Turkeys For 2013

[uphilljill]

Has anyone else seen "My Life as a Turkey?" It was a PBS Nature documentary. (I think you can see it free on their website or get the disc from Netflix.) It's about a naturalist who specializes in imprinting and his experience hatching & raising wild turkeys. A bit over-dramatized at times, but good. Thought it was funny how he kept stressing that these behaviors were for wild turkeys only and their domestic cousins are nothing like them. Frankly, I didn't see much of a difference. Maybe between them and their commercial cousins, but our heritage turkeys behave quite similar. Very smart birds.

 

[chickadoodles]

Uphilljill I have not seen the movie. I will look for it. Thanks.

Here is a couple pics of my lone baby it is 3 months old. I am hoping it is a jenny.

 

[chicken pickin]

How old is it? It looks like a girl so far.

 

[chickadoodles]

How old is it? It looks like a girl so far.

Thank you. 3 months old.

 

[OffGridMAMA]

Check out my growing Turkey poults any guesses on breed? We may have to wait till they grow up Lol

About one month old

 

[NewToFarming]

Has anyone else seen "My Life as a Turkey?" It was a PBS Nature documentary. (I think you can see it free on their website or get the disc from Netflix.) It's about a naturalist who specializes in imprinting and his experience hatching & raising wild turkeys. A bit over-dramatized at times, but good. Thought it was funny how he kept stressing that these behaviors were for wild turkeys only and their domestic cousins are nothing like them. Frankly, I didn't see much of a difference. Maybe between them and their commercial cousins, but our heritage turkeys behave quite similar. Very smart birds.

I seen this and it was very interesting to me because I had just gotten my first turkeys. Since then I also have been seeing the same similarities in their behavior as their wild cousins.

 

[NewToFarming]

Uphilljill I have not seen the movie. I will look for it. Thanks.

Here is a couple pics of my lone baby it is 3 months old. I am hoping it is a jenny.

It is a cute little one! What are you looking at to say it is a girl. (I am trying to learn) I have 3 that I am not real sure what they are but I am thinking 2 boys and not sure about the other one. I am thinking boys just base on behavior but have no clue what else to be looking for yet. They are about 5 months old.

 

[Arielle]

Quote: Cellie made a cheat sheet to figure out whichi are the girls and which the boys. It is back a few pages-- but it is here. At 5 m they are old enough to know girls from the boys.

 

[NewToFarming]

I did see that post but still don't know what I am really looking at yet!

Maybe if I post some pictures you could help me? If my luck is the same as chickens, they are probably all boys. LOL

 

[B J Hopkins]

Maybe you will get lucky and if the hen feels safe maybe she will lay some eggs for you...

My 2 hens laid 2 sets of eggs each. But they werent interested in raising the second set. I thought it a bit unusual for them to lay eggs a second time when the first set of poults was only about 6wks old. THey hatched 1/2 of the eggs, 1/2 were hatched in the incubator. Didnt make any difference - they didn't want any of the new chicks!?

Those poults just turned 3 months yesterday. They still follow me around & holler to be fed every time they see me. I look like the pied piper with all the chickens & turkeys following me

. The turkey poults have only just recently quit flying onto mmy shoulders in the evening thinking that's the roosting place for them.