Turkeys For 2013

[Zootopia]

I do not put baby anythhing in with adults. They need a parent to defend them. They need to be mostly grown to mix w/ adults IMO.

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[Celie]

Is my broad breasted white Tom to big to breed?

IDK, how big is he? What are you breeding him with? If his diet was restricted enough that he can still mount the hen, properly, to accomplish the job, he can fertilize the eggs. If not, you can either AI or if you are using a BBW hen, you can use a large tom like a Holland White and mate them naturally. It all depends on his weight and size.

 

[Celie]

I do not put baby anythhing in with adults. They need a parent to defend them. They need to be mostly grown to mix w/ adults IMO.

I usually put them in pens next to the adults in the barn, until they are large enough to be integrated into the flocks. The same as I do chickens and ducks.

 

[chickadoodles]

The White poult can be either a Broad Breasted White(AKA Giant White), a Heritage White, a Midget White, a Beltsville White, or a Cross between a Beltsville and a Midget White. If it eats like a pig and grows very fast with a short fat body with short legs, it's probably a BBW and should be processed in 4 to 6 months, but with a strict diet, can live to be a few years old and over 80 pounds, but will need to be AI. If it has a tapered body on tall legs and grows rather rapidly, it's probably a Heritage Holland White and will have a lot of breast meat for a heritage turkey, but have no problem mating naturally. If it stays small, it will be one of the other 3 options, but they are so hard to tell where one breed leaves off and the others begin, even the APA groups them together as Beltsville/Midget White. Let us know what it turns out to be?
Turkeys will peck at anything shiny or brightly colored, so I warn anyone who visits the farm, to leave their jewelry at home, especially earrings! I use shiny aluminum bowls to attract poults to water and feed and use a very brightly colored sheet, spread out under their food, when moving them outside and starting them on big kid feed. I happen to be very light complected and have a few freckles on my hands and legs, which was a problem with having 40+ poults outside, ranging from 3 weeks to almost 4 months, so I started grabbing the ones doing the pecking by the neck. Not hard or anything, just to hold it loosely. They do not like it and do not even try, once they are restrained in this manner two or three times. If you don't want to remove rings, you might try this, but there is a member on BYC that lost a very expensive pearl earring to a duck pecking it off her ear and turkeys are bigger peckers than ducks! Good Luck !

Thank you Celie I appreciate your help! I will try it. He bit me 4 times today while I was trying to get them so food so it is getting worse!

 

[Arielle]

Quote: He is getting worse because he feels he is getting rewarded in some fashion. When he receives a "punishment" the tide will change. Good luck, hope this method works for you. TUrkeys hurt!!

 

[Arielle]

Quote: What size or age is this Celie?

 

[chickadoodles]

He is getting worse because he feels he is getting rewarded in some fashion. When he receives a "punishment" the tide will change. Good luck, hope this method works for you. TUrkeys hurt!!

Thank you ladies! My DH is off this weekend and I am going to have him help me with the food and water and Big Bird this morning to get him to behave!

 

[Sally8]

I waited until they were nearly 2 months old before I put them in with the older ones, in my case, because I was running out of room. I watched them very carefully for a while but everyone got along great. My adults were the parents to the poults but I hatched them in an incubator. The larger ones can be very mean especially when they roost together. No one could roost within 2 feet either side of my adult hen. She'd peck the daylights out of them.

 

[joshm97]

Sold four poults to our neighbor. And have six left because the other two hatched and are acting great just like the others! The two hens who sat on them are enjoying there little one as well. Things are looking better. Also have one more in the bator almost hatched but I am a little nervous of integration. I think if I wait till he is as energized as the others he will be fine.

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[joshm97]