wild turkey breeding

[wilds of pa]

Well i caught my oldest tom mating yesterday..

it must be getting close..should soon have wild eastern turkeys eggs being dropped..

my male pheasants are displaying as well trying to impress the girls already....

anybody in the north east with wilds has this going on to...

 

[chickenannie]

How old is he? Is there an age when viability is lost? I think I have a 3-year old tom, but not entirely sure of age, and I'd like to keep him fathering, as he produced some big toms last year.

 

[wilds of pa]

My oldest tom is going on 6 years old this year.. his name is Elmer..he knows the drill... But it seems just a bit early, good thing is i started them on game bird layer about 2 weeks ago.. id tend to think as long as the birds stay healthy viability should be good for at least 10 years easily on a mature gobbler..

we also had some wild ones from the blue mtn down here in the pasture displaying to a few hens, but my wild male was actually mounted up on a hen already.

 

[silkieluver_07]

My boy started mating yesterday!!

So excited for poults!

 

[texascowboy1979]

Mine are wild Eastern.... THey started mating about 30 days ago... they are about 10 to 11 months old... full feathered... I know there good for the job because ive got Wild Bourbons hatching..

And by Wild bourbon I mean the dad is a Wild Eastern and the mom is a bourbon red hen.

 

[KOTurkeyRanch]

Quote:
pics?!?!

 

[wilds of pa]

Sounds like the game is on early this year...

got a few orders in for wild poults during the off season.. now just got to wait for gals to lay the eggs....

turkey video from this jan..

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

my Rio Grandes have been at it for a week or so now, but nothing yet on the osceolas and merriams, cant wait til they start though, Bet I have a months worth of all 3 species booked up already, need them to get at it so I can clear the book!

To the blind question poster,
Never heard of one going blind, yet!
I rotate my breeders out every 4th year though, after 3 years they start to drop off in production, the males are still good well over that, but the hens slow a lot after 3, their first and second years seeming to be the best, near an egg a day per hen during the peek season at that age.

 

[wilds of pa]

Boggy, all of my 4-6 year old gals lay just as well as my younger girls.. however the older gals tend to want to have broods/nest more often than id like..

the three different wild eastern bloodlines we have are all awesome layers, even my cross line easterns lay very well

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

Thats odd, but great. That's the main problem I think with mine at older ages, they get more broody, thus no eggs, so I just free range them after 4