Turkey Talk for 2014

[WalnutHill]

My turkey pen is roughly about that size and I house 8 turkeys in it, 2 Toms and 6 hens. Im sure it would hold more but I like to give them space especially since during mating season the hens need to be able to flee from the Toms if they need to and the Toms need space from each other especially since they spar often.

Our chickens and turkeys share space (I don't advocate this, just do it out of necessity). We have 2 coops each 14 x 24, Between the two coops is a 10 x 14 pen open to both coops, and on the far end of one coop is another 10 x 14 coop. Inside each coop are multiple roosts at all heights, and multiple rooms. When we open it all up, the birds can go wherever they want. The breeding tom and hens have staked a territory. They will walk around and look, but they come back to the same roost at night.

By the time early November comes around, we usually have 100-150 hens and about 35 turkeys in this space. The toms usually take it outside 1:1 and only strut indoors. After Thanksgiving it looks deserted, and we shut down one coop in the coldest part of winter to conserve heat.

The combined space is about 24 x 40, about the size of a 3 car garage. Interior height at peak is about 9' and sidewalls are 5'

 

[TurkenItUp209]

If they don't go broody at the same time, in all likelihood the broody will stay on the nest, and the non-broody will visit the nest daily (or as needed) to lay her egg. When the non-broody leaves the nest, the broody will take the new egg and add it to the pile of eggs that she's brooding. As long as there's enough room, turkey hens will huddle into a nest together (and sometimes even when there's not enough room).

The problem with this scenario is that all the different eggs will be on a different schedule, and you'll have a staggered hatch. If they all hatch within 1-2 days, that's usually no problem. If it's staggered over a longer period, then the broody will need to abandon the late eggs to take care of the poults that are already running around, and those partially developed embryos still in the nest will die. Additionally, if the total number of eggs becomes too many for the broody to effectively cover, then your hatch rate drops even further, sometimes very low. If there are too many eggs to cover effectively, then the eggs on the periphery get cold. If they're too cold for too long, the embryos die. Because the hen will turn and rotate the eggs, every egg that takes a turn on the periphery can potentially die. Only the eggs that stay in the center will develop to term and be able to hatch, which may be all the original clutch, or half, or none. Too many eggs under a broody is not a good thing.

What most people do is collect eggs that they want to hatch. Write the date they were laid on them. Do not wash them or get them wet at all, even if they are visibly soiled, but you can lightly brush them off with a clean towel or paper towel. Store them pointy end down in a carton in a room that is 50-60 degrees, warm enough to keep the embryo alive but not so warm that it will start developing yet. Tilt them about 45 degrees, and alternate the direction of tilt 3-4 times daily. They can be stored this way up to 10-14 days, but hatch rates start to decrease around day 7. When a hen goes broody, put some labelled throw-away eggs or ceramic eggs under her for 2 days to be sure that she is committed to brooding. Once you're sure that she's really going to brood, and she's in a safe place, you're ready to put the real eggs under her. Draw a circle around the outside of each egg so that you can identify that egg no matter what position it's laying in. Exchange all the throw-away eggs/ceramic eggs for all the saved eggs all at the same time, at night, with as little disturbance and drama as possible. That way the incubation of all the eggs will start at the same time, so you should have all your poults hatch quite close together. If there's another hen that will lay eggs in the broody nest, check the nest every 1-2 days and remove all new eggs to prevent a staggered hatch, and to prevent an excessive number of eggs under the broody. If you have eggs stored more than 7 days (or 10-14 at the most) without a hen going broody, then you can rotate the 8-15 day old eggs back into the refrigerator to eat. As long as you don't wash the bloom off the eggs (the oxygen permeable "sealant" that prevents bacteria from penetrating the shell), eggs can safely last for quite a long time out of the refrigerator.

Thank you. Just going to go for it with the eggs I have. Batch 1 is lock down tomorrow (6). Batch two is 11 on day 10, and batch 3 (10) is not in an incubator yet. The last three days my two narrys have laid half a dozen eggs in one nest. Going to let them figure it out, go girls!

 

[Sydney Acres]

I think most of you are familiar with the cheap coops that TSC sells (they can also be found at Walmart, but cost more). My 2 BBW are currently in one. I have been bringing them out when the temp reaches the 50's or 60's. Then they come back in in the evening. Last night, they were quiet all day, then began peeping when it got dark. I admit that they are noisy even inside if I don't have a light on for them until at least about ten. I thought it was because they were mad about being inside. Anyway, it was still 70 degrees out when they were carrying on last night.
This morning I put them outside after being fine sitting in the swing with jeans and a T-shirt. They were happy and quiet. Turns out it was only about 47 degrees. Oops! But they are 5-weeks, and seemed fine.
Now for the point of all of this. Are they afraid of the dark? Or, are they fighting sleep? It is 70 now, and it will only get into the fifties come 4 A.M. The wind will be 5 MPH all night. Are they okay if I leave them out there tonight? They are silent right now.

