which breed to get

[mamato3]

Im thinking of getting a rare breed of turkey. I want a breed that is quite, docile, will naturally mate and brood and will hopfully not fly over a fence.. Since im going to split a order with my friend we will be getting the birds from cackle. The breeds im interested in are Bourbon Reds, Black Spanish, Blue Slate maybe the royal palm. But i do want to butcher the babies out of them so they need to be somewhat meaty. So what do you know about this breeds which would fit my discretion of what i want?

 

[Kennyog]

Any of those that you named would be fine.The royal palms are the least meatiest of the bunch,they are beautiful.If you spend alot of time with them as poults,they will be alot tamer as adults.I have blue slates and they are very tame.i can walk up and pick them up.I have a tom that is a cross between a black spanish and a royal palm that is very tame.

 

[PatS]

Like you, I'd like to have a trio of heritage turkeys. However my concern is the flying. What I have read here leads me to believe that just about any of the heritage breeds would wander from my 2-acre yard. Three sides are fenced with 6' wire fencing, but the part of the property that faces the road has only 3' of chain link fencing. (Since there is a deep ditch in between the road and the fence, it keeps the deer out.)

My free ranging buff orpinton chickens are content to stay in the yard when the gate is closed, but I think even a turkey with clipped wings would escape.

I hope we both hear differently! I'd love some bourbon red or white midgets.

 

[Kennyog]

I don't have much trouble with turkeys flying. I had a bourbon red hen that flew alot. I just clipped her wings,problem solved. i only had to clip them twice,she finally just gave up.

 

[KOTurkeyRanch]

Yeah the Bourban Reds will fly but might give up after awhile. Royal Palms will also try to fly but also will probably give up after failed attempts with clipped wings. Regardless, if you raise them by hand and baby them, like any humans, they will be content and wont have a reason to fly away.

 

[Cacklin" Hens]

I have royal palms. The toms can't fly up over about 3 feet. My hen could fly really good. She wouldnt stay in the pen with the tom. The pen is 6 ft high. So I clipped both of her wings and she can't fly out of the pen but she can still get on the roost pole which is about 3 feet high.

 

[lleighmay]

I have 3 Narragansetts. They're all currently housed in my 6 Ft chain link pen/coop with the chickens, but will be moving to a 6 ft. pen/building of their own shortly. My tom doesn't fly but my two hens do. Fortunately, once they fly out of the pen they prefer to visit the other pens, dogs, cats, and me and never leave the general area of the yard. Even when they do get out they ask to go back in when I go down there since they've had their little adventure and are apparently ready for a snack and some "indoor time". I've decided not to clip their wings as I'm afraid of taking away their natural defense if someone/something less than friendly comes onto the property. One thing I have discovered is that they seem to prefer to fly up on to something (in current case the top bar of the fence) rather than just flying over it in one fell swoop. Their new pen will have a wire roof which will of course stop this and the pasture they'll be spending time in every day won't have a top rail on the wire fence so we'll see how that goes. Regardless, I don't really expect them to leave since everything they seem to want is right here. I'm hoping to breed them this spring so I can't address that since we've not tried it yet but I will tell you they are much better pets and more interactive and curious than most of my other chickens (who were all hand-raised). I bet whatever kind you get you'll love them!

 

[KOTurkeyRanch]

Yeah, occasionally ill go up to close the doors and my red palm Jake will be outside of the fence like what just happened? He always stays very close, looking for his friend Tom haha