Turkeys For 2013

[kuntrygirl]

I can't say I know a lot about turkeys I hunt the wild cousins of our birds. So I know behavior and how curious they can be but raising them I just know the basics. I would recommend just telling everyone when you talk to them about how to properly raise them. Give them all temps to keep them at and what kind of food to buy them. Make sure your customers have done alittle reaserch

I sold some of my poults to a customer on yesterday and just let me say that I highly recommend a care sheet to include the temp in the brooder. The family was a VERY nice family. Throughout the process of them buying the poults, we had lengthy conversations about caring, feed, etc. So they came over and bought some poults and I told them if they had any questions, DO NOT hesitate to contact me and I didn't care if they called me every 30 minutes because I was not sending my poults on a suicide mission. So they called me with a problem in the brooder about 1 hour after leaving my house. Their brooder was 3' x 6' and they couldn't understand why the poults were 5 feet away from the light. I asked them what was the temp in the brooder and they told me 120 degrees. I was like , "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO"!!!! That is too hot!!!!!!!! I told them the the poults were too hot and the poults were telling them that which is why they were 5 feet away from the light. I told them to adjust temps and monitor the temps EVERY 30 minutes and that someone needs to be on watch and monitor them throughout the night along with the temps. I am glad that they called me because the babies would have been dead by morning. I need to go back and look on the care sheet to see if I addressed temps. Selling poults to new owners so sooooo scary. Makes me want to keep all of my babies and not sell them until they are about 3 months old.

I'm doing that this year!!! Last year, several ppl bought 1/2 dozens at a time...most of them texted me and said they 'just died'...for no reason! YEA, RIGHT!!! Just ppl not knowing what they are doing and not listening when you try to tell them what to do!!! UGH!!

Just died? Yea right.

 

[r4eboxer]

One thing I've learned is that hens don't like to be moved. Period. Can you block her off in any way? I got lucky once and a hen sat in a nest box and other hens pushed in to add extra eggs but she kept vigil. But now I too have an egg eater and I don't think it would work out at all. THe only thing I can think of is can you block her off? Or move her and see if she is a rare one that accepts the move.

I guess that is the reason she pitched a fit and ran back to her coop, I am going to try to separate her some way in one of the nesting boxes. I just hope she doesn't try to take more eggs in. I need poults to hatch, my orders are never ending and I hope she gets a good hatch rate.

No probelms with the questions. That's why we have this thread.

One of my hens has had 12 eggs under her and all of them hatched. You may want to leave her where she is and just put some eggs under her. Sounds like you will have to find out who the thief is. I have the same problem and I have been trying to come up with an idea to figure out who the egg eater is. This is what I plan on doing. I will blow out an egg only keeping a little bit of egg in the shell. I will mix some red or grape kool aid and inject the kool aid in the egg and seal it up so that the inside cannot leak out. I will place a couple of these kool aid eggs in a few nesting boxes and watch the magic happen. Whoever comes out with a colorful beak, I will know that is my egg thief and I will have to deal with her accordinglingly. I will try to do a test run this weekend to see if this will work.

Good luck with your hen.

Thanks KG, That is a brilliant idea, I am going to have to try that when I get time. thanks for the tip on the 12 eggs. I've got 15 but I'm going to do the 12 and maybe I'll get some room in the next week to add the new ones laid, with 7 incubators you'd think I'd have enough but NO. I did overcrowd one bator and paid the price with my own chicken eggs, it was a terrible hatch and I had some turkey eggs in that bator before I locked down the chicken eggs. I just hope they had enough heat to move them along this last week, I figure that is going to be a late and not so good hatch on those eggs too.

 

[redneck farmer]

Actually Tilapia is raised to keep other "kept" fish pens clean.  That means they eat poo. Not really veggie so to speak. Just sayin. Also, Tilapia is offered as a sustanance fish for other countries because of their ease of care and tolerance of poor water conditions. I just mention this cause I actually dislike tilapia. Now, a good pistachio butter halibut in parchment. Oh yeah baby. lol.

I just love these Turkey pics. I was able to get a couple of Rio Grande chicks but are way too young. 2 days old and I want a good enviornment for them. I will pick them up at a later time. What does everyone think on a good amount of time for those guys to mature a little? Me being a beginner and all.

Wow that's interesting.... But the ones in my back yard eat the Algee that grows every where

 

[Sally8]

I think you all have stopped my consumption of fish. Tilapia is big here. Restaurants advertise it and we can buy it easily at our grocery store. I'm not into bottom feeders or I'd eat my goldfish. Yuck.

I've been noticing my hen laying her eggs in the huge pile of wood ash next to the garage. I moved her nest as I had to move my hatchlings out of the house. She hasn't adapted to my moving her nest at all. With or without eggs in it.

 

[kuntrygirl]

I think you all have stopped my consumption of fish.  Tilapia is big here.  Restaurants advertise it and we can buy it easily at our grocery store.  I'm not into bottom feeders or I'd eat my goldfish.  Yuck.

I've been noticing my hen laying her eggs in the huge pile of wood ash next to the garage.  I moved her nest as I had to move my hatchlings out of the house.  She hasn't adapted to my moving her nest at all.  With or without eggs in it.

