Turkeys For 2013

[Arielle]

One of my goals is to have most of my birds in the freezer by winter. This came about whenI was interested in becomeing more selfsufficeint. A number if issues are arising in the switchover. One is when natural feed from the land becomes unavailable is much earlier than I thought-- always going to the feed store and having readily available feed in a big is a totally different reality than providing my own feed. THis is a challenge, a bigger one than I realized. I need to slow down on my expectations and rework my model.

If any one knows----
DO the midget white or the beltsville mature quicker than the larger turkeys or do they require the same time to pack on the meat?

I think I know the answer but do not have first hand knowledge to be sure.

 

[hogster160]

Thanks everyone, I really figured I wouldn't get any eggs until spring. So I am very excited! I know I won't hatch any til spring. I'm getting 6 BR from Porters in the spring, hopefully a nice mix of sexes. If not, freezer bound. Hubby doesn't know about the order yet, So I have a while to come up with a good excuse lol. He really doesn't mind them, he find them very relaxing!

 

[kuntrygirl]

 

 

I counted my hens for next year and it looks ilke I will have 15 laying hens for next year, so I'm looking at a crap load of eggs. So looks like I will be selling and incubating. I'm thinking about buying another incubator because I want to concentrate on incubating pea and turkey eggs next season.

Wow! 15 laying hens sounds nice Tons of eggs. For next season I will have 2 Toms and 5-6 hens.

It sounds nice now but I know next year, I will be pulling my hair out . This group loves to hide their nests in the large bush in front of the house and 3 of them love going to my neighbor's house and laying on the side of her barn. I have their behaviors down to a science. Now if the others get any bright ideas and go into the woods, then that willbe another story.


I just checked the Porter's site and I think i will order 8 poutls from them for 2014. I really want some Porter's BR. I hope to phase out all of my current blood line and have 100% Porters in 2 years.

Have you considered grading up your blood and that way continueing another line of BR.  Just saying if we all have POrters, that is not a lot of genetic variability. A white feather is not the whole story, if you know what I mean. 

Grading up? Explain please? Like have 2 lines of BRs?

 

[Arielle]

Thanks everyone, I really figured I wouldn't get any eggs until spring. So I am very excited! I know I won't hatch any til spring. I'm getting 6 BR from Porters in the spring, hopefully a nice mix of sexes. If not, freezer bound. Hubby doesn't know about the order yet, So I have a while to come up with a good excuse lol. He really doesn't mind them, he find them very relaxing!

Even if you get all boys-- consider keeping 1-2 because the next order could be all girls. Or if you try to hatch some BR eggs and you might only get a few to hatch , they might be all girls.

My last hatch was all girls . . . . .until I realized that a week ago, I was ready to butcher my extra tom . . .now he is not so extra. Just saying . . .

What is the minimum number of poults from porters, 15??

 

[kuntrygirl]

One of my goals is to have most of my birds in the freezer by winter. This came about whenI was interested in becomeing more selfsufficeint. A number if issues are arising in the switchover. One is when natural feed from the land becomes unavailable is much earlier than I thought-- always going to the feed store and having readily available feed in a big is a totally different reality than providing my own feed. THis is a challenge, a bigger one than I realized. I need to slow down on my expectations and rework my model. 

If any one knows----    
DO the midget white or the beltsville mature quicker than the larger turkeys or do they require the same time to pack on the meat?

I think I know the answer but do not have first hand knowledge to be sure. 

I'm with you on the freezer. I still have about 4 toms (not many) that I need to process but I don't have any freezer space. I have to get another freezer first. :/ I will have about 40 ducks and 3 lamb to put up for the winter as well. :/

Don't you just love having your own meat?

 

[chicken pickin]

One of my goals is to have most of my birds in the freezer by winter. This came about whenI was interested in becomeing more selfsufficeint. A number if issues are arising in the switchover. One is when natural feed from the land becomes unavailable is much earlier than I thought-- always going to the feed store and having readily available feed in a big is a totally different reality than providing my own feed. THis is a challenge, a bigger one than I realized. I need to slow down on my expectations and rework my model.

If any one knows----
DO the midget white or the beltsville mature quicker than the larger turkeys or do they require the same time to pack on the meat?

I think I know the answer but do not have first hand knowledge to be sure.

