Turkey Talk for 2014

[abmaddox1981]

So I went to the live stock auction last night and bought what looks like a young tom. His tail is a little ratty, so we'll see how he does. He will be seperated from everyone for a while, then he'll get moved in with my LF until I get the Turkey pen built and find him a lady friend. I'm thinking a bronze mix, but will get pics later on.
Solo excited

 

[pollo disco]

Still got the RGs. (Though Chknoodle says otherwise) The tom is very light colored though...Doesn't matter too much for me. They are really good birds but they are getting aggressive with some of the chickens. I ended up using my neighbors old dog pen to house them till they are harvested. The hen has stopped laying, hopefully not for too long. I will try to get some pics up today.

 

[frank53061]

I have a strange thing I found out about just yesterday I work with a guy that bought a Tom and a Hen Bourbon Red from me 6 months ago and he told me the Hen has been laying eggs since December I have 4 Hens and 5 Toms 3 of witch I would like to sell but any way I have not had one egg lay-ed since last Fall.
I know there are a lot of contributing factors for the reasons of the time that Turkey Hens lay for instance the man I sold the Hen and Tom to has no other Turkeys only Chickens and he lives 25 miles to the south of me yet the weather has been very much like what we have at my place.
These Turkeys are all the same age and as far as I know are fed the same as my Turkeys are.
I thought I would throw that out there for some to think about.

 

[SilkieSensation]

I have a strange thing I found out about just yesterday I work with a guy that bought a Tom and a Hen Bourbon Red from me 6 months ago and he told me the Hen has been laying eggs since December I have 4 Hens and 5 Toms 3 of witch I would like to sell but any way I  have not had one egg lay-ed since last Fall.
I know there are a lot of contributing factors for the reasons of the time that Turkey Hens lay for instance the man I sold the Hen and Tom to has no other Turkeys only Chickens and he lives 25 miles to the south of me yet the weather has been very much like what we have at my place.
These Turkeys are all the same age and as far as I know are fed the same as my Turkeys are.
I thought I would throw that out there for some to think about.

If he is using lights or heating his coop that would be a big factor.

 

[grinningranny]

The turkeys experienced their first snow yesterday! After realizing that eating it wasn't productive, they ignored it altogether. The hens spent most of the day on our porch, they didn't particularly enjoy it on their feet. The five toms strutted all day long, and apparently the beautiful sight of them strutting in the snow was enough to woo the gray/brown hen, as she squatted and allowed one of the royal palm colored toms to breed her.

What absolutely gorgeous turkeys/ pictures! Makes me want to add some more toms to my little flock1

 

[grinningranny]

My 8 mo old Narragansett girls are not the least bit interested in the reproductive part of life and totally ignore all the displaying that poor Jerry so carefully plans for them regularly. We live in a very cold area ( It's snowing like crazy here) Are they too young, or do we need to wait for warmer weather?

 

[SilkieSensation]

Sounds like your girls are just waiting for warmer weather, as are mine. Mine likely won't lay until March.

 

[grinningranny]

Good to know, Thanks

 

[TeaChick]

I'm going to be starting out with hatching eggs in about a month. A friend of mine is giving some to me (IDK how many, but she already has turkeys.
I guess I do have a few questions:
I already have a small flock of chickens, which I'm going to be increasing (and going to have to increase housing for).
My basic plan is to have a laying flock, a brooding flock, and my son is starting waiting for chicks to hatch to start his own flock (so we'll have three, maybe more later, flocks of chickens with three separate coops).
All my flocks (not DS's, at least at first, but his might ultimately) free range together.

Can the turkeys free range with the all the chickens?
I have children as young as 4 years old; what should I tell them about the turkeys and how to act/behave around them?
What can I reasonably expect if they don't listen to me? (what can I tell them the consequences are as far as the turkeys go?)
How different is keeping turkeys from keeping chickens?

I copied the questions from the original post; I'll answer as best I can:
1. Are you prepared for Turkey season for 2014? Kind of; I have an incubator, brooder, and juvenile pen; I need to build a turkey house (coop?); if I can't free range, I'll have to build a pen.
2. When do your hens start laying eggs? IDK, but I'm looking forward to eggs. Wondering what the difference is between turkey eggs and chicken eggs.
3. What breeds do you plan on raising for 2014? Chocolate, I think.
4. What is your current Tom/Hen Ratio? 0/0; I would keep one tom for fertile eggs. What should it be, approximately?
5. How many poults do you plan on hatching? IDK; I guess something like three to six, at least.
6. Did you order any poults from other hatcheries? If so, what hatchery, what breed and how many are you expecting?
7. Are you ordering turkey eggs from someone? If so, how many?
8. Will you be using an incubator to hatch your turkey eggs? Yes, unless someone can give me advice on using a broody chicken to hatch them. And what's the broody rate on turkeys?
9. Do you want your hens to go broody so that they can hatch eggs? I'd like that!!!
10. Will you be selling eggs and/or poults? IDK; we'll see.
11. What are your feed plans for 2014? IDK; would should I be feeding them? Anyone trying fermented feed for their flock? If I can get it going right, then yes, but I can't get chicken pellets/crumbles, even "natural" ones to ferment, they just go bad when I soak them longer than overnight.
12. Do you have your housing ready for your poults and turkeys? No, what should I include?
13. How many turkeys will you be processing for your freezer for 2014? At least one; I was only intending to raise our Thanksgiving turkey, but it appears that I'm now going to start keeping turkeys.

14. What did you do this year that you want to do different next year (2014)? Have turkeys instead of not having turkeys.

 

[TeaChick]

The turkeys experienced their first snow yesterday! After realizing that eating it wasn't productive, they ignored it altogether. The hens spent most of the day on our porch, they didn't particularly enjoy it on their feet. The five toms strutted all day long, and apparently the beautiful sight of them strutting in the snow was enough to woo the gray/brown hen, as she squatted and allowed one of the royal palm colored toms to breed her.

They're beautiful!!!

I had no idea that there are so many different breeds of turkeys!

What a newb I am!!!

ETA: What breeds are pictured here, if you don't mind?