Turkeys For 2013

[Sally8]

I don't use lights here either I let them run their natural cycle. I also thought I was done with hatching for the year. My last batch of chicks hatched 2 weeks ago and I packed up my 2 incubators. Well I was away on vaca for a week and came home to a broody chicken hen sitting on 5 chicken eggs and what looks to be a 1st time broody turkey hen sitting on 8 turkey eggs

. Guess Im not done quite yet since the birds had other plans for me. This will be my first time ever having a turkey hen hatch her own babies(I wasn't expecting it to happen this year since this is their first season of egg laying but then again I never let their eggs accumulate) Now Im wondering how to go about it. I know I will have to separate her from the toms. I have 2 hens and 2 toms should I put her alone or with the other hen also. And how soon should I make her a separate area, now or closer to hatch?

Where is she sitting on eggs? My hen chose to sit on eggs in the wood ash pile right where dogs and other predators could get to her. When I tried to move her she started going out in the woods someplace to lay her eggs. I had to stop that as I wouldn't have her long with all the coyotes.

 

[Celie]

Hey Celie!! Where ya been? I was wondering where you were. You been ok?

This was from the first group that was hatched this year. If my memory serves me correct, yes, it was January's group. This one had broken her ankle and I had her in recovery. Well the ankle healed but in that process her hock was messed up and her leg had turned backwards. I knew that she couldn't recover, so I made the decision to process her. She was WAY WAY smaller than the rest. I will have to look back on my records to see what her weight was. She wasn't gaining much weight because she wasn't able to free range and enjoy the bugs and other daily fruit like the others. She was big enough to where we fed either 5 or 6 people. May have been 5 adults. So, we had a perfect Sunday meal.

You are right about the weight. If I had an air conditioned outside kitchen to process, I would process as much as possible. I have been lucky enough to where 2 of my customers who I have either gave a turkey too or gave them a good deal on animals, have offered to either process the birds for me or have offered to let me go and get their plucker and take to my house and process all the birds that I want. THANK GOODNESS !!!!!! I am so grateful to my wonderful customers.

Very busy!! Got sick with that mucus flu going around a while back and still trying to catch up!

Sorry I haven't been around for a while, but my computer caught the flu from me, too, so it wasn't doing very good either! LOL

Lucky you to get the use of a plucker! Hubby is supposed to build one, but, so much has to be done around the farm in addition to keeping everything going and there is only the 2 of us and we are both getting old

Now if we can just get a cool front down and the weather gets below the 90s, maybe we can get something done. I have 10+++ turkeys to process plus about 30 extra roosters! I am starting on Midget Whites or as Hubby calls them our" EMPTY NESTER TURKEYS" this year, so we can have those everyday turkey dinners, since it is just the 2 of us now. I love the Hollands, but 30++ #s is a lot of turkey, even the hens will process out around 20++ #s. Next year will be Bourbon Reds and Narragansetts, to round out the sizes!

So my Tom has claimed the five poults are his. He dust bathes with them eats drinks sleeps and protects them. If he hears them screech he comes running and will go after any hen or Tom bothering them. He drapes his wings over them at night too. Weird Tom but he is happy. Don't think I have the heart to butcher this guy now

How adorable! All dads should be so great!!!

As I recall, you pack the jars tightly with raw pieces of meat, and a little salt. Then can according to directions for that type of meat. Can't quite remember. You pack the meat in as tightly as you can up to the rim (1/2 - 1 in from the top). It will create it's own juices and it makes it's own flavorful gravy. We usually can the tougher pieces of meat but I like to use some of the good as well. Deer season starts in October for bow and Nov for gun. Not necessarily slugs but ammo is very hard to find around here for handgun especially.

Tell me about it! I use a small 22 hand gun to dispatch my meat rabbits and I had to order them online. I was told the FEDS were buying up all the ammo, since the weren't able to disarm out citizens. I bought all I need for all the rabbits we will be eating for the rest of my life, while I could get them!

No body is going to disarm this old lady! My 357 over/under shotgun is handy, if needed, too!

I am wondering what is a fair price for young hen turkeys. I have a couple of people call me wanting 2 or 3 hens. Just hens! Well, one might want a tom. People wanting just hens should expect to pay more, don't you think? If I sell any of the Lavender hens I got from Porter, I already have $12 each in those since that was his poult price. I don't think I will sell any of my other Porter hens, those I will keep but I have extra Lavender. I am thinking $30 for hens. They are almost 3 months old. Feed has become so expensive and I feed only organic which costs me $29/bag plus the fish meal I add in to boost the protein. I am the one having to raise them all out, old enough to sex, then people want to pick just the hens without taking the risk themselves of raising a bunch of poults to get hens---maybe! That is just another $20 over my poult price, less than $7/month! Looking at it that way, doesn't seem that much to me, but people always want a bargain. Don't know if $30 is too high or not. Opinions?

