Turkeys For 2013

[kuntrygirl]

PITA-- yes, PEEP, it is, I cannot fit another egg in my homemade cooler --bator called HEnny PEnny. Stackted to the top and I had turn everyone of them. PITA. BUt I got my Narrigansetts eggs yesterday!!

Shhh, don't tell DH, he doesn't know. My two jakes need girls don't ya know. Still waiting for my first of 2013 to hatch!! Long wait . . . .

Does anyone plant food for their birds?? Grasses, turnip, etc. Or grow food like crickets, etc. I'm finding my turkeys and some of my chickens, don't know what to do with some food sources. I need tutors!! Asking because my turkey grain went UP $2 a bag, ouch.

When is the scheduled day to hatch?

 

[PeepsCA]

How do you handle everything when they hatch. I have a LG and I had it full of about 45 eggs, it should be able to handle 50. At hatching time, they knocked into each other cracking eggs causing many to die in the shell. The only exposed part was the cracked parts they caused. Maybe I'm not cut out to hatch but this morning I had a dead poult that couldn't make his way out and one in the brooder that I'm thinking didn't get to food or water. I always dip their beaks but I don't stand over them to be sure they do on their own. I guess out of 100 hatched, I've only had 2 die this way.

I started hatching keets years ago with the eggs sitting in egg cartons (with the tops cut off and the bottom of each egg cup cut out or holes punched in the bottoms for plenty of air and humidity flow), and I've stuck with using that method ever since. Using egg cartons limits the number of eggs I can put into lock-down at once, but it at least keeps the other eggs from getting kicked around like soccer balls and not hatching because they've been knocked around too much. I've only hatched 9 Turkeys that way over the past several years but they all hatched fine, so I plan on trying this in the trays in my cabinet hatcher next week for my first Turkey hatch of the season and see how it goes. I'm sure it will work fine tho.



How many Poults have you hatched this season Sally8? I had to chuckle when I saw you'd been posting here (on a Turkey thread!) and were hatching a bunch of Rosie's eggs this season... because months ago over on Bee's thread you weren't impressed with Chuck and Rosie, called them worthless and were planning to re-home them, lol. Had a change of heart, huh?

 

[Arielle]

Quote: Cinquo de Mayo

+ 1 day

 

[kuntrygirl]

PITA-- yes, PEEP, it is, I cannot fit another egg in my homemade cooler --bator called HEnny PEnny. Stackted to the top and I had turn everyone of them. PITA. BUt I got my Narrigansetts eggs yesterday!!

Shhh, don't tell DH, he doesn't know. My two jakes need girls don't ya know. Still waiting for my first of 2013 to hatch!! Long wait . . . .

Does anyone plant food for their birds?? Grasses, turnip, etc. Or grow food like crickets, etc. I'm finding my turkeys and some of my chickens, don't know what to do with some food sources. I need tutors!! Asking because my turkey grain went UP $2 a bag, ouch.

When is the scheduled day to hatch?

Cinquo de Mayo

+ 1 day

Sending good hatching vibes your way.

 

[PeepsCA]

PITA-- yes, PEEP, it is, I cannot fit another egg in my homemade cooler --bator called HEnny PEnny. Stackted to the top and I had turn everyone of them. PITA.

BUt I got my Narrigansetts eggs yesterday!!

Shhh, don't tell DH, he doesn't know. My two jakes need girls don't ya know.

Still waiting for my first of 2013 to hatch!! Long wait . . . .

Does anyone plant food for their birds?? Grasses, turnip, etc. Or grow food like crickets, etc. I'm finding my turkeys and some of my chickens, don't know what to do with some food sources. I need tutors!! Asking because my turkey grain went UP $2 a bag, ouch.

LOL omg Arielle I can't imagine hand turning all those eggs. Now THAT's addicted, lol.

Congrats on the Narri eggs! (LOL @ shh don't tell DH, he doesn't know).

I always plant extra of everything in the garden every planting season so I can supplement my birds' diet and save on the feed bill, but I especially love to be able to toss them something green/fresh once the summer temps kick in and all the pasture grasses dry up and turn to dust here. They devour pumpkins and squash (skin seeds stem and all), and chilled cucumbers and melons are always a HUGE hit with them during the hot weather (it gets wicked hot here, with temps well over 100 degrees usually for a month straight). The birds aren't picky and will pretty much eat anything I toss to them... but I have to be DANG sure they don't ever have access to my garden or they'd strip it bare, lol.

