We will call her "Surprise"... if she lives!

[debir1966]

Are turkeys like pullets, and settle down and become more friendly after they start to lay eggs ? Pretty white breast hen, will you be saving her for Christmas dinner, or is she a pet know ? I know some Broad Breasts can survive for a few years if kept on a strict diet. Or even breeding a broad breast hen to a smaller Tom.

Honestly, I do not know. These have been "our" first turkeys, though I do remember my Mom raising some when I was young.

CC will be processed when we do our meat chickens (hopefully before Christmas!). I would keep her, but I do not want to risk her quality of life and if we get any more attached, it would come to pushing the limit with her to keep her around as long as we could.

Because we want to raise our own turkeys for meat, and also because we have really enjoyed our turkeys and want some as pets, we are getting 15 heritage turkeys next year - 5-6 of which we will be keeping as companions for Surprise We will hand raise these turkeys, probably spending even more time with them than we did the Broad Breasted Whites! I may also get some more BBW to process for next year as I do not think any of the heritage birds will be ready in time, but we will not hand raise the BBW, if possible we will put the under a broody hen or we will just handle them quite a bit less so as to not get attached again to our food (at least not AS attached!).

 

[Chambertin]

Great to see an update to the story.

 

[Onewiththeducks]

bump

 

[Birdgirl99]

Are you gonna keep surprise i hope you do

 

[debir1966]

Are you gonna keep surprise i hope you do

Yes! She is the start of our liitle flock of turkeys

 

[Birdgirl99]

Good she seems like she should be kept


i ate a couple of my hennies [4 of them i got for eating] but i would never eat my others i love them to much

 

[MamaBear46]

Thank you for the update

 

[elsfieldchickens]

lovely!

 

[Birdgirl99]

i know right she is so sweet i am glad she is doing OK

 

[debir1966]

Surprise in the snow!