Turkeys For 2013

[kuntrygirl]

On the bright side at least your weather stays decent so you have that on your side with all the new babies. But it must get exhausting. I feel like your always saying you have new babies lol. Your farm is a like a baby making machine, always running. LOL.

You are right about all of the new babies. At first, it's cute and everything but after baby #273, it gets depressing. :/

I had a muscovy bring home 12 babies last week and have a few more girls laying eggs. I tried to pick their eggs as they layed but they outsmarted me and moved their nests to the woods and in bushes and I didn't see them. So after they hatch their babies in the woods, they bring them home and they wait for me at the gate to open the gate and let them in.

I have high fertility at my place. :/

 

[Arielle]

Quote: THe wild eastern toms around here stand taller than anyof my birds. ( THey stop in for visits. lol) You might add in some hardiness from the hen, and the offspring, no matter what they look like, would taste yummy. Ihave a bunch of cross breds this year, and the red seems to disappear when bred to a bronze. I'm not a color expert, just noting what my crosses produced.

Lots of people hunt turkey around here-- which is why we have so many. They were stocked for the hunting, and have done well in this area without further addition of stock.

Quote: Great info!! I picked up one of my 5mo olds and while they look almost as big as the 13 month olds, they are not as heavy for sure. Surprizingly light actually.

My oven can fit a 35# dressed-- we like to cook so made sure the oven was big, though it is still not as big as my mothers oven. I should qualify that the 35 pounders were BBW because the body structure is probably different.

I hope you are able to get the breeding groups separated soon. Do plan on separating the breeding stock well before the laying season. THe 1 month rule doesn't seem to be as effective as everyone says. lol

Feeding over the winter months is a challenge this far north. I wonder what the history was for over wintering turkeys this far north.

Makes me appreciate just how expensive meat used to be.

 

[Arielle]

Quote: ROFL-- they know mom will help!!

It is the end of the season, and I have moved the last muscovy/marans out of the house as of today. YEAH!! But we found a nest this last week of chicken eggs.

I will not brood them, I refuse to!!!! She will have to do all the work. I can move her to a safe area for her and the kids though. THe pullets should produce pretty eggs though. A jumble of gene: blue copper marans, ameracanas, and blue cuckoo marans!!

 

[hogster160]

Yay, she made her nest and started laying eggs!

 

[kuntrygirl]

Yay, she made her nest and started laying eggs!

Awwwwwwwwwwwww. NICE!!!

 

[kuntrygirl]

I counted my hens for next year and it looks ilke I will have 15 laying hens for next year, so I'm looking at a crap load of eggs. So looks like I will be selling and incubating. I'm thinking about buying another incubator because I want to concentrate on incubating pea and turkey eggs next season.

 

[chicken pickin]

I counted my hens for next year and it looks ilke I will have 15 laying hens for next year, so I'm looking at a crap load of eggs. So looks like I will be selling and incubating. I'm thinking about buying another incubator because I want to concentrate on incubating pea and turkey eggs next season.

Wow! 15 laying hens sounds nice Tons of eggs. For next season I will have 2 Toms and 5-6 hens.

 

[kuntrygirl]

I counted my hens for next year and it looks ilke I will have 15 laying hens for next year, so I'm looking at a crap load of eggs. So looks like I will be selling and incubating. I'm thinking about buying another incubator because I want to concentrate on incubating pea and turkey eggs next season.

Wow! 15 laying hens sounds nice Tons of eggs. For next season I will have 2 Toms and 5-6 hens.

It sounds nice now but I know next year, I will be pulling my hair out . This group loves to hide their nests in the large bush in front of the house and 3 of them love going to my neighbor's house and laying on the side of her barn. I have their behaviors down to a science. Now if the others get any bright ideas and go into the woods, then that willbe another story.

I just checked the Porter's site and I think i will order 8 poutls from them for 2014. I really want some Porter's BR. I hope to phase out all of my current blood line and have 100% Porters in 2 years.

 

[Arielle]

Yay, she made her nest and started laying eggs!

I can't explain it-- I love looking at eggs! lol

 

[Arielle]

Quote: It sounds nice now but I know next year, I will be pulling my hair out . This group loves to hide their nests in the large bush in front of the house and 3 of them love going to my neighbor's house and laying on the side of her barn. I have their behaviors down to a science. Now if the others get any bright ideas and go into the woods, then that willbe another story.

I just checked the Porter's site and I think i will order 8 poutls from them for 2014. I really want some Porter's BR. I hope to phase out all of my current blood line and have 100% Porters in 2 years.

Have you considered grading up your blood and that way continueing another line of BR. Just saying if we all have POrters, that is not a lot of genetic variability. A white feather is not the whole story, if you know what I mean.