Turkeys For 2013

[Bettacreek]

My toms are great boys. I'm cautious about people wearing black though. My royal palm tom babies the poults and I have one black hen who is nasty towards them. With his cataracts, he can't tell who is who, so when he sees a black chicken, he flogs it. He hasn't ever been aggressive towards people, but with those cataracts, I do worry about him seeing black on a person and flogging them, thinking it's that nasty hen.

 

[frank53061]

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When the nights are not freezing I have a coop completely closed off with no real drafts Pine chips water and food as well as a red heating bulb the big one and a shield cone shaped aluminum to focus the heat.
If the temps are to be freezing at night I put card board in the bottom of the spare bath tub and pine chips water food and the heat lamp and keep them there till the nights are near 50 or above.
I start the heated area under the lamp at 95 degrees day 1 and move the lamp back enough to lower the temp 5 degrees each week till I get to 75 degrees and then remove the heat lamp.
By then there fully feathered out.
I feed the game bird starter till 20 weeks of age and then the Chicken laying pellets I also use apple cider vinegar 6 tablespoons per gallon after 2 weeks of age.
I don't let there feet hit the ground till 15 weeks of age

 

[Arielle]

Just my 2 cents on the toms-- it is mating season and all boys are in the mood. Even my stallions are leaning on the fences!! ANd I"m more careful about the ram in with the ewes. THe two rams without girls are peachy. My SS rooster is watching me more closely than usual as he is a protector of his flock and I appreciate that as he is well into the wood and only he watches over the girls, no lutenient to help. So he is extra vigilant. WHen my children were younger, all contact was supervised; now my kids manage the turkeys at night and put every one in coops for lock up. HOwever mine are not 5 any more.

I have Red Bourbons and 6 Hens 4 Toms 2 Hens and 2 Toms more than I need.
So far being the first mating and egg laying year I have not had any aggressive moves towards me or My Kids 18 and 19 years old.
Its pretty Funny what the Toms do tho if I am cleaning out the coop and feel something brushing my legs its those Toms displaying and they will be all gathered around my legs seeing who can get my attention

The Toms right now are as ugly as they could get with there bare chest no feathers and there heads scabbed up from all the battling they have been doing it seems to be slowing down lately.
I have Holland whites & Red Bourbon Turkey Eggs soon to come out

as well as some Duck eggs.
I am to remove the egg Turner Monday and the Hatch date will be 3 days latter so Celie if your Reading this I will let you know how things develop.

The Temps here at night are out of the norm 50s and 60s at night to around freezing I keep moving the Chicks I ordered from Cackle Hatchery back and forth from the bath tub brooder inside to the to the Heated coop slash brooder out side I am not taking any chances.
Those Chicks travel so much I may have to get them travel Visas

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GOod luck on the hatch. I"ve been thinking about the Holland whites-- after dressing a few dark chickens, dark feathers are loosing their appeal !!

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Lisa, I dry hatch chicken and turkey eggs.

I make my own beer and I have been giving the wet leftover grain to my chickens for years I had two bronze turkeys that were 3 weeks old I gave them some grain they died in 15 minutes I didn't know it would hurt them I gave them a couple of tablespoons of grain

Hmmm . . . I don't know much about the process, is any alcohol left in the grains? Perhaps they are like children and easy to OD on OH . . . . not sure, just a passing thought.

 

[Bettacreek]

I feed mine fermented feed all the time. They first start pretty early, usually at the latest, they're 2 weeks old when I start, but usually after they're a few days old. It makes me wonder if the grain had gotten moldy or something.

 

[desertmarcy]

Hi all, anybody looking for Royal Palms? I just put an ad up on the 1-8 week old chick category. I have a batch of eggs in the incubator now for mid-May hatch. There will be enough to ship, I think.

 

[little feather]

Itried to post last night but apparently didnt have any luck!
I am starting a breeding facility, in Northwest Montana, Libby area. I have poults on the way, sweetgrass, narragansett, royal palms, and penciled palms. I am still looking for Midget Whites, and midget bronzes.
I have BB Bronzes, have tried AI, but don't know if I have been successful yet. The three hens are broody, so am also looking for eggs of the midget bronze and whites. They are wonderful gentle giants, but i didn't know they were BB Bronze, when I got them, they were supposed to have been standard heritage bronzes, live and learn!
I love the info on this site, thanks, Little Feather, Little Feather Farm, Birds of a feather, flock together!

 

[TexasLisa]

Lisa, I dry hatch chicken and turkey eggs.

Hi Arielle!

I planned on dry hatching, just wanted to see what the humidity would do. When it gets time to 'lock down', do you add water then?

Lisa

 

[RockerHen]

All four poults have hatched and so far, look healthy

It was rainy all day yesterday, I guess mother nature was helping the babies along as they hatched with the higher humidity

They all look to have taken after their royal palm mother. Such sweet little babies. Mama hen is very happy and is doing well with them, this is her first hatch as a broody. Next batch of 4 is due next monday, hope it goes as well as this one.

 

[TexasLisa]

All four poults have hatched and so far, look healthy

It was rainy all day yesterday, I guess mother nature was helping the babies along as they hatched with the higher humidity

They all look to have taken after their royal palm mother. Such sweet little babies. Mama hen is very happy and is doing well with them, this is her first hatch as a broody. Next batch of 4 is due next monday, hope it goes as well as this one.

Absolutely adorable! Congratulations!

Lisa

 

[redneck farmer]

What is the advarge time it takes for a hen ( bronze standard) to lay her first egg? 22 weeks?