Turkey Talk for 2014

[K Epp]

Just give him a few days to learn where the food comes from & he should be fine. He'll stick close to the food & the hen.

I agree. I brought mine home and I turned them loose. They followed the hens.

 

[sonderah]

Yay!! Thanks. I'm gonna run errands then I'll release him while I'm home. Can't wait to see him strutting. He's BEAUTIFUL!!

 

[Sydney Acres]

Yes, I've had her since last summer, and she walks in the woods some and has made a nest there, but never wonders out of sight. She tried to sit in my lap!!! But she's entirely too heavy. Lol
Since your hen is so tame, be sure to continue petting her and hand feeding her and whatever else you normally do in front of the tom. It's important for him to accept that you are allowed to love on and handle "his" hen. Hopefully that will make him start to trust you sooner, if he isn't already tame, since she already likes you.

 

[sonderah]

Since your hen is so tame, be sure to continue petting her and hand feeding her and whatever else you normally do in front of the tom.  It's important for him to accept that you are allowed to love on and handle "his" hen.  Hopefully that will make him start to trust you sooner, if he isn't already tame, since she already likes you.

Ok Thanks! Good advice. They REALLY like each other! He wasn't out 5 minutes before they mated! Lol Yay!!

 

[uphilljill]

 

[sonderah]

Pic is pretty far away. And no, they are not actually mating yet, no pornography. Lol He's SOOOO pretty!!!!!

 

[Theprussia4]

2 of my Toms have black spots on their heads (they are not scabby or anything, just discoloration) and on their legs. 2 Hens only have it on their legs. We have had some nights way down below -10 so I am not sure it if is frost bite or something else.

 

[DraigAthar]

Pic is pretty far away. And no, they are not actually mating yet, no pornography. Lol He's SOOOO pretty!!!!!

Very handsome.

 

[Sydney Acres]

2 of my Toms have black spots on their heads (they are not scabby or anything, just discoloration) and on their legs. 2 Hens only have it on their legs. We have had some nights way down below -10 so I am not sure it if is frost bite or something else.

Can you post pictures? If so, try to get a few of the whole head and leg showing the spots so we can see distribution, and then some close-ups of the spots. What breed(s) are they? Do you have any unaffected turkeys? Do you also have chickens or other birds? If so, are any of them affected? What state do you live in (certain types of infections only exist in certain areas of the country)? Also, when was the last time that you know for sure that the spots weren't there, when did you first notice them, did they all show up at once or have they shown up a few at a time (if so, over how long), and have they changed at all since you first noticed them (if so, how have they changed)?

Regarding the potential for frostbite, what type of housing do you have for them, what type and how much ventilation is present, is there a source of moisture in the house itself other than the birds exhaling (waterers, moist bedding, poop, etc), and is there supplemental heat in the house? Depending on the amount of ventilation and moisture in the house, sometimes supplemental heat can actually increase the risk of frostbite -- definitely counterintuitive, but until you get to extremely low temps (some breeders say down to a dry minus 40 -- geez, I can't even imagine how cold that is), it's not just the temperature that causes frostbite. It's the balance of temperature, moisture, and ventilation. Any extra moisture in the air can settle on exposed skin and freeze -- just like frost on your windshield; some nights it's cold and humid and you need the ice scraper in the morning, but some nights it's colder but not humid and there's no frost at all. Frozen moisture on the skin can cause frostbite, even layers so thin that it's not visible. So birds that have higher humidity and poor ventilation might get frostbite at 10 degrees, whereas birds that are kept in a house with low humidity and good ventilation might not get frostbite until minus 20-40 degrees. Since heat plus moisture increases humidity, and poor ventilation doesn't let the humidity out, adding heat to a poorly ventilated house can significantly increase the risk of frostbite (no matter how much I know it's true, it's still hard for me to accept -- I keep focusing on how illogical it is that heat makes frostbite worse, and letting the birds stay cold protects them from frostbite). There is a good discussion on this thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/846610/any-suggestions-on-how-to-solve-our-frostbite-problem

 

[uphilljill]

Last week I was wishing for warmer weather, now I'm fearing the Big Meltdown we're about to get. Gonna be a muddy weekend.





In other news, we had the vet over yesterday to give the goats a little prenatal checkup (due end of March) and one of our turkey hens came over and presented herself to him. While he was petting her, Tom came over and took advantage of the situation. Our vet was treated to the whole turkey mating ritual, up close & personal. I think he was a bit taken aback, but curious at the same time.

Hope this means there may be eggs again soon.