$30 sounds minimum to me, depending on breed and size. I get $10 for a week old poult and $10 added for every week after that, until about 6 months old. I sell a pair for $100, but people that don't what goes into raising livestock get sticker shock!

Yes, always price your hens higher than your males. The person buying the hen will be able to benefit from the hen when eggs are layed and/or sold and poults are hatched and/or sold.

eggs sold - a person can make at least $3.00 per egg x12 = $36.00 per dozen x's who knows how many dozen she will lay.
poults sold - $12.00 per poult x assuming she hatches 10 poults = $120.00 total.
if she hatches more than 1 clutch of eggs, that's more money.

I honestly feel that the person will get their money's worth when buying a hen. Just my opinion.

I have to say that I agree with you 100% on your pricing. Feed is expensive and your turkeys are worth it. Don't short yourself when selling them. I do not think that $30.00 is too high. The older that my hens get, the more I sell them for. At my place, a person can expect to pay a minimum of $65.00 for a hen. And the thing is, I don't have to sell anything, so they can take it or leave it. Matters a dime to me.

They are the one that is looking for a hen - not me. I got plenty!

And I sell my Toms for $50.00 and people buy them. If they say that Mr. Tree Stump down the road sells his Toms for $20.00, I direct them BACK to Mr. Tree STump so that they can buy that $20.00 tom from Mr. Tree Stump because I ain't going down on my price. Sorry Charlies.

Now go make your money!

Exactly!!!!

I gave 50 for my RP pair, And didn't hesitate a second. I had already hatched the hens eggs, and knew the tom was a busy boy. The turkeys are hard to find here, everyone seems afraid of them!?! I like them more than the chickens. Less aggressive, and just all around more friendly birds. I really feel its how you care for them, raise them also. I guess I am nuts, I hold, pet and talk to all of my birds. Spoil em rotten with mealies and watermelon. Even if they are meant for the table they are loved and spoiled, Its the least I can do to thank them for the food they give us.
If i had raised turkeys first, I may not have owned chickens at all

That goes for me too!

Royal Palms are eye candy, too, but everyone I know that raised them told me they weren't the best breed for meat??? Have you processed any? If so, how were they, meat wise?

At those prices, put them in your own freezer-- quality food without the antibiotcs.

We talk and play with ours too. Easier to handle for whatever the reason.

Adults are quiet and glide around; poults are like loud teenagers though until they take a nap.

That's the truth, couldn't have said it any better myself!

Snapped a pict of my little chocolate turkey last night... is it me or is there too much white in the wing feathers?

What a pretty turkey hen!!!

Getting African geese. Any one have experience with this breed? I hope they arn'tean

So I Kind Of Jumped right into Geese. I picked up some Grey Africans Today and I don't exactly know whats going on here. The Woman I purchased him from Insisted "Only Buy The African because the other goose is mean.I did as she Said Becasue I don't know Much about Geese. I know they Need a Deep Water Bucket And Love To munch on grass. But What Do I do in the winter?Today He didn't even eat any of the grass in my Goose Pen. What's Going On?!?! He Dranks lots of water and swam in his pool abit but most of the time... accually like 99.9% of the time he preened and stared at everything. He was penned up in a 5x7 foot pen with a Chinise goose and an Kaki Kampbell Duck, the poor thing. Now he has a quarter Acre to roam but he won't I have 12 turkeys and one hen went after him but I put them in a seperate pasture. What is going on and how Can I fix this. Are My Toms and Hens disturbing him or is he scared. He is the sweetest goose ever. No hissing or alarm honks only little honks and he doesent like to be followed. Please someone help. I just started Geese and I don't want to have a bad first experiance. Oh and My turkey hens poult hatched. she sat on one egg!

Geese are very social animals and he is missing his friends. Geese mate for LIFE! They do not like to be touched and petted like a lot of other birds do. They love to play in water. I feed mine Game bird pellets like I give to my turkeys and ducks.Brown African Geese look just like Brown Chinese Geese do except that Chinese have a little longer neck and weigh less. To just look at them separate without the other to compare to, you would probably not see any difference! Chinese Geese are very aggressive and mean, while African Geese are the tamest, most gentle of all geese. They are great parents, both male and female, and are very well mannered with the ducks, making sure all the ducks know when food is being served and wait until the ducks eat, before they finish off the remainder. They do not lay as many eggs as the Chinese and are often mated with the Chinese, by dishonest breeders, to produce more eggs. You will love your Brown African, just give him time to adjust and when you can, get him a mate! Poor guy will get lonely by himself! If you can't find another African, any goose would be better than no other goose, but don't expect her to be as gentle as him!!!

desertmarcy, I thought about you yesterday when I was in my chicken yard and someone drove up. It was an older guy that had a familiar face to me. As I walked out of my chicken yard towards him he said, "It's August and I'm back for my female turkey". I was like, "HUH?". I had no idea what he was talking about. He said, "I came here at the beginning of the year and I asked you to buy a female turkey for my Tom because he was lonely and you told me that you didn't have any for sale but to try back in August and it's August and I want my turkey". All I could do was laugh.