No, they do not see well in the dark. Possibly a little better than chickens, but definitely not well.

Birds are hardwired to find a safe place to roost or nest as it gets dark. If they were outside in a cage as night fell, without access to their regular sleeping area, they were likely crying out to get back to their familiar place. With heritage poults, they will start to roost when they want to stay outside. But the BBs don't roost well, so a nightlight when they are first transitioned outside can help them calm down.

 

[lbrykowski2011]

If BB's don't roost so well and I will have my 2 for such a short time, what type of housing would be ideal for them? I only have 1 BBB and 1 BBW. Ty

 

[chicken pickin]

If BB's don't roost so well and I will have my 2 for such a short time, what type of housing would be ideal for them? I only have 1 BBB and 1 BBW. Ty

This is what I used for my 2BBWs a few years ago. I built it out of pallets and scrap wood and I provided low roosts because they do enjoy roosting in the beginning.


The fencing is green plastic coated wire fence with PVC arched over and netting over the PVC



This is what I used last year for the turkeys I was growing out for the holidays it was made out of old fence panels and plywood the fence is left over goat fencing and there is netting over the top

 

[lbrykowski2011]

Well that looks easy enough. We just burnt 15 pallets that we had used for a snow block for the winter this past Sunday. Figures

O well, DH can grab some from work. Thanks for the idea.

 

[Sydney Acres]

Quote: Nice setup ChickenPickin

If BB's don't roost so well and I will have my 2 for such a short time, what type of housing would be ideal for them? I only have 1 BBB and 1 BBW. Ty

There's hundreds of different housing options. Most people configure something out of what they've got laying around on the farm, like the pallets. The basic principles are that they should have both a house and an exercise area. The house needs to be predator-proof against nighttime predators. Remember that raccoons can reach their hand through anything larger than 1/2 hardware cloth and pull a head off a bird, so it's easiest to put the house inside a predator proof run. That way the predators can't get right up next to the house. The house needs to have plenty of ventilation, but should be free of drafts. The easiest way to do this is with roofline openings, but there are lots of other options. It should be small enough to stay warm with the number of birds you'll have, but not so small that it's crowded or builds up heat in the summer. BB birds will go through a period when they can roost, but will quickly become too large to confidently balance. Low roosts that are removable work well for them. Soft flooring with lots of padding is vital as they get older, as some will get breast blisters or hock sores from just their own weight if forced to sleep on hard surfaces. If there is a step to get out of the house, it can't be too tall. They're not very athletic and can injure their legs easily. Ideally nothing higher than 4 inches. If needed you can put short steps in to help them. If they need to go up or down a ramp, be sure it's very wide and has good traction so they don't slip or fall. They don't have the greatest balance and aren't always that coordinated. Their exercise area needs to be big enough for them to get enough exercise to prevent them from getting stiff, and interesting enough for them to want to move around as much as possible. They have a reputation of getting to an age where they just plop down in front of the feeders and don't do anything else. That's because they get so big and become sore. Keeping them moving around can prevent that, or at least delay it. While it's rare to see, the BB that are pasture raised don't have as many leg and weight problems, and the problems they do have occur much later in life. So as much room as possible, but they don't need as much as heritage turkeys. Limiting their food a bit can also help. Some people pull the food at a certain time a day, others give two or three feedings of limited amounts throughout the day. Lots of options, but the birds that are limited to reasonable amounts of food do much better than unlimited food. They are genetically selected over generations to eat as much as possible to gain weight as fast as possible in a commercial market. That may create the best profits, but that's not what creates the best bird.

 

[sonderah]

Holy cow! Here I've been threatening to chop off my RP hens head if she don't start laying, & I just found 7 eggs!!! Under my broody who is due to hatch Friday!! I'd never seen my RP anywhere near that broody nest before so never dawned in me to look there. CRAP!! What to do now!

 

[chicken pickin]

Holy cow! Here I've been threatening to chop off my RP hens head if she don't start laying, & I just found 7 eggs!!! Under my broody who is due to hatch Friday!! I'd never seen my RP anywhere near that broody nest before so never dawned in me to look there. CRAP!! What to do now!

Hmm let her keep them till this weekend when the other poults hatch and then put them in an incubator to finish the incubation process, that's if you have an incubator. Other wise I would take those newer eggs from them(candle first to be sure they aren't almost fully developed, if not developed put them in the trash.

 

[sonderah]

Hmm let her keep them till this weekend when the other poults hatch and then put them in an incubator to finish the incubation process, that's if you have an incubator. Other wise I would take those newer eggs from them(candle first to be sure they aren't almost fully developed, if not developed put them in the trash.

Well. I took all the new ones and put them in my hatcher. No room in the bator til Tuesday. 3 already had veining! I also took 6/7 of her eggs that she wasn't sitting on, since apparently she had too many eggs now. I know 1 was still moving. I'm not sure about the others. So I only left the 1 turkey egg, & 9 chicken eggs she has been sitting on. Messes up my WHOLE system!