Turkeys For 2013

[kuntrygirl]

I fed what the mill make for turkey grower. Mostly corn and soy.


 I would like to see more grass in the diet. THere is a trade off though. THe fast growing birds ) commercial) were developed with the high protein grain feed available to meet their growth rates. I"m hoping heritage types which are slower growing can better utilize a lower protein, more natural diet. Only I"m not entire sure what "natural" is.  I did some research, with the help of other BYC members, and found that many bushes and shrubs and wild grasses are to their liking but that would mean special land management just for the birds. I have the land but is would take a bit of work to make it provide the food for the turkeys.  CUrrently, I don't think the land can sustain a lot of birds without improvement. I still have  more questions than answers. I would love to have a time capsule and see a whole year of management on the old farms of 1850's!

Gotcha'.


I totally get it when you say "special land management". What all would you have to do with your land to make it like you want it? What is your total number of birds that you have right now?

We are mostly wooded. Young growth, as it was probably rough pasture years ago. THe rock wall are up but there are far more still on the ground. So till is out. Old fashion methods that we use are:  spreading stall material to seed new areas, or moving sheep around and the hay leaves seeds; Cut a lot of trees but also leave plenty for shade, IT gets hot here now-- 5-6 days in a row over 90. These hot days have become common and trees are super to block the heat. 
THis is it so far.

That's A LOT of work. WHEW!!! I hope you can get it to where you want it one day.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Celie what kind of turkey feed to you use? I started using the 26% protein Game Bird Feed from Petrus. Has anyone ever tried 30% Catfish Pellets added to the feed? I use to mix it but I stopped and I can't remember why.

 

[Bantam Chase]

My 2013 plans include keeping mine alive, lol. I just got a ~7 month pair of Narragansetts who, if all goes well, will be the start of a small breeding program. I've had them less than a week and so far have learned that #1 - a turkey will roost wherever it pleases, #2 tractor supply thinks that turkeys eat chicken food, and #3 - a hanging chicken feeder isn't really sized for their heads. I'm sure i'll figure out something tomorrow, I"ll let you know!

 

[kuntrygirl]

My 2013 plans include keeping mine alive, lol.  I just got a ~7 month pair of Narragansetts who, if all goes well, will be the start of a small breeding program. I've had them less than a week and so far have learned that #1 - a turkey will roost wherever it pleases, #2 tractor supply thinks that turkeys eat chicken food,  and #3 - a hanging chicken feeder isn't really sized for their heads.  I'm sure i'll figure out something tomorrow, I"ll let you know!

Too funny @ keeping them alive.

Yea, when it comes to turkeys, I think you will be on your own in your local area as far as feed, care, maintenance and health. The feed stores are CLUELESS. I know that BYC is a very helpful resource for all of us. So, fire off any questions, comments, concerns, suggestions here. That's what we are all here for. We can learn from one another.

 

[Arielle]

celie-- love your ambition.

Did I understand that the HOlland is the big breasted bird for the heritage types? 80#? WOW

Thank you for sharing the winter seeding idea!

Processing-- here in MASS licensing is required. Only a few processors commercially -- two that I know of so far and a mobile unit to rent if you are member of XYZ. NOt legal to process and sell; can sell live though. Puts a damper on meat sales to the more wealthy middle and upper class that are not as likely to process their own; whereas I get folks that are recent immigrants ( that are usually quite educated) that follow their culinary roots and want live birds.

I would suggest preselling birds with a deposit to defray feeding costs and butchering at a licensed facility. Here it is $10 a turkey to process, so I grew my BBW very big to get my money's worth.

OP--loving the discussions.

 

[Celie]

I fed what the mill make for turkey grower. Mostly corn and soy.

I would like to see more grass in the diet. THere is a trade off though. THe fast growing birds ) commercial) were developed with the high protein grain feed available to meet their growth rates. I"m hoping heritage types which are slower growing can better utilize a lower protein, more natural diet. Only I"m not entire sure what "natural" is. I did some research, with the help of other BYC members, and found that many bushes and shrubs and wild grasses are to their liking but that would mean special land management just for the birds. I have the land but is would take a bit of work to make it provide the food for the turkeys. CUrrently, I don't think the land can sustain a lot of birds without improvement. I still have more questions than answers. I would love to have a time capsule and see a whole year of management on the old farms of 1850's!

