Turkeys For 2013

[Reyvaughn]

Well, unless someone has some girls still laying, I guess I am done hatching for the year. I hatched 3 Bourbon and 1 Slate (hen) in June. The 2 Bourbon girls died within the first week. I bought Sweetgrass eggs, none hatched. I bought a dozen BBB poults, all but 5 died and 2 have deformed legs (hoping to get these 2 to 12lbs and process soon). One of my BBBs with good legs is a girl... I thought about keeping her to cross with my Bourbon tom next year (anyone ever do this?). I bought another dozen Bourbon eggs and of the 12, 5 made it to lock down but only one hatched. I think it's another tom (pretty sizable snood), but we will see.

This is my first time ever raising turkeys. We will see how 2014 goes. I will have my Sweetgrass next year.

 

[chickadoodles]

I have a 30x50 poultry barn where I use 10x10 dog kennel looking pens 6 foot high chain link fencing panels to form the pens with and use chicken wire at the opening at the top, so they can't fly out. I can put 1,2 or 3 panels together in a line to form 10, 20 or 30 feet, so they are very versatile. I have 5 acres for them to free run on, and can fence separate areas off for each breed, for large runs but don't know if some of the lighter breed toms will still be able to fly over the 6 foot fencing, by the time they are sexually mature? I have only had up to now, the Holland whites and by breeding age they are too heavy to take on a 6 foot fence. I want to use yearling toms, because the heavier the tom, the more risk of damage to the hen, because of his weight. I will be keeping the toms we raise for the freezer in a separate yard on the far side of the property. I had 7 hens and a tom in one 10 x 10 pen, to start, this year, but by the time I put in the large nest boxes, it was too many. Since they all wanted to use the same nest box, I think one nest box and 4 hens with 1 tom might work. Most of the time 4 hens would be on the nest at once and the rest of the pen was empty. I use large dog kennels(carriers) for them to nest in, because they don't seem to like open nests much! I guess it will be trial and error, unless someone can come up with a better idea?

Thanks so much Celie!
I wish I could free range my turkey and chickens but the dogs would kill them. I am going to have to make pens with housing for each pen as we can. RIght now they are in my hen run and using the coop. I just don't want to make my pens then realize they are to small...
I appreciate your help and info very much! I will keep a look out for some large dog kennels for the pens.
Do I need to also use younger toms for my hens when I get them all set up? I will have Narragansett's, Bourbon Reds and probably another variety.

 

[Arielle]

Well, unless someone has some girls still laying, I guess I am done hatching for the year. I hatched 3 Bourbon and 1 Slate (hen) in June. The 2 Bourbon girls died within the first week. I bought Sweetgrass eggs, none hatched. I bought a dozen BBB poults, all but 5 died and 2 have deformed legs (hoping to get these 2 to 12lbs and process soon). One of my BBBs with good legs is a girl... I thought about keeping her to cross with my Bourbon tom next year (anyone ever do this?). I bought another dozen Bourbon eggs and of the 12, 5 made it to lock down but only one hatched. I think it's another tom (pretty sizable snood), but we will see.

This is my first time ever raising turkeys. We will see how 2014 goes. I will have my Sweetgrass next year.

Mixed turkeys are also fun-- different feather colors are revealed. I got bronze by crossing the narri toms to none narri.

My sweetgrass are still laying!

 

[Celie]

Well, unless someone has some girls still laying, I guess I am done hatching for the year. I hatched 3 Bourbon and 1 Slate (hen) in June. The 2 Bourbon girls died within the first week. I bought Sweetgrass eggs, none hatched. I bought a dozen BBB poults, all but 5 died and 2 have deformed legs (hoping to get these 2 to 12lbs and process soon). One of my BBBs with good legs is a girl... I thought about keeping her to cross with my Bourbon tom next year (anyone ever do this?). I bought another dozen Bourbon eggs and of the 12, 5 made it to lock down but only one hatched. I think it's another tom (pretty sizable snood), but we will see.

This is my first time ever raising turkeys. We will see how 2014 goes. I will have my Sweetgrass next year.

Yes, you can put a heritage breed over a BB hybrid as long as he is large enough to get the job done. I have done this with a Holland tom, but the Hollands are the largest of the Heritage turkey breeds and the tom was as large as the BBW hen!

 

[Celie]

Thanks so much Celie!
I wish I could free range my turkey and chickens but the dogs would kill them. I am going to have to make pens with housing for each pen as we can. RIght now they are in my hen run and using the coop. I just don't want to make my pens then realize they are to small...
I appreciate your help and info very much! I will keep a look out for some large dog kennels for the pens.
Do I need to also use younger toms for my hens when I get them all set up? I will have Narragansett's, Bourbon Reds and probably another variety.

If it was me building pens, I would error on the side of being too large, rather than too small, since you can always put in more hens with the tom. Commercially raised Heritage turkeys, before 1935, according to books I read, put as many as 50 hens to a tom, but kept a second tom, separate as a replacement in case something happened to the breeder!

 

[chickadoodles]

If it was me building pens, I would error on the side of being too large, rather than too small, since you can always put in more hens with the tom. Commercially raised Heritage turkeys, before 1935, according to books I read, put as many as 50 hens to a tom, but kept a second tom, separate as a replacement in case something happened to the breeder!

Thanks Celie, We will look at it and see what we think before we start. But I was kind of thinking of 20x20 for three pens. I have plenty of room so if I think they need to be larger when I see the layout we can do it.

 

[desertmarcy]

Does anyone have hens that are still laying eggs?

My Slates (2) and Lavender (1) hens are still laying. Just collected 2 eggs today from that pen. They are my best layers, so thinking of keeping more of their offspring than I was originally planning to keep. I get an occasional egg from my Royal Palm. My Narragansett is molting all her feathers all at once and looks like a pincushion, so of course she isn't laying. All the rest of my hens are just 3-4 months old. Next year will be interesting.

 

[desertmarcy]

I counted my remaining BR turkeys and I have way too many toms. I thought I had taken care of that problem but I guess not. I'm down to 19 adult turkeys and I have 7 toms and 12 hens. Tom overkill. They have got to go!!!

Thanksgiving is just 2 months away

 

[B J Hopkins]

Took some pictures of my turkeys today. I've a yr old BR Tom. A 2 yr old BR hen, a 1yr old Blue Slate hen. 4 - 4.5mo old BR & BR/BS poults, and 3 - 2.5mo old BR poults & 1 Rusty Black 2.5mo old poult. Never got all 11 in any one picture.

 

[chickadoodles]

BJ I just love the babies! But all of your birds are beautiful! Thanks for sharing!