Sally8, I am trying NOT to listen to the talk about Tilapia. That is my FAVORITE !!!!!

LA LA LA LA LA LA, I am not listening to what they are saying about Tilapia.

 

[sirbuster]

Love that idea going to try it in my coop.

 

[Celie]

First of all, I have never known of any poultry that will break a good egg. It is the job of a bird, to eat any broken eggs and shells that are cracked or broken, so that predators will not be attracted to their nests. I have fed eggs back to my chickens, ducks, turkeys and if there is any, that are not cracked or broken, they will not break and eat it. Every broken or cracked egg will quickly be eaten up. If a chicken accidentally, breaks an egg, she/he is clumsy, overcrowded with too many eggs in the nest, or the eggs have too soft of a shell for the chicken's weight. In most cases, the egg yolk will also get onto other eggs in the nest. I have heard people say not to feed raw eggs or eggshells to chickens, either. I saw hogwash! I bet lots of chickens will end up with koolade becks, because they will all join in when an egg breaks!

I know catfish are bottom feeders and eat all the dead things that sink to the bottom of the water. They clean up the water of waste and filth, just like Shrimp, Crabs and crawfish. Oysters are the water filters and also consume the filth. I did not know that Tilapia was also in this category, but I do know that not all fish sold in groceries are the type they say they are. The TV news had a special about this not long ago!

I am working on an experiment to try to tell the sex of very young turkeys, that is going along well, but is not far enough along to comment on it yet. With many breeds, you have tells regarding color and edgings of the feathers, but in all white feathered turkeys, it is not so easy! So far the first 4 turkeys banned has been 100 % correctly sexed, but like I said, more poults have to be banded, before any accurate results are known! When I am reasonably sure I can tell at a day or a week, all will be revealed!

 

[kuntrygirl]

First of all, I have never known of any poultry that will break a good egg. It is the job of a bird, to eat any broken eggs and shells that are cracked or broken, so that predators will not be attracted to their nests. I have fed eggs back to my chickens, ducks, turkeys and if there is any, that are not cracked or broken, they will not break and eat it. Every broken or cracked egg will quickly be eaten up. If a chicken accidentally, breaks an egg, she/he is clumsy, overcrowded with too many eggs in the nest, or the eggs have too soft of a shell for the chicken's weight. In most cases, the egg yolk will also get onto other eggs in the nest. I have heard people say not to feed raw eggs or eggshells to chickens, either. I saw hogwash! I bet lots of chickens will end up with koolade  becks, because they will all join in when an egg breaks!

I know catfish are bottom feeders and eat all the dead things that sink to the bottom of the water. They clean up the water of waste and filth, just like Shrimp, Crabs and crawfish. Oysters are the water filters and also consume the filth. I did not know that Tilapia was also in this category, but I do know that not all fish sold in groceries are the type they say they are. The TV news had a special about this not long ago!

I am working on an experiment to try to tell the sex of very young turkeys, that is going along well, but is not far enough along to comment on it yet. With many breeds, you have tells regarding color and edgings of the feathers, but in all white feathered turkeys, it is not so easy! So far the first 4 turkeys banned has been 100 % correctly sexed, but like I said, more poults have to be banded, before any accurate results are known! When I am reasonably sure I can tell at a day or a week, all will be revealed!

Celie, you ain't seen my birds in action. I caught one a few months ago, hammering down on one like her beak was a hammer and the egg was a nail. She shot out of the chicken house when I saw her, so I can't remember which one it was. I know the color of my egg eater (light brown) but I don't know which "light brown" one because I have quite a few that are that color. Which is why I am trying my experiment on this weekend when I am outside cleaning the coops. Whoever joins the bandwagon will be dealt with accordingly. I can't have any chickens that are impressionable now can I?

 

[pollo disco]

hmm, So I supposedly bought a male and female turkey, at 2 days old. I am thinking I have 2 females or 2 males. lol. Didnt know. ah well, I am looking to get some pics this weekend.
As for the Tilapia, we used to do fish conservation studies where good farm raised trout, salmon kept in pens with recycled water. And under the trout, Tilapia. Used to eat the waste and keep the water nitrate level within a certain level. Sorry to hi-jack the thread. But , I should say that when the world ends, I too will be eating Tilapia! lol. Cause I ain't eating bugs!

 

[Celie]

Celie, you ain't seen my birds in action.

I caught one a few months ago, hammering down on one like her beak was a hammer and the egg was a nail. She shot out of the chicken house when I saw her, so I can't remember which one it was. I know the color of my egg eater (light brown) but I don't know which "light brown" one because I have quite a few that are that color. Which is why I am trying my experiment on this weekend when I am outside cleaning the coops. Whoever joins the bandwagon will be dealt with accordingly. I can't have any chickens that are impressionable now can I?

I guess not? Please let us know how it turns out? I hope you can find the culprit !

I just finished filling the last shelf of the incubator, so anyone ready for some Holland White Turkey eggs, I will be getting 6 a day, starting tomorrow. Just PM me?