Gorgeous! I would be interested in eggs or poults later if you have any to spare.

Will post when we have fertile eggs! I put your name on the list!

 

[Lybe8438]

Wow. Super jealous of your green grass right now. Heh.
(and the pretty turkey ... but mostly the grass. lol

we have green grass all year long here in Western Washington...Mild winters and tons of rain.

 

[SilkieSensation]

Gorgeous! I would be interested in eggs or poults later if you have any to spare.

Will post when we have fertile eggs!  I put your name on the list!

Thanks!

 

[chickadoodles]

They are definitely bigger than the Midget Whites, but shorter than our Bronze. The Rios are 2 years old and our Bronze will be a year old this Spring. Very friendly and not flighty at all. Here are some pictures of Clyde taken 11/9/13 and one of Bonnie, his hen.










Bonnie laid 70 eggs last year and went broody twice, but it was her first year and she didn't start laying until mid-March. Hoping she will start earlier this year!

She is very pretty