Turkeys For 2013

[Chaneys Ranch]

Quote: Thanks, the Auburns are very pretty! They sure have an attractive variety of birds. Haha I hear you on the "making friends with what you eat"! I hunt, and have ate everything from deer to raccoon. But my first pig, we processed this weekend actually brought tears for me. Bacon was really friendly and a lot of fun too! He was here for 8 months, and I am really surprised at how smart pigs are. I am sold, and will raise more, we finished out at below 80 cents a pound @ 300#. He was very friendly, manageable and smart. He had a pretty large pasture, and he was very lean, no lard

no fat, almost disappointed! I think what i will miss most, when i started our tractor he would run around like a piglet, he knew mom was bringing a fresh roll of hay to his pasture

 

[joshm97]

So my birds just met a wild hen... AND TRIED TO BREED HER! Would they survive if they did breed her. What would they look like?

 

[redneck farmer]

So my birds just met a wild hen... AND TRIED TO BREED HER! Would they survive if they did breed her. What would they look like?

im not sure but thats pretty funny!!

 

[R2elk]

So my birds just met a wild hen... AND TRIED TO BREED HER! Would they survive if they did breed her. What would they look like?

Two years ago my Blue Slate tom did bred a wild hen. They looked and acted very much like wild turkeys as chicks and when they matured.

 

[Sally8]

Two years ago my Blue Slate tom did breed a wild hen. They looked and acted very much like wild turkeys as chicks and when they matured.

Were you able to domesticate them? We have nearly a doz turkeys that fly over almost every day and now that I've needed the extra room, I've had to move my pair out from the covered run. I've been expecting to find Rosie gone and she'll have gone with them.

 

[Deedee]

I hate to interupt but a question for all the experienced turkey raisers, this is our first time raising a turkey, a BBB.
From what I've read, and it's been a lot... they're not the best tasting bird.
We're still not 100% sure on eating for Thanksgiving,
but is there anything we can feed in the future to help it taste better?
It'll be free ranging part of the day with the hens.

Thanks

 

[R2elk]

Were you able to domesticate them? We have nearly a doz turkeys that fly over almost every day and now that I've needed the extra room, I've had to move my pair out from the covered run. I've been expecting to find Rosie gone and she'll have gone with them.

Be sure to check your local game and fish laws. I live in Wyoming and here it is illegal to have wild turkeys or their crossbred offspring without having a G&F permit for them.

As long as your hen knows that home is where she gets fed and watered she should always return. She may disappear to set a nest and as long as nothing happens to her she will return. I know of cases around here where the hens didn't return home because someone else found them and took them home for their own.

 

[R2elk]

I hate to interupt but a question for all the experienced turkey raisers, this is our first time raising a turkey, a BBB.
From what I've read, and it's been a lot... they're not the best tasting bird.
We're still not 100% sure on eating for Thanksgiving,
but is there anything we can feed in the future to help it taste better?
It'll be free ranging part of the day with the hens.

Thanks

That is a matter of personal opinion. I have never had a home raised BB turkey that didn't taste wonderful and they were definitely much better than any store bought turkey I ever ate. When I was raising the BB turkeys, I let mine free range so they had plenty of grasshoppers and various grasses to eat along with their supplemental feed. They tasted great to me.

 

[Sally8]

Be sure to check your local game and fish laws. I live in Wyoming and here it is illegal to have wild turkeys or their crossbred offspring without having a G&F permit for them.

As long as your hen knows that home is where she gets fed and watered she should always return. She may disappear to set a nest and as long as nothing happens to her she will return. I know of cases around here where the hens didn't return home because someone else found them and took them home for their own.

I didn't even consider that. I have no interest in trying to domesticate wild ones, was just curious. I do expect Rosie to fly off with wild ones. I could clip her wings but doubt that I will. Chuck is too heavy to fly. He probably can but I've never seen him do so since he became so large.

We live out in a very rural area. the woods starts at 250 feet behind our house and goes many miles before it meets up with the other road. People who live over on "Pine Hill" domesticated a fawn and still had her at 2 years. DEC has tried to catch them at trying to confine her (they had a red collar on her, kept her in the barn at deer season, etc). We bought a face cord of wood from them and the woman showed me pictures of the deer sleeping in bed with them along with a dog and cats. For a while it used to come over, and try to get in my neighbors house. I'm not sure what ever became of it. I'm a firm believer that wild animals are wild animals. Once you become friendly with them, you are only hurting them. They become dependent on you for food and sometimes shelter. They begin to trust you and not everyone will treat them so kindly. (Just my opinion!)

 

[joshm97]

The hen wandered of at about eleven and she stayed for 4 hours. Finally a jake wandered down tried to fight my jakes who whooped him good. (3 vs 1) the jake was chased up the hill by my littlest jake who was About 5 lb smaller then Him. He took off and the hen slowly wandard away. Maybe she will come back...