Turkeys For 2013

[TexasLisa]

WOW forget BBW! Will you be selling hatching eggs next year? I had hollands as 2nd choice on my wish list already, now I am really interested!
I have had some pretty severe problems with BBW, even killing other birds that were not even near them. Very aggressive.

Good Morning! I have only raised 5 BBW so I am not an expert. I raised mine with the chickens. They were the friendliest and inquisitive birds I have ever seen. I will look into the Hollands. Interesting.

Lisa

 

[chicken pickin]

I raised BBW last year and this year and I find them to be extremely friendly also They are very sweet and gentle. I do however have a naughty Bourbon Tom this year that is thankfully getting process next weekend. He stalks my roosters and attacks the BBW toms until their faces are bloody and black and blue. I keep counting down the days. Only 7 more days....

 

[Arielle]

I didn'thave any problem with my BBW in 2012-- sweet and easy birds. In my heritage, the male duck harasses the turkeys and rips out the tail feathers in the spring and summer ( most of the tails are full again now), and some confrontation between 2 individual toms which means one is going after another. Fortunately they have room to move and avoid most of the brutality because they free range.

Celie-- your white hollands are fabulous. Good thing we are having turkey for breakfast this morning!!

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

I haven't a clue either

I am stumped by how they act. They were raised with gosling, duckling, chickens, guinea, peafowl etc.
I raise all my birds the same, no matter why/what purpose i have them for. I cuddled them like every other baby we have.
I started seeing the problem around 3 months old, and by 5 months separated them. They were from Meyer.
Everything has its pecking order, but they were grabbing young adult chickens and shaking them!
I mean the "death shake" like if they catch a mouse

All my other turkeys have been very sweet. Never a problem even during laying/mating season with my Tom.
(although they were separated during the season) All the other poults, and young jake's have been fine.
Guess I just had poor luck with them.

 

[Celie]

They start laying here mid December and I should have plenty eggs, with a dozen laying hens. My Hollands are not aggressive, but very inquisitive. They are displaying a lot and trying to out gobble each other and a few bumping chest together to establish pecking order, because mating season is only a couple weeks away. PM me your address and how many you want. I package them in plastic 6 pack goose egg cartons,after being wrapped in bublewrap then into boxes with sheets of Styrofoam to keep the cartons from moving inside the cardboard boxes, I can ship up to 4 of these 6 pack boxes together, so I can ship an order of 6, 12, 18, or 24, safely. More than that will require 2 separate shipments, The plastic cartons are reusable for shipping eggs or starting plants.

 

[Celie]

Here is what they look like growing up and before processing and showing off for the hens! My 2 dogs are mixed labs.

 

[TexasLisa]

Celie those are beautiful birds!!! You knew somebody was going to ask what kind of dogs you had!!

Jchny, that is the what makes the world go round. Just like people, everyone is different.

Have a GREAT day!

Lisa

 

[desertmarcy]

I processed my first Thanksgiving turkey yesterday for someone who wanted his a little early. It was a Mottled Black tom, live weight at 6 months was 14 lbs 5 oz. Processed weight (including giblets) was 11 lbs 9 oz. A 19.2% loss. They always look so much bigger live and all puffed up! I was surprised at how much fat the bird already had in the neck area. I had a hard time getting the crop out.

 

[Reyvaughn]

I noticed many people on eBay advertising pre-sales for eggs. And Celie, you are saying yours start laying in mid-December?
Does anyone else have that fabulous luck?! I'd like to get eggs to hatch before the end of January if my life situation changes at all.

 

[chicken pickin]

Turkey egg laying season all depends on where you live. Down South the turkeys seem to start laying mid December, where here up North Our turkeys seem to start late march/early April.

You might get lucky and find Turkey hatching eggs next month from someone down south that ships.