I guess, when they say plant Protein on 22%,24%, 26% protein, etc., they are talking about Soy Beans. What else would be that high in protein in a plant? I have read some old books on turkey raising and management written about 100 years ago, and they said all native grasses in the US are their natural food as well as grasshoppers and other insects, acorns and pine seeds as well as any other nuts they could forage. One book also said that neighboring farms would blame crop damage on turkeys foraging, because turkeys don't know where their owners property ended. Then came a swarm of grasshoppers that nearly destroyed whole counties, then they would call the turkeys to bring their turkeys to save the crops by eating the grasshoppers. The turkeys saved the day and most of the crops, because turkeys would rather eat grasshoppers rather than plants. Then it became a win/win situation!

Celie what kind of turkey feed to you use? I started using the 26% protein Game Bird Feed from Petrus. Has anyone ever tried 30% Catfish Pellets added to the feed? I use to mix it but I stopped and I can't remember why.

The game bird feed at Hammond feed and seed is only 22%, but that's the closest I can find, so I use that and also give them Oats, which they love and has l lot of fiber for their lower intestinal tract, plus sunflower seeds when I grow them or can afford them, We have a lot of oaks, so they also forage the acorns(with the ducks) and we are doing mountains of horse manure composting, to try to improve soil fertility and texture(gumbo mud here), so all the birds dig in the compost piles for worms. We are surrounded on 3 sides with woods, so they get plenty of grasshoppers. It is a site to see all of the birds following DH on the riding lawnmower, eating the grasshoppers as they try to hop away from the mower!

I don't know anything about Catfish pellets, but at the lake-house, in Silver Run, they would feed the brim and bass dog food and cat food, because of the protein content. And nearby there was a catfish farm, that sold filleted catfish and had huge amounts of waste to dispose of so they also raised pigs, to feed the catfish waste too and would have to finish the pigs on corn, so the meat would not taste fishy! I know chickens like fish, because they swarm DH when he's cleaning fish. Maybe turkeys would too? DH put minnows in our pond for the ducks, and they eat them.

I don't even know it they sell feed for catfish around me, but that sounds like a good source of protein, if it's not too costly? On the oldtimmers thread, someone posted that they made their fermented chicken feed with 36% protein poultry base? Good luck finding that around here!

My 2013 plans include keeping mine alive, lol. I just got a ~7 month pair of Narragansetts who, if all goes well, will be the start of a small breeding program. I've had them less than a week and so far have learned that #1 - a turkey will roost wherever it pleases, #2 tractor supply thinks that turkeys eat chicken food, and #3 - a hanging chicken feeder isn't really sized for their heads. I'm sure i'll figure out something tomorrow, I"ll let you know!

I second that about turkeys and TS!!!!

Too funny @ keeping them alive.

Yea, when it comes to turkeys, I think you will be on your own in your local area as far as feed, care, maintenance and health. The feed stores are CLUELESS. I know that BYC is a very helpful resource for all of us. So, fire off any questions, comments, concerns, suggestions here. That's what we are all here for. We can learn from one another.

Helping each other, that's what life is about!

celie-- love your ambition.

Did I understand that the HOlland is the big breasted bird for the heritage types? 80#? WOW

Thank you for sharing the winter seeding idea!

Processing-- here in MASS licensing is required. Only a few processors commercially -- two that I know of so far and a mobile unit to rent if you are member of XYZ. NOt legal to process and sell; can sell live though. Puts a damper on meat sales to the more wealthy middle and upper class that are not as likely to process their own; whereas I get folks that are recent immigrants ( that are usually quite educated) that follow their culinary roots and want live birds.

I would suggest preselling birds with a deposit to defray feeding costs and butchering at a licensed facility. Here it is $10 a turkey to process, so I grew my BBW very big to get my money's worth.

OP--loving the discussions.

No, the 80 pounders were BBW, the 35 # Holland Whites are Heritage birds. The BBB are a little larger, but have dark pinfeathers, so they don't dress out as nice looking. If you raise bbb or bbw past 6 months or so, you will need a strong piece of rope and a sturdy tree limb, if you don't have a tractor! BBW cannot mate naturally, but do give you more meat for less feed!

