Turkeys For 2013

[GotCoop]

Hey All, New turkey owner...I have 8 MWs poults ranging between 2 and 3 weeks old. Saw one of the younger ones displaying tonight, dropping the chin and wings, fanning the tail feathers and pushing the larger birds around with his chest...quite funny. My question: at about what age do you begin to identify which are the toms and which are the hens? (and is the poult displaying a tom or is it too early to tell at 2 weeks?)

 

[R2elk]

Hey All, New turkey owner...I have 8 MWs poults ranging between 2 and 3 weeks old. Saw one of the younger ones displaying tonight, dropping the chin and wings, fanning the tail feathers and pushing the larger birds around with his chest...quite funny. My question: at about what age do you begin to identify which are the toms and which are the hens? (and is the poult displaying a tom or is it too early to tell at 2 weeks?)

Every one that I have seen strutting at an early age has turned out to be a tom. Not all of the toms strut at that early age. Just because the others are not strutting, does not mean they are all hens.

The earliest that I have noticed strutting is as soon as their tail feathers start coming in.

Other than the precocious little toms, I typically can start differentiating the hens and toms in the fall of their first year. Enjoy your little ones. They can really put on a show when they want to.

 

[r4eboxer]

Great news on the Turkey eggs, everybody! I Think spring is finally here, in the South and Just around the corner for folk up North! The pear trees are all in bloom and the early June peaches are setting fruit!

Wow, we still have snow here. I love peach trees!!!

I got my first egg today too, but someone in the coop smashed it.

Congrats on the eggs, sorry about the smash but the good news is more are on there way very soon.

I got 'invited' to come into this thread for support since I am a new turkey keeper. I have a pair of Midget Whites. She has collected three eggs in the nest the last three days. I collected a few early on to try incubating myself. They are in the bator now. I learned that I have to keep the Tom from the hen now that she is laying. Big surprise there. She is safely quarantined with her nest now. I had our broody duck attack me today. I can only imagine the broody turkey hen! I might wear padding or something to go in there.

Any newbie bits of wisdom I should know about brooding them or avoiding momma wrath?

Welcome to the thread, my advice.....GRAB AND RUN!!!

111 pages in this thread!!, I didn't read them all. I have Spanish blacks, 3 females and 2 males, they seem to be doing good together. They started laying last week and have layed 4 eggs so far. not everyday but maybe every other day i find one. I am a complete newbie on this but I plan on hatching as many as I can and selling them. maybe keep a few. LOL

Black Spanish are so beautiful, keep us updated on your eggs in the bator. I've got some in too

Does anybody in Southern michigan raise royal palms? I am interested in buying some poults or doing a swap for some of the poults I have hatching.

Not sure about Michigan, I raise palms but in WV


Wow the thread has moved quite a bit in the last day after being pretty quiet for a while. Good to see everyone's turkeys laying and setting. I have 6 eggs in the bator, they are my first eggs from my turkeys and despite my opinion that my Toms are like teenaged boys they seem to be able to do the job. My first egg laid is fertile, I'm a bit surprised. It was day 10 yesterday so I hope to see some more development in the next week!!

I've got 15 more turkey eggs waiting to go in a bator. I've got 5 bators ready to go. All my chicken eggs are fertile and I've only had one egg not hatch out so far this season. I'm setting 18 goose eggs tonight, 6 duck eggs and tomorrow I'm setting 35-40 chicken eggs. Can't wait to see what all hatches next month.

 

[Coop Cleaner]

I recandled my turkey eggs last night(at 10 days) and things look much better now. There are only three out of 13 that I think are not fertile.
I received three of my Sebastopol goose eggs and 15 Iowa Blues and they are cookin' in the bator now. I'm so excited to see chicks!

 

[redneck farmer]

I just got a baby bronze turkey ( first one ever)
I have some questions-
1 wil it lay unfertailezed eggs?
2 do the eggs taste good?
3 is chick starter good for a day old turkey
Thanks!

 

[Sally8]

I just got a baby bronze turkey ( first one ever)
I have some questions-
1 wil it lay unfertailezed eggs?
2 do the eggs taste good?
3 is chick starter good for a day old turkey
Thanks!

Why do you think that it might lay unfertilized eggs?
People say turkey eggs are good, maybe a little stronger.
I feed mine chick starter

 

[R2elk]

I just got a baby bronze turkey ( first one ever)
I have some questions-
1 wil it lay unfertailezed eggs?
2 do the eggs taste good?
3 is chick starter good for a day old turkey
Thanks!

