Turkeys For 2013

[theuglyduckling]

can a turkey survive solely on foraging? If so which ones?

 

[Celie]

I raise Regal Reds and Lilac Turkeys. They are not hatchery stock and I've got several years of work into them to improve size and color. I've raised Narragansetts, Blue and Royal Palms, Blue slates, Black spanish, Self Blues, Jersey Buffs, Bourbon Reds, Self Buffs, Bronze, Tiger Bronze, Eastern Wilds, Chocolates, and I'm sure there's more but to really concentrate on improving a breed I had two downsize to my two favorites.

I never heard of half of these breeds, so I looked them up on the APA site and I think they are crosses Porters and Porter's fans are promoting, not accepted by the APA as true HERITAGE breeds, at least not yet. Pretty turkeys, like my Easter egger chickens. Just be careful if you plan to show any!

I have never had turkeys but was thinking about giving it a try.
Want a heritage breed with a good temperament.
Any advice?

Turkeys imprint very easily, so I would think it would very by who they are raised with, rather than what breed they are. I have never read of a good Heritage Breed that did NOT have a good temperment, if treated kindly!!!

Arg. Sneaky has moved her nesting area again. No eggs in that spot. Next time I find it I won't remove all the eggs - maybe she'll stay in one spot that way.

If you put a ceramic egg in the place she is laying, she will continue to lay there and you do not have to forfeit an egg and the egg will not chance being broken or turning into a stinker. I use the largest fake eggs I can find at my local craft store, which is Hobby lobby and usually find duck size for $2 to $3 each!

 

[Uly235]

can a turkey survive solely on foraging? If so which ones?

I wonder myself if there could be a no feed turkey, but I suppose it would be pointless as it would have no reason to come back home. It would technically be wild lol. But im interested in a turkey that could forage most of its diet, with minimal feed and that is why I am interested in wild turkeys for this coming season. That way it could forage well and have good instincts for survival.

Celie, surprisingly I had a few turkeys who did not imprint very well. I got them off craigslist so I suggest for people to get them from reputable places, as I know two of them were hybrids and very very shy birds. They also had quite a temper but I loved THEM!! lol.

 

[Bettacreek]

My turkeys were hardly fed during the summer. They always came back, except one night when they went around the field and couldn't find their way back home. They sure were happy to see me the next morning though!

 

[Celie]

Wild turkeys forage well in a big area with a lot of natural food like a forest with lots of bugs, berries and nuts, or they die, because no one is supplementing their feed. Most of the locust that are their natural food have been eradicated by pesticides and planted by farmers, so a lot of the fields they would graze in are gone. Wild turkeys take a lot more land to forage for all of their food than most of us have and a lot of their food has been destroyed, but with a few turkeys in natural habitat and lots of acreage, yes, they can live off the land. Alter all this is their native land with their natural food source!.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Im actually curious myself if anyone has raised Eastern wild or other wild turkeys. Im thinking of getting some from a place called Iowa Turkey Farm, they raise the eastern wild turkey, it's pure blood and all just also domestically raised. I'd like to have a turkey with minimal feed costs that also has good predatory skills. Ive only raised heritage, though I plan on do some of those again. 

I saw a pic of them and WOW!! That is the most beautiful turkey that I have ever seen! As much as I love my Bourbon Reds, I think the Easterns have an upper hand on on my Bourbons.

 

[kuntrygirl]

I raise Merriam wilds and they are hands down my favorit turkeys to raise. The wild turkeys are tough as nails healthwise and raised in the domestic setting they are usually just as tame as any other domestic turkey.

Yes, I can see why the wild turkeys are tough as nails health wise. Makes me wanna get some.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Wild turkeys forage well in a big area with a lot of natural food like a forest with lots of bugs, berries and nuts, or they die, because no one is supplementing their feed. Most of the locust that are their natural food have been eradicated by pesticides and planted by farmers, so a lot of the fields they would graze in are gone. Wild turkeys take a lot more land to forage for all of their food than most of us have and a lot of their food has been destroyed, but with a few turkeys in natural habitat and lots of acreage, yes, they can live off the land. Alter all this is their native land with their natural food source!. 

I was thinking the same thing.

 

[kuntrygirl]

can a turkey survive solely on foraging? If so which ones?

 

I wonder myself if there could be a no feed turkey, but I suppose it would be pointless as it would have no reason to come back home. It would technically be wild lol. But im interested in a turkey that could forage most of its diet, with minimal feed and that is why I am interested in wild turkeys for this coming season. That way it could forage well and have good instincts for survival. 

Celie, surprisingly I had a few turkeys who did not imprint very well. I got them off craigslist so I suggest for people to get them from reputable places, as I know two of them were hybrids and very very shy birds. They also had quite a temper but I loved THEM!! lol. 

I think it's possible. With enough land to forage and free range and seek out and find the things that they need to eat to survive, (like the do in the wild), they would be just fine.

 

[Treebird]

I don't recommend Wild Turkeys of any sort. Though a turkey is a turkey regardless the breed, the wild turkeys are not good for eating, at all. The breast is about the only edible part. I mean you can eat the rest of the bird if you like chewing on leather and picking tendons out of your teeth. You'll need to check with you local conservation department to see what regulations you need to follow also what permits you might need to obtain to keep and raise these birds. They are attractive birds, but from a practical stand point heritage breeds were developed because people wanted more out of wild turkeys. It's like cutting down a Red Delicious apple tree to plant a wild crab apple tree. People wanted more from the crab apple tree so they worked diligently and patiently to make improvements. Now in the case of turkeys, people pushed that too far and developed broad breasted type birds which couldn't survive without human intervention, So we go back to our heritage breeds which still all in all have beauty and dual purpose for food.