I ferment the bulk of my poultry feeds and grains for my flocks, so that helps lower my feed costs, but it is a lot of extra work. Too much some days, but I keep at it because they consume at least 1/3 less feed and they get a lot more nutrition out of what they are eating rather than just eating the dry feeds.

And if I end up with any infertile eggs/clears from incubating (Guinea eggs) I hard boil them, crush them up and mix them into the fermented feed as I'm filling feed pans.

 

[Sally8]

I started hatching keets years ago with the eggs sitting in egg cartons (with the tops cut off and the bottom of each egg cup cut out or holes punched in the bottoms for plenty of air and humidity flow), and I've stuck with using that method ever since. Using egg cartons limits the number of eggs I can put into lock-down at once, but it at least keeps the other eggs from getting kicked around like soccer balls and not hatching because they've been knocked around too much. I've only hatched 9 Turkeys that way over the past several years but they all hatched fine, so I plan on trying this in the trays in my cabinet hatcher next week for my first Turkey hatch of the season and see how it goes. I'm sure it will work fine tho.



How many Poults have you hatched this season Sally8? I had to chuckle when I saw you'd been posting here (on a Turkey thread!) and were hatching a bunch of Rosie's eggs this season... because months ago over on Bee's thread you weren't impressed with Chuck and Rosie, called them worthless and were planning to re-home them, lol. Had a change of heart, huh?

Hah! In was hoping no one would remember!

. I still have Chuck and Rosie, still think they are somewhat worthless as they don't do much but look pretty and amuse me, always. I've hatched over 4 doz, have a doz due to hatch May 8th and another doz and 1/2 to put in and she's still laying! whew! I had the 2 pass away this morning and it always put's me in a sad mood for a couple days. I need to place the older one's on Craig's List but don't want to. They are getting too big. Chuck and Rosie have a home here with me now, although Chuck has recently shown a little aggression toward my son. I'll just keep an eye on him.

(I'm glad no one took them.)

 

[redneck farmer]

My turkey has to different types of feathers an the second type looks like its Tom tail feathers

the feathers in the middle are the 'new ones "

 

[redneck farmer]

Better pic see how the one to the far right has a white tip but the others don't?

 

[PeepsCA]

Hah! In was hoping no one would remember!

. I still have Chuck and Rosie, still think they are somewhat worthless as they don't do much but look pretty and amuse me, always. I've hatched over 4 doz, have a doz due to hatch May 8th and another doz and 1/2 to put in and she's still laying! whew! I had the 2 pass away this morning and it always put's me in a sad mood for a couple days. I need to place the older one's on Craig's List but don't want to. They are getting too big. Chuck and Rosie have a home here with me now, although Chuck has recently shown a little aggression toward my son. I'll just keep an eye on him.

(I'm glad no one took them.)

Hehe, I remembered. I knew I'd eventually get a chance to razz you about it, lol

Glad you decided to keep them, they are gorgeous birds.

Uh oh... Rosie has laid almost 60 eggs so far? I have 4 Turkey Hens, and a hatching addiction... lol I'm so done for.

Yikes, you lost a couple more Poults, sorry to read that. Do you know what's causing the deaths? I'm going to be a super paranoid baby poult Momma...

I feel your pain about Chuck's bad behavior. My Eastern Wild Turkey Jake got an attitude adjustment the other day after he snuck up behind me and attacked my (bare) leg while I was watering. I chased him down, tackled him and held him to the ground for a few minutes reminding him that he was given to me free, he's replaceable and I have a new Smoker I need to test out, lol. He steers clear of me now, but that's the last time I turn my back on him. I am hoping it is just a breeding season thing, because if it continues... he's Turkey Jerky.

 

[frank53061]

I may still get more to Hatch but so far only 5 have hatched 1 day passed the due date I will give them 2 more days and see if any more come but is not I will start with a new batch of red Bourbon eggs.
As I promised here are the pictures of the One Duck One Holland white turkey and three Red Bourbons.
The Reds are smaller than the Duck and the Holland the Red Colored ones are the Bourbons.



I think I will do some tweaking of the Incubator since its new for a better Hatch.