I know what you mean I fel like these turkeys are eating all my money lol. Between all the turkeys Im raising for the freezer and all the cx meat chickens its ridiculous I go through a 50lb bag of feed every 3 days

AGH!!

Thanks goodness even as sad as I am to see them go, the cx are getting processed tomorrow. And I am so tempted to process the turkeys early and put them in the freezer. I just may. I think I might process 4 of them early and send them to the freezer and keep one to process fresh for Thanksgiving dinner. I was free ranging the turkeys daily which helped with feed cost a little, until last week one of them decided to cross the road(very fast traffic) since then Im a little nervous to let them out.

 

[kuntrygirl]

 
Thanks everyone, I really figured I wouldn't get any eggs until spring. So I am very excited!  I know I won't hatch any til spring.  I'm getting 6 BR from Porters in the spring, hopefully a nice mix of sexes. If not, freezer bound. Hubby doesn't know about the order yet,  So I have a while to come up with a good excuse lol.  He really doesn't mind them, he find them very relaxing!

Even if you get all boys-- consider keeping 1-2  because the next order could be all girls. Or if you try to hatch some BR eggs and you might only get a few to hatch , they might be all girls. 

My last hatch was all girls . . . . .until I realized that a week ago, I was ready to butcher my extra tom . . .now he is not so extra. Just saying . . . 

What is the minimum number of poults from porters, 15??

I saw a minimum was 8 for BR.

 

[hogster160]

Even if you get all boys-- consider keeping 1-2 because the next order could be all girls. Or if you try to hatch some BR eggs and you might only get a few to hatch , they might be all girls.

My last hatch was all girls . . . . .until I realized that a week ago, I was ready to butcher my extra tom . . .now he is not so extra. Just saying . . .

What is the minimum number of poults from porters, 15??

Yes, the minimum is 15. Several of us from the Indiana thread are putting in an order to save on shipping and to meet the min requirement. I have the space for 15 but really didn't want to get that many.

I have read lots of posts regarding keeping an extra rooster/tom. I don't want to be stuck so I will keep at least 2 toms. It would be perfect to get 2 toms/4 hens. (I really need to learn the terminology for turkeys lol sry)

 

[kuntrygirl]

 
One of my goals is to have most of my birds in the freezer by winter. This came about whenI was interested in becomeing more selfsufficeint. A number if issues are arising in the switchover. One is when natural feed from the land becomes unavailable is much earlier than I thought-- always going to the feed store and having readily available feed in a big is a totally different reality than providing my own feed. THis is a challenge, a bigger one than I realized. I need to slow down on my expectations and rework my model.

If any one knows----  
DO the midget white or the beltsville mature quicker than the larger turkeys or do they require the same time to pack on the meat?

I think I know the answer but do not have first hand knowledge to be sure.

I know what you mean I fel like these turkeys are eating all my money lol. Between all the turkeys Im raising for the freezer and all the cx meat chickens its ridiculous I go through a 50lb bag of feed every 3 days  AGH!!

Thanks goodness even as sad as I am to see them go, the cx are getting processed tomorrow. And I am so tempted to process to turkeys early and put them in the freezer. I just may. I think I might process 4 of them early and send them to the freezer and keep one to process fresh for Thanksgiving dinner. I was free ranging the turkeys daily which helped with feed cost a little, until last week one of them decided to cross the road(very fast traffic) since then Im a little nervous to let them out.

I plan on ordering 50 Cornish this month. There is a place near me that sells them for $0.25 each. I'm so excited about that.

 

[kuntrygirl]

 

Even if you get all boys-- consider keeping 1-2  because the next order could be all girls. Or if you try to hatch some BR eggs and you might only get a few to hatch , they might be all girls. 

My last hatch was all girls . . . . .until I realized that a week ago, I was ready to butcher my extra tom . . .now he is not so extra. Just saying . . . 

What is the minimum number of poults from porters, 15??

Yes, the minimum is 15.  Several of us from the Indiana thread are putting in an order to save on shipping and to meet the min requirement.  I have the space for 15 but really didn't want to get that many.

I have read lots of posts regarding keeping an extra rooster/tom.  I don't want to be stuck so I will keep at least 2 toms.  It would be perfect to get 2 toms/4 hens. (I really need to learn the terminology for turkeys lol sry)

Is there a different order minimum for different breeds? For the BR it's only 8 minimum.

Which breed is 15 min?