Turkeys For 2013

[TexasLisa]

You need turkeys. You need turkeys. You need turkeys. You need turkeys. You need turkeys!!!.

And by the way............YOU NEED TURKEYS!

Is this a sign of enabling????

Lisa

 

[kuntrygirl]

They were waiting for me when I returned home from work. This hen was setting on eggs in a bush in my front yard. She was out teaching them how to eat grass and they were. They walked around a while and then she went back to the nest to set on the remaining eggs.

Absolutely adorable! I have a crazy question. If these are newborn poults and are outside already, why do we have to keep ours in the brooder for 4+ weeks. Lisa

Thanks Very good question and observation. I allowed a hen to hatch these because I didn't want to disturb her setting. She was setting on eggs in a bush in the front yard. Any time a hen hatches babies outside, I take the babies and mommy and put them in a breeding stall that has a sand floor/run. So, these babies were only outside on the grass (not soil - this is where the soil borne diseases come in to play) until about 7:30 PM last night. I let the mommy continue to show them how to eat the grass. She brought them back to the nest in the bush. I took the babies late last night and put them in the brooder with the other poults that were hatched in nesting boxes. Today, I will take the mommy and the all of the newly hatched poults and bring them to the breeding pen in the chicken yard. They will remain on sand for a few months until they are bigger. My chicken yard is now mostly sand, so I am more comfortable with letting them out to walk around once they get big enough to take care of themselves. Before my chicken yard was dirt and I was afraid to let them out. But I will allow them to roam around soon.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Congrats on all of the new babies everyone. So cute !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[kuntrygirl]

You need turkeys. You need turkeys. You need turkeys. You need turkeys. You need turkeys!!!.


And by the way............YOU NEED TURKEYS!

Is this a sign of enabling???? 

Lisa

Enabling? Who me?

 

[chicken pickin]

Im sure we already went over this. But when brooding chicks and poults together what is the best feed of choice or rather what amount of protein is suffiecient for both of them to get starterd?

 

[kuntrygirl]

Im sure we already went over this. But when brooding chicks and poults together what is the best feed of choice or rather what amount of protein is suffiecient for both of them to get starterd?

If it were me, I would go with 20% protein. That would be fair for all of them. Do you have access to 20% protein in your area?

 

[chicken pickin]

I do. But I was thinking of maybe going with 22% multi flock starter/grower. Do you think that would be ok?

 

[kuntrygirl]

I do.  But I was thinking of maybe going with 22% multi flock starter/grower. Do you think that would be ok?

I think that would be ok.

 

[PeepsCA]

Hi All,
I've been following this thread for a few weeks, since my Turkey Hens started laying eggs for me. Most of the other Turkey threads are a little intimidating, so I was glad when I found this one

I have a pair of Wild Turkeys... a Rio Grande Hen that I hatched 3 seasons ago (from an egg that a Wild Turkey Hen laid in a nest she was sharing with a friend's Guinea Hen!) paired with an Eastern Jake (that was given to me a few months back by a friend that bought several poults at a swap meet):


I also have a Narri Jake covering 1 young Narri Hen and 2 young Black somewhat mottled Hens (all siblings out of a Narri Hen X Blue Slate Tom pair). I hatched these 4 from some shipped eggs I received from a friend, hand raised them and they are the epitome of Turkey Puppies... they eat from my hand, want to be held whenever I am sitting down and will follow me around everywhere because they want to be near me constantly.
Here they are sky watching while free ranging with my Guineas:


The 2 Narris (especially the Hen) seem a little too dark to me, but I don't know what else to call them lol. I can't find any pics of Narris that look exactly like my 2

(All of these pics are from a few months back, I really need to get current pics of everybody).

Soo... suffice it to say, my Turkey addiction has officially begun.
I set a mix of 16 eggs from all of the Hens on 4/4, then another 16 eggs on 4/9, (both in my Hovabator 1588s), and then I set another 30 eggs (lol) on 4/17 in my new Dickey incubator. I have 12 more eggs stored and will be setting those in a few days with whatever else I collect between now and then (tho one of the Black Hens has decided to go broody and has stopped laying,and her twin sister might be heading in the same direction... so I removed their favorite nesting barrel, and they better get back at it).

Because my ambient humidity is ridiculously low here (in the mid to low teens) I don't dare try dry incubation with these Turkey eggs, so I've been aiming at maintaining around 35% RH in my 'bators for these eggs. So far so good and out of all the eggs I've set only 3 out of each batch are not developing

(1 had a crack that I did not find in time to patch, a few had blood rings and a few weren't fertile). Now if you do the math... I'm looking at hatching out 53 poults, all within a short time lol... have I lost my mind? I think so, that's the only excuse I have to fall back on

I am so excited to be hatching eggs from my own Hens this season tho that I can barely contain myself. Seeing everyone's poult pics is making the wait WAY worse for me, lol.

Anyway, great thread! I'm a Turkey newbie (I mainly raise/breed/hatch Guineas), so I hope you don't mind me jumping in

 

[TexasLisa]

Hi All,
I've been following this thread for a few weeks, since my Turkey Hens started laying eggs for me. Most of the other Turkey threads are a little intimidating, so I was glad when I found this one

I have a pair of Wild Turkeys... a Rio Grande Hen that I hatched 3 seasons ago (from an egg that a Wild Turkey Hen laid in a nest she was sharing with a friend's Guinea Hen!) paired with an Eastern Jake (that was given to me a few months back by a friend that bought several poults at a swap meet):


I also have a Narri Jake covering 1 young Narri Hen and 2 young Black somewhat mottled Hens (all siblings out of a Narri Hen X Blue Slate Tom pair). I hatched these 4 from some shipped eggs I received from a friend, hand raised them and they are the epitome of Turkey Puppies... they eat from my hand, want to be held whenever I am sitting down and will follow me around everywhere because they want to be near me constantly.
Here they are sky watching while free ranging with my Guineas:


The 2 Narris (especially the Hen) seem a little too dark to me, but I don't know what else to call them lol. I can't find any pics of Narris that look exactly like my 2

(All of these pics are from a few months back, I really need to get current pics of everybody).

Soo... suffice it to say, my Turkey addiction has officially begun.
I set a mix of 16 eggs from all of the Hens on 4/4, then another 16 eggs on 4/9, (both in my Hovabator 1588s), and then I set another 30 eggs (lol) on 4/17 in my new Dickey incubator. I have 12 more eggs stored and will be setting those in a few days with whatever else I collect between now and then (tho one of the Black Hens has decided to go broody and has stopped laying,and her twin sister might be heading in the same direction... so I removed their favorite nesting barrel, and they better get back at it).

Because my ambient humidity is ridiculously low here (in the mid to low teens) I don't dare try dry incubation with these Turkey eggs, so I've been aiming at maintaining around 35% RH in my 'bators for these eggs. So far so good and out of all the eggs I've set only 3 out of each batch are not developing

(1 had a crack that I did not find in time to patch, a few had blood rings and a few weren't fertile). Now if you do the math... I'm looking at hatching out 53 poults, all within a short time lol... have I lost my mind? I think so, that's the only excuse I have to fall back on

I am so excited to be hatching eggs from my own Hens this season tho that I can barely contain myself. Seeing everyone's poult pics is making the wait WAY worse for me, lol.

Anyway, great thread! I'm a Turkey newbie (I mainly raise/breed/hatch Guineas), so I hope you don't mind me jumping in

WOW!!!

Congratulations on all the eggs and soon-to-be poults!

Lisa