I remembered him and I remembered saying that but I was kinda joking and I didn't think that he would return. He said, "And I have the exact money and I don't need any change." I also remembered telling him how much a female turkey would cost and he said ok back then and he said ok on yesterday. I told him that a female would be $75.00. He didn't flinch or stutter when I told him the price again. He GLADLY handed over $75.00 and I gladly accepted it. I gave him 3 free dozen of eggs because he doesn't have chickens and I thought that he would enjoy a freebie since he paid so much for the hen. Boy, he was so glad to get those eggs. He couldn't believe that I had given him FREE eggs.

So, this is why I set my prices so high because if they really want it they will pay for it. And if they complain about the price, then they can move it along and find someone else to buy a cheap bird from because I don't back down on my prices.

Good for you

!!!!

No lights here.

No lights here either, except in the brooders, of course!

 

[Arielle]

I don't use lights here either I let them run their natural cycle.


I also thought I was done with hatching for the year. My last batch of chicks hatched 2 weeks ago and I packed up my 2 incubators. Well I was away on vaca for a week and came home to a broody chicken hen sitting on 5 chicken eggs and what looks to be a 1st time broody turkey hen sitting on 8 turkey eggs

. Guess Im not done quite yet since the birds had other plans for me.

This will be my first time ever having a turkey hen hatch her own babies(I wasn't expecting it to happen this year since this is their first season of egg laying but then again I never let their eggs accumulate) Now Im wondering how to go about it. I know I will have to separate her from the toms. I have 2 hens and 2 toms should I put her alone or with the other hen also. And how soon should I make her a separate area, now or closer to hatch?

To date I only have delt with brooie chicken hens and duck girls-- IMO much depends on the location and if they are left in peace by the others and can they readily access food and water. Generally I don't move them as I hear stories on BYC about they don't take to the move. So instead I try to support them where they are IF the area is fairly safe.( I have perimerter fencing and interior fencing that provides some level of protection -- except one girl, so her coop door gets opened for the day )


Go eggies!!!

 

[chicken pickin]

Where is she sitting on eggs? My hen chose to sit on eggs in the wood ash pile right where dogs and other predators could get to her. When I tried to move her she started going out in the woods someplace to lay her eggs. I had to stop that as I wouldn't have her long with all the coyotes.

To date I only have delt with brooie chicken hens and duck girls-- IMO much depends on the location and if they are left in peace by the others and can they readily access food and water. Generally I don't move them as I hear stories on BYC about they don't take to the move. So instead I try to support them where they are IF the area is fairly safe.( I have perimerter fencing and interior fencing that provides some level of protection -- except one girl, so her coop door gets opened for the day )


Go eggies!!!

The hens both lay in the nest area I made them in their coop. The coop is surrounded by chainlink fencing and aviary netting covering the top. Predators shouldn't be a problem(I hope) Im concerned about the Toms bugging her(though she is not their favorite so they probably wont even look for her) and also the other hen continuing to lay eggs near the broody, since she will steal them. I numbered all her eggs last night. How many should I let her keep? She has food in her coop, its where they all eat and the water is just outside the coop. Does any one know when mating season ends and I should see less of it?

 

[Arielle]

DO the boys ever stop???

 

[chicken pickin]

I thought I would post a few pics of my new turkey grow out pen(made out of repurposed materials). It is currently holding 8 juveniles. I plan to let them go back to free ranging once they consider this home. Most of them are destined to be someones thanksgiving dinner.

 

[chickadoodles]

I thought I would post a few pics of my new turkey grow out pen(made out of repurposed materials). It is currently holding 8 juveniles. I plan to let them go back to free ranging once they consider this home. Most of them are destined to be someones thanksgiving dinner.

I like your pen. Great job!

 

[Arielle]

Way to go!! Love repurposed material!!!

 

[kuntrygirl]

I thought I would post a few pics of my new turkey grow out pen(made out of repurposed materials). It is currently holding 8 juveniles. I plan to let them go back to free ranging once they consider this home. Most of them are destined to be someones thanksgiving dinner.

I love it. Great job!!!!

 

[TexasLisa]

I liked your pen! When we had our BBWs, we made them go inside their coop at night. They really wanted to stay outside but we just didn't have their pen predator-proofed.

Good Job!

Lisa