Turkeys For 2013

[chicken pickin]

I was curious of that. Do people still hatch this late in the season? I don't know when is a good time to stop. My hens didn't start laying until march and then the hens don't let the toms do their job so I have not had many poults hatch at all. I recently have seen the Tom mate one of the hens a few times so I know its getting done. I plan to set 20 eggs on Fri, and they wont hatch until mid July and I was hoping to hatch one more batch after that but Im not sure. When do you guys stop hatching Turkeys?

 

[desertmarcy]

I was curious of that. Do people still hatch this late in the season? I don't know when is a good time to stop. My hens didn't start laying until march and then the hens don't let the toms do their job so I have not had many poults hatch at all. I recently have seen the Tom mate one of the hens a few times so I know its getting done. I plan to set 20 eggs on Fri, and they wont hatch until mid July and I was hoping to hatch one more batch after that but Im not sure. When do you guys stop hatching Turkeys?

I think it depends on the climate where you live. Here, it gets so very hot in the summer, it is harder to raise them and do all the associated chores in the heat. Also if you plan to butcher for Thanksgiving, the heritage breeds really need a good 6 months minimum to fill out. Just depends on what your goals are for them. If you just want to raise them for breeders for next year, I suppose it doesn't matter that much, but if they are hatched really late, like in the fall, they would only be 6 months old come next March and that seems a little young for them to be breeding and laying. I don't know what their minimum age is to lay, I have never started any that late (thinking October here), but if they aren't fully mature when breeding season comes around, I would think mating and laying would take more of a toll on their system. Turkeys hatched later in the year would be a great size for Easter, but then you have to winter them over.

 

[kuntrygirl]

30 turkey eggs just went into the hatcher for lock down this morning   This is my last big batch for the year, after these, just a handful to go into the hatcher. I have never hatched turkeys this late in the year before, this is crazy. Guess the extras will have to be Christmas turkeys instead of Thanksgiving turkeys to give them a full 6 months of growth.

Congrats on the turkey eggs. How many have you hatched up to this point? How are they growing out?

 

[kuntrygirl]

I was curious of that. Do people still hatch this late in the season? I don't know when is a good time to stop. My hens didn't start laying until march and then the hens don't let the toms do their job so I have not had many poults  hatch at all. I recently have seen the Tom mate one of the hens a few times so I know its getting done. I plan to set 20 eggs on Fri, and they wont hatch until mid July and I was hoping to hatch one more batch after that but Im not sure. When do you guys stop hatching Turkeys?

I think as long as they are laying, you should hatch some eggs. As long as I see eggs, I will hatch. No sense in letting those eggs go to waste. If you think they are fertile, then hatch away.

 

[meganpugh]

Question; is using poultry starter okay for turkeys too? The lady at my feed supply told me that it was okay, what are your thoughts? BTW, it is 21% protein.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Question; is using poultry starter okay for turkeys too? The lady at my feed supply told me that it was okay, what are your thoughts? BTW, it is 21% protein.

Poult starter for adult turkeys as a daily feed?

 

[meganpugh]

They're just poults, sorry. approx 3 weeks old and my chickies are approx 4 weeks old.

 

[kuntrygirl]

They're just poults, sorry. approx 3 weeks old and my chickies are approx 4 weeks old.

That should be ok.

 

[desertmarcy]

Congrats on the turkey eggs. How many have you hatched up to this point? How are they growing out?

86 so far this year. Of those, 52 were sold. A few died or were culled. I've got 25 of my own hatched plus 24 from Kevin Porter. Some of mine are still for sale. A lot of them will be grown out for the holidays and after I see what sex ratio I have on the different breeds, and how they look, I'll choose for next year's breeding pens. I would say they are growing out well. I feed them an organic feed mix, 22% chick starter/grower with enough fish meal and soybean meal mixed in to bring the protein up to 28%. Every morning they get chopped hard boiled eggs mixed in the feed. Don't know why I bother to mix it, other than the finer material sticks to the eggs and so gets eaten. They pick out all the eggs right away! And I add vitamins to their water. Most of them are a little over a month old now, some are younger. I hope I don't have problems integrating these younger poults in with them. I will wait until they are 2-3 weeks old at least before I add them to the group. Or I may just put them in a separate pen, but right now, no pen available. I have a 5-year old Royal Palm tom, my original tom that I really like, but he won't breed anymore. I don't know what to do with him. He is not really a pet, but I don't know if I could bring myself to butcher him. I need the pen he is in. He can't roam the yard, or a bobcat will get him. It is a dilemma. He is the one in my avatar.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Congrats on the turkey eggs. How many have you hatched up to this point? How are they growing out?

86 so far this year. Of those, 52 were sold. A few died or were culled. I've got 25 of my own hatched plus 24 from Kevin Porter. Some of mine are still for sale. A lot of them will be grown out for the holidays and after I see what sex ratio I have on the different breeds, and how they look, I'll choose for next year's breeding pens. I would say they are growing out well. I feed them an organic feed mix, 22% chick starter/grower with enough fish meal and soybean meal mixed in to bring the protein up to 28%. Every morning they get chopped hard boiled eggs mixed in the feed. Don't know why I bother to mix it, other than the finer material sticks to the eggs and so gets eaten. They pick out all the eggs right away! And I add vitamins to their water. Most of them are a little over a month old now, some are younger. I hope I don't have problems integrating these younger poults in with them. I will wait until they are 2-3 weeks old at least before I add them to the group. Or I may just put them in a separate pen, but right now, no pen available. I have a 5-year old Royal Palm tom, my original tom that I really like, but he won't breed anymore. I don't know what to do with him. He is not really a pet, but I don't know if I could bring myself to butcher him. I need the pen he is in. He can't roam the yard, or a bobcat will get him. It is a dilemma. He is the one in my avatar.

WOW!! That is a lot. That must be your full time job!!!

I will have to try the fish and soybean meal.

Do you think that you could sell your 5 year old Tom to someone who will not eat him and would want him for a pet? He is handsome!