1. If it is a hen and does not get bred by a tom, yes it will lay unfertilized eggs once it is mature and during the laying season for turkeys in your area.

2. Turkey eggs are very good. My neighbor is impatiently waiting for my turkeys to start laying because she very much prefers turkey eggs over chicken eggs. I prefer the turkey eggs for baked goods and they do make a wonderful custard.

3. No, turkey chicks require a higher % of protein than is in chick starter. I use turkey starter or game bird starter for day old turkey chicks.

 

[chicken pickin]

I got my second Turkey egg today but it was stepped on

. I am sooooo excited one started laying though I cant wait to incubate them. Now I need to go back quite a few pages and reread everything I already read about you guys hatching turkey eggs. How long can I keep them stored for best results? Same guidline as storing fertile chicken eggs?

 

[Celie]

1. If it is a hen and does not get bred by a tom, yes it will lay unfertilized eggs once it is mature and during the laying season for turkeys in your area.

2. Turkey eggs are very good. My neighbor is impatiently waiting for my turkeys to start laying because she very much prefers turkey eggs over chicken eggs. I prefer the turkey eggs for baked goods and they do make a wonderful custard.

3. No, turkey chicks require a higher % of protein than is in chick starter. I use turkey starter or game bird starter for day old turkey chicks.

I agree with this, too !

I got my second Turkey egg today but it was stepped on

. I am sooooo excited one started laying though I cant wait to incubate them. Now I need to go back quite a few pages and reread everything I already read about you guys hatching turkey eggs. How long can I keep them stored for best results? Same guidline as storing fertile chicken eggs?

Congrats on the turkey hen laying, but sorry it was stepped on, but now you know, she is laying and there will be lots more really soon!

BTW, most people collect eggs for up to 7 days and then incubate them, because viability is suppose to drop after that point, but KuntryGirl, who started this thread put some into her refrigerator and then after 2 weeks, took them out, incubated them and got 100% HATCH!

Update: Remember my saying that the strike was over? Well, I needed 6 more to fill the tray of 30 to go into the incubator, So, I was hoping for 5 again, like the last few days and I would put them tomorrow, mid afternoon, as that is when my turkeys do most of their laying. I waited and waited for the next 5, and by 2PM, all I saw was a hen constantly sitting on her nest,

Again! Well by 3pm, I couldn't wait anymore, so I went to her nest and like they will usually do when I reach in to look, she stood up and let me have the eggs.

Normal procedure around here and they are used to it. They know I am alpha and if anybody doesn't like it, she will get carried around by me until she knows her place! LOL

Well, lo and behold, there was 7 eggs,

enough to fill up the tray with 1 to spare! The best news is that we are over the half way mark, with 7 our of 13 hens laying!

Any time now it will be all 13 ! I do not expect 29 eggs a month like I got from each hen last year, but 6 out of 7 would be nice!

I think by July, when it is really warm here at night, I will let them each hatch out a clutch. I will be giving them a lot of ACV by then to insure a lot of female poults!

 

[r4eboxer]

I agree with this, too !

Congrats on the turkey hen laying, but sorry it was stepped on, but now you know, she is laying and there will be lots more really soon!

BTW, most people collect eggs for up to 7 days and then incubate them, because viability is suppose to drop after that point, but KuntryGirl, who started this thread put some into her refrigerator and then after 2 weeks, took them out, incubated them and got 100% HATCH!

Update: Remember my saying that the strike was over? Well, I needed 6 more to fill the tray of 30 to go into the incubator, So, I was hoping for 5 again, like the last few days and I would put them tomorrow, mid afternoon, as that is when my turkeys do most of their laying. I waited and waited for the next 5, and by 2PM, all I saw was a hen constantly sitting on her nest,

Again! Well by 3pm, I couldn't wait anymore, so I went to her nest and like they will usually do when I reach in to look, she stood up and let me have the eggs.

Normal procedure around here and they are used to it. They know I am alpha and if anybody doesn't like it, she will get carried around by me until she knows her place! LOL

Well, lo and behold, there was 7 eggs,

enough to fill up the tray with 1 to spare! The best news is that we are over the half way mark, with 7 our of 13 hens laying!

Any time now it will be all 13 ! I do not expect 29 eggs a month like I got from each hen last year, but 6 out of 7 would be nice!

I think by July, when it is really warm here at night, I will let them each hatch out a clutch. I will be giving them a lot of ACV by then to insure a lot of female poults!

Congrats on your full tray, good hen knows her place. lol
If you give ACV you get females? Never heard that