Turkey Talk for 2014

[duluthralphie]

I do understand the good bad behaviors in the birds I have had both and sent some to freezer camp also. I think you having so many young Jake's together may be causing them to act out in the pecking order. Maybe you could choose the best one and keep one for a back up and get the other one re-homed via either Craig's list or news paper or face book poultry pages for your area. Some turkey breeders have a bachelor pen and will make the bottom either solid or covered so they cannot see the hens to cause fights over. Then they only have disagreements occasionally.

I had a turkey hen that did not like me two years ago so I re-homed her and a couple others and now she loves her new home. This hen did take a flying leap at my face and luckily my Narragansett tom jumped up and bounced her off his chest to save me!

I have had to put some roosters in freezer camp for jumping on me but I would not tolerate it from a tom!

It is amazing you mention this, I just discussed with my DW moving 3 of the jakes into a separate pen. I think that is my only answer. I am going to separate my breeders also, some how. It needs to be done. I cannot build new pens until spring and the ground thaws, but I will make do some way.

 

[AmericanMom]

Thank you for all of your suggestions. We have an electric fence around the pasture for the cows and I may look at running a wire around my pens.
If it were up to me I would have got rid of the dog two years ago but my DH is not going to let him go. The dog was his son's and he won't budge on it.
So other options are my only answer.



Thanks AmericanMom it is a tough one but the cows also need protection.

You will get it figured out. I understand needing the dog to protect the rest of your livestock!

 

[AmericanMom]

Just went out to take care of the animals this morning.. Turkeys are hilarious! One hen squats for the Tom no problem, the other, smaller hen started out squatting only for me and then the tom would come do his thing.. Before as soon as she was down and he climbed on I moved far away, today something new, if I move away at all she shakes him off and runs.. I learned quickly that if I stand right beside her she will stay down and let him do the job.... Is this my new life? being the "inspiration" for my hen to want to mate? LOL... Somehow I think my friends and family should not know this as I would never live it down

 

[chickadoodles]

Quote: I have a 50' run and last year in a pinch I had to separate some birds I just used a piece of wire fencing and some screen and ran it across the end of the run to give the other birds a 10' pen. Then I could get in and out to feed an water. and it was temporary that way.
I hope you can get it figured out. I think it would help you in the long run.

 

[chickadoodles]

Just went out to take care of the animals this morning.. Turkeys are hilarious! One hen squats for the Tom no problem, the other, smaller hen started out squatting only for me and then the tom would come do his thing.. Before as soon as she was down and he climbed on I moved far away, today something new, if I move away at all she shakes him off and runs.. I learned quickly that if I stand right beside her she will stay down and let him do the job.... Is this my new life? being the "inspiration" for my hen to want to mate? LOL... Somehow I think my friends and family should not know this as I would never live it down

Lol my hens did the same thing as they have the instinct to be submissive but they care for us. But they do eventually get it turned around. My hens that did that now hide behind the toms. lol They are funny!

 

[chickadoodles]

Our three dogs have protected us from a few packs of coyotes, skunks, fox and many other critters on a nightly basis. We are so far in the middle of no where that we don't have any other options. And it would take to long to train a new dog. Electric fencing will have to solve this problem.

 

[AmericanMom]

Our three dogs have protected us from a few packs of coyotes, skunks, fox and many other critters on a nightly basis. We are so far in the middle of no where that we don't have any other options. And it would take to long to train a new dog. Electric fencing will have to solve this problem.

I am sure it will... The dog we had was mostly just for the companionship and a property protector for the human riffraff (thieves) around here...

 

[AmericanMom]

Lol my hens did the same thing as they have the instinct to be submissive but they care for us. But they do eventually get it turned around. My hens that did that now hide behind the toms. lol They are funny!

I sure hope she gets it figured out, lol, what a thing to make sure gets done with a bird

Love my Turkeys tho so of course I will make sure she gets her share of the lovin until she gets it figured out

 

[SilkieSensation]

I remember when I was around 5-6 years old I went from the house to the barn to be with my Dad milking the cows. We had an old vinegar barrels about halfway between the house and the barn which was used for scalding pigs.  ( back then farm families never bought any meat and little food of any kind.)

My parents had a few turkeys, The tom came running at me, and to me looked like he wanted to attack. I remember running around the vinegar barrel with this Tom right behind me. I was so scared. I would go one way, stop and look at him and he came the other.  I was crying and yelling for my Dad.  Dad finally heard me in the barn and came to my rescue ( this was in fall/winter, as we had snow on the ground). 

I Was so glad my Dad saved me. I can still remember it nearly 60 years later.  Shortly afterwards the tom was gone.  We ate him, I am sure.


Many years later , my Dad told me he had gotten that tom from a neighbor. The neighbor gave it to him because he said it was too ornery to have around his place and he had other toms.  I guess some birds are just rotten.  Even now I think about this event when my Jakes are acting stupid, which is most the time lately. Luckily my oldest Tom kind of watches out for me and keeps their silliness in the group.

I sure could use someone buying 3 jakes from me. They are heritage slate blues so they are not quite large enough to eat, but they could be if they attack a grandkid!  I might be sending three of them to live in the Guinea fowl gulag soon.  Then I would only have 2 to worry about.  I might even put 4 in there and let my red slate breed all the hens for a while.

I hate to mess up my good slate blues with red though.

Heritage toms actually have a fair amount of breast meat by about 6-7 months old. I butchered a spare boy for Christmas diner that had hatched in May & he was plenty meaty to feed 3 people with leftovers. Definitely not as meaty as broad breasted of the same age, but not a total loss if there are just too many trouble makers.

 

[chickadoodles]

Here are some of my bunch