Turkeys For 2013

[1MrsMagoo]

Don't believe that groundhog. He lied!

How do you keep your turkeys? Mine are in a 6 x 8 coop with a 12 x 14 ft run. They aren't terribly happy confined but Rosie won't stay home. With 3 pair, how do you keep them?

They have a 16 x 10 coop with an attached 20x40 run. They also get out to range on about 4 acres of pasture a few days a week. They are the only breed of turkeys I have so no worries about cross-breeding. Also, they don't seem to bother the chickens and the geese don't put up with their antics, so it works out fine.

 

[1MrsMagoo]

I'm thinking you have MAD MARKETING SKILLS!!!!

We have a local sale once a month at a local feed store and that group has a Facebook page. I posted availability on there as well as Craigslist and BAM....8 poults ordered the first day and then a guy wanting 20 or 30 the next (has a small feed store in Mississippi).

 

[r4eboxer]

We have a local sale once a month at a local feed store and that group has a Facebook page. I posted availability on there as well as Craigslist and BAM....8 poults ordered the first day and then a guy wanting 20 or 30 the next (has a small feed store in Mississippi).

Ah those feed stores are wonderful. I wish my local feed store sold chicks and poults and such. I have been on facebook and craigslist. I am getting more interest in my chickens and geese than my turkeys though. I have orders waiting to fill on those. Just waiting for the geese to start laying and i'll be rolling.

My turkeys aren't laying yet, I really hope they start soon. I want to fill up may bators.

 

[1MrsMagoo]

Ah those feed stores are wonderful. I wish my local feed store sold chicks and poults and such. I have been on facebook and craigslist. I am getting more interest in my chickens and geese than my turkeys though. I have orders waiting to fill on those. Just waiting for the geese to start laying and i'll be rolling.

My turkeys aren't laying yet, I really hope they start soon. I want to fill up may bators.

Good luck with all your orders this spring! I know what you mean about the geese. My Pomeranians have just started to lay (5 of the 7 so far), but they are all first year layers so far and fertility is still sketchy. I can't wait to the fertility gets on line with them because I have a lot of orders this year.

The manager of the local Tractor Supply asked me for some business cards yesterday. He says that he gets a ton of people looking for turkeys and geese, but they don't carry them, so he looks for local breeders to refer. I am printing some cards later today and dropping them off with him tomorrow.

Now, the area I live in has a huge local food and farmers market movement going on. I sell chicken eggs and never have enough eggs (for eating not hatching) for those who want them. One man with a very large family buys practically all I have, around 70 dozen a month. We are left eating duck eggs at my house since the chicken eggs are always sold out. I have another man who will buy all the duck eggs I have, but wants chicken eggs too. So, I try to throw some his way every couple weeks if I can.

You know, all our feed stores and even Tractor supply have bulletin boards where people can hang fliers. It may be worth a shot and you won't lose anything more than a piece of paper and a few minutes of time.

Also, their are a few websites out there like LocalHarvest that allow farmers and small growers to advertise their goods...including heritage poultry and eggs. Registration is free.

Then their is good old eBay. As long as you have an NPIP certificate, you can sell hatching eggs on there. Depending on the breed, their rarity, and demand that year, you can do okay (better than eating the eggs or selling them for cheap locally). The hatching eggs for the breed I raise go for between 24-39 a dozen on there. Last week a lot of 6 Narragansett eggs brought $60.00, so it just depends on what you have matching what somebody is looking for. They offer free listing quite often and you only pay when the item sells. Just make sure that you make the starting bid the lowest amount you are comfortable getting for the eggs. The worst that can happen is you get no bids and either re-list or don't.

 

[1MrsMagoo]

Here are the first 6 poults I hatched this year in their big kid brooder. I am moving them to the big brooder in the garage for a couple weeks pretty soon and then to the brooder in the turkey area after they are more fully feathered.



The turkeys headed for the back door to see if the chickens had any treats to steal last month.



In their run last month.

 

[Celie]

I find what works best is the "marble" and "foil" method. The shiny marbles are placed in the base of the waterer and it throws off a reflection as does the aluminum foil that I use to put the feed on. When they see this, they start pecking at the marbles and come up with water. When they see the foil shinning, they peck at it and come up with food. This is how they start eating for me. Works every time.

Kuntrygirl, I just have a crazy question, but I am just wondering. Since you work a regular job, How many poults can you use a 1/4 cup measure cup with? I guess the marbles make it too heavy for the babies to jump on the handle and spill the water?

Okay, thank you. I'll leave them alone until late tonight or tomorrow morning then.

How did they do?

Well, I am a big meanie and steal all the eggs to put into the incubator. Both my son and I have checked very carefully everywhere in, on, and around the turkey coop, pen, and surrounding area looking for eggs: Didn't find a one. Yesterday, we were working outside so kept a very careful eye on them. They keep going into the nesting box and sitting for a couple minutes, but never make any deposits. They don't feel egg bound and are eating, drinking, mating, and playing normally.
So, I just wondered if this is typical behavior for first year laying hens. BTW...my birds are Beltsville Small Whites that I got from Jerry Poole last spring via hatching eggs.

I steel the eggs too! I read that some heritage birds like Narragansetts and Bourbon Reds take at least 9 to 10 months to sexually mature, Maybe yours are just not ready yet. I noticed that my Hollands would practice for a few weeks, before they actually started laying and that when they did, the time, they sat on their nests, would continue to increase until they finished laying for the year! Do your beltsvilles have blue eyes?

Here are the first 6 poults I hatched this year in their big kid brooder. I am moving them to the big brooder in the garage for a couple weeks pretty soon and then to the brooder in the turkey area after they are more fully feathered.



The turkeys headed for the back door to see if the chickens had any treats to steal last month.



In their run last month.

I love pictures of turkeys, Mine look more like pigs in all of this rain ! LOL

 

[Bettacreek]

Here are the four so far. There's one still in there zipping away. He, err, SHE should be out within the hour! I started with 8 eggs for this set, if I remember correctly. I lost one at lockdown (it's still in there "just in case"), and the others quit earlier.

 

[Celie]

Here are the four so far. There's one still in there zipping away. He, err, SHE should be out within the hour! I started with 8 eggs for this set, if I remember correctly. I lost one at lockdown (it's still in there "just in case"), and the others quit earlier.

They look like 3 hens and 1 tom to me! LOL Glad they are doing well !

 

[Bettacreek]

They look like 3 hens and 1 tom to me! LOL Glad they are doing well !

How can you tell? The parents are my first breeder turkeys, and this is my first turkey hatch. They're BBW hens under a royal palm/BBB tom (dominant) and a royal palm tom.

 

[Celie]

How can you tell? The parents are my first breeder turkeys, and this is my first turkey hatch. They're BBW hens under a royal palm/BBB tom (dominant) and a royal palm tom.

You can't at that age, unless the cross would produce a sex link situation, then the darker feathering would probably be toms. It was just my little turkey joke, because everybody seams to want mostly hens, to increase their breeding flock!