 

[kuntrygirl]

Celie, I love the information on the grasshoppers and turkeys.

Now when you say oats, what are you talking about? Can you give more details? Are you talking like "Oatmeal" oats? And where do you get that from and how much do you put in the feed or do you feed separately? What exactly does the oats do for them?

The last time I checked the catfish pellets were $15.00 for a 50lb bag at TSC. I'm scared of "fermented" chicken feed. I'm scared I may kill them. When I think of fermented, I think of rotten. :/

 

[Celie]

Celie, I love the information on the grasshoppers and turkeys.

Now when you say oats, what are you talking about? Can you give more details? Are you talking like "Oatmeal" oats? And where do you get that from and how much do you put in the feed or do you feed separately? What exactly does the oats do for them?
The last time I checked the catfish pellets were $15.00 for a 50lb bag at TSC. I'm scared of "fermented" chicken feed. I'm scared I may kill them.

When I think of fermented, I think of rotten.

I bought Race Horse Oats, cost $11.50 for 50# sack. I feed it and (Black oil) Sunflower Seeds, instead of scratch, because lately the scratch grains have been mostly cracked corn, GMO cracked corn and and that scared me, because if a chicken doesn't want to eat it, something is wrong, cause those little fuzzy butts would eat ME if they could! LOL They mean ferment like grapes and beer is fermented, not rotten, but I found it messy. The meat birds I were feeding it to did the same if it was fermented or just wet. But I do use ACV in the water, because it is good for the proboes and when you keep their PH correct, their system stays balanced. It is even good for people. I carry a squeeze bottle of natural unpasteurized ACV around and squirt a little in everybody's water. Rabbits, too. If a rabbit's body PH is slightly acidic, research showed, when they conceive, they have more female offspring. The trials were also done with sheep, with the same results! My nephew and his wife used this PH method when they wanted their sons first and then daughters, and it worked 4 out of 4 pregnancies! No joke! So I guess they're right.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Celie, I love the information on the grasshoppers and turkeys.

Now when you say oats, what are you talking about? Can you give more details? Are you talking like "Oatmeal" oats? And where do you get that from and how much do you put in the feed or do you feed separately? What exactly does the oats do for them?

The last time I checked the catfish pellets were $15.00 for a 50lb bag at TSC. I'm scared of "fermented" chicken feed. I'm scared I may kill them. When I think of fermented, I think of rotten. :/

I bought Race Horse Oats, cost $11.50 for 50# sack. I feed it and (Black oil) Sunflower Seeds, instead of scratch, because lately the scratch grains have been mostly cracked corn, GMO cracked corn and and that scared me, because if a chicken doesn't want to eat it, something is wrong, cause those little fuzzy butts would eat ME if they could! LOL They mean ferment like grapes and beer is fermented, not rotten, but I found it messy. The meat birds I were feeding it to did the same if it was fermented or just wet. But I do use ACV in the water, because it is good for the proboes and when you keep their PH correct, their system stays balanced. It is even good for people. I carry a squeeze bottle of natural unpasteurized ACV around and squirt a little in everybody's water. Rabbits, too. If a rabbit's body PH is slightly acidic, research showed, when they conceive, they have more female offspring. The trials were also done with sheep, with the same results! My nephew and his wife used this PH method when they wanted their sons first and then daughters, and it worked 4 out of 4 pregnancies! No joke! So I guess they're right.

I went to TSC last night to see what kind of "oats" they had and this is what I found. (SEE PICS BELOW) What specifically does the "oats" do for them? How is adding oats to their feed different from feeding any other regular feed? What would a person see in terms of comparison if oats are feed as opposed to if oats are not fed to turkeys?

I also put the ACV in everyone's water as well. I love that stuff.

 

[TamTurkey]

My 2013 plans include keeping mine alive, lol. I just got a ~7 month pair of Narragansetts who, if all goes well, will be the start of a small breeding program. I've had them less than a week and so far have learned that #1 - a turkey will roost wherever it pleases, #2 tractor supply thinks that turkeys eat chicken food, and #3 - a hanging chicken feeder isn't really sized for their heads. I'm sure i'll figure out something tomorrow, I"ll let you know!

#3 we use half of a 4" pvc pipe with end caps as feeders for both our chickens and our turkeys we hang them from a rope we can adjust for height