Wild breed Identification-Merriam's?

[GJRacingGirl726]

Definitely, turkeys are so much more personable. I have around 75 to 100 birds at any given time and hatch up to 200 poults each spring.

Do you have other birds as well? What do you feed your turkeys? I live in the desert, dirt, dirt and more dirt and my animals kill the checkbook to feed!

 

[Huntmaster]

Do you have other birds as well? What do you feed your turkeys? I live in the desert, dirt, dirt and more dirt and my animals kill the checkbook to feed!

Yes, collecting Quail eggs this next week for hatching. And hopefully ducks will be laying before long so I can get a hatch in from them before I start hatching turkeys. I feel you on the feed I can go through 2500lbs each month. I feed my turkeys 28% gamebird starter feed for 8 to 12 weeks then switch to a 24% gamebird grower pellet feed. They don't need that high a protein after starter that's just my preference to keep breeding stock in prime condition 24/7 and fatten young birds in time for thanksgiving. Mine do have large open grass pens and a few acres of pasture to range in that helps. But always something going on here just love the birds.

 

[GJRacingGirl726]

Yes, collecting Quail eggs this next week for hatching. And hopefully ducks will be laying before long so I can get a hatch in from them before I start hatching turkeys. I feel you on the feed I can go through 2500lbs each month. I feed my turkeys 28% gamebird starter feed for 8 to 12 weeks then switch to a 24% gamebird grower pellet feed. They don't need that high a protein after starter that's just my preference to keep breeding stock in prime condition 24/7 and fatten young birds in time for thanksgiving. Mine do have large open grass pens and a few acres of pasture to range in that helps. But always something going on here just love the birds.

What type of quail and ducks do you have? I just got a breeding pair of button quail yesterday, they are so cute! I also raise Coturnix. And I have Pekin, Chocolate Runners, Black Runners, Black Swedish, Blue Swedish, Cayuga, Rouen and Buffs. And Call ducks.

 

[Huntmaster]

You sound like me with the turkeys but with ducks, Khaki Cambel, Rouen, Mallard. Coturnix Jumbo Browns and Jumbo whites.

 

[GJRacingGirl726]

You sound like me with the turkeys but with ducks, Khaki Cambel, Rouen, Mallard. Coturnix Jumbo Browns and Jumbo whites.

Do you use artificial light in your quail set up? I'd love to see it if you wouldn't mind sharing. Mine have a big aviary but no artificial light so no one is laying currently. I have bantam and standard sized chickens too. And guinea fowl. And a few geese. I'd have emus and peacocks too but hubs said he will move if that happens, lol.

 

[Huntmaster]

This is my indoor brooder and breeding cages first pic is brooder second is breeding cages. I do supplement lighting on my breeding cages with a white LED Christmas light string. The breeding cages have egg rollouts for collecting clean eggs. The brooder cages are used for up to 4 weeks of age depending on temps. Right now, until I build them their own outdoor aviary, I have been using my barn turkey brooding setup for the adults. It has a 15'x25' indoor space with a cutout door to a 6' wide by about 35' outdoor netted top run L shaped around the building don't have pics of that. Kinda new to the quail so that is temporary for them should have their aviary done in a month or so to get my turkey brooding setup back the clock is ticking on that as my turkeys start laying mid-March.

 

[Huntmaster]

Right now there is nothing in my brooder boxes collecting eggs now for another hatch. In brooder cages I have some excess male's top cage and bottom 2 cages have 3 separate breeding sets 1 set of jumbo brown and 2 sets of jumbo whites to be picked up this weekend. And one cage on top of brooder boxes has a few that had some pecking injuries.

 

[GJRacingGirl726]

I love that. I have a tower set up similar to your breeding cages that I use for my juveniles/grow outs before they go into their aviary. Newly hatched babies i just keep in an old styrofoam incubator so I can control the temp for the first week or so. Then they go to a bucket brooder or hamster cage until theyre 4ish weeks old. Of course it poured rain for a good 3 or 4 hours last night so everything is muddy and soggy again today, but here's the quail aviary.

 

[StinkyAcres]

The breed is Turkey. What you are seeking is what variety they are.

Um, no, the species is turkey (Meleagris gallopavo). There are different breeds created from a species (by humans) and different varieties of a breed. In this case I think the OP is trying to figure out the subspecies.

 

[GJRacingGirl726]

More pics of the "wild" turkeys.