Turkeys?

[Mini Horses]

that's always a problem -- finding -- heck, I have copied and saved things in a file over past few years, on the computer. So a huge file of odd and ends now.

You have triggered the turkey button now. I emailed for info from a local with 7 hatched this summer, who has decided to stay with chickens only. Hmmmm wonder why. But at $10 each if you take all, hoping at least 3 months ???? Could be a good buy. It was 3 AM and couldn't sleep.....now I'm hoping, fully awake, that they are sold! . That would ease me away with a good mental out.

 

[CrealCritter]

Here's my 4 hens and Tom.

 

[baymule]

 

[CrealCritter]

True story, happened yesterday. Apparently I forgot to latch the door to the coup and the wind blew it open. Well needless to say every chicken was out except my wife's rooster. My two mature turkey hens were out but my two young turkey hens and the mature Tom was still in the coup with my wife's rooster.

The only reason I knew they were out is because my wife's Rottweiler looked out the window and started waggin' his nub and started whining. He loves a good chicken chase. So i put on my muck Boots to go round them up. I really don't care much for the chickens honestly... They can stay out for all I care but my wife wants them put up or else when she takes her baby bear out to use the bathroom he'll drag her all over the place trying to chase chickens. So happy wife / happy life.

As I walked to the coup the two turkey hens that were out seen me and walked right back into the coup. The chickens on the other hand ran in all different directions. I closed the door to the coup and went and got my hunting dog off his bed and out of the cave. Yiu know the one my wife has spoiled... I yelled "get em" and my hunting dog rounded each and every chicken into a corner on the outside of the coup. All I had to do is grab one in each had and toss them over the fence into the coup. (IF) my wife would not have spoiled my hunting dog. I can pretty much be certain that he would have kept the chickens and turkeys in the coup. Because i know he would have guarded the door, until I noticed and latched it shut.

So for me yes... Turkeys are a lot easier to keep than chickens are. But it helps to have a good dog also.

 

[farmerjan]

Turkeys will fly up and roost as high as they can go. If you wanted to keep them on the ground then you will have to cut one side wing feathers.
All that has been posted is pretty much right. Royal palms will dress in the 15 lb range Bourbon reds a little bigger. They have to get somewhat mature/full size in order to put on the meat. Like kids they grow then fill out. My royal palms did a good job of raising their poults. The BBReds not as good. But that can be just the particular hens too. Turkey egg whites make superb meringue.....thicker egg yolks.

 

[Finnie]

Absolutely Young turkey are a little on the retarded side, I kid you not I had one die because it was to dumb to walk 10 feet to get out of the rain. That is if they don't have there mom to raise them. It seems their mom knows how to raise them for the most part. But here is where it gets challenging. If you do have say two hens hatching eggs some of the chicks take to one hen and the other chicks take to the other hen. After a while it become like a the Hatfield's and McCoy's with hens killing the other hens chicks then factor in the Tom taking out the jakes and soon you'll not have any chicks left. So I found it best to pull the chicks right after they hatch and put them under a red heat lamp. Deal with the retardation until it passes then intorduce the young hens into the flock with a mature Tom. The Tom's I keep together until they get to the age and want to start breading. Then I decide to I butcher all the young Tom's or do I replace my old Tom with new young Tom? A lot of thought goes into this decision. I go by personality and how well defined their markings are mainly on their tail feathers.i also look at their toes any with crook toes are butchered for meals.

I really think you'll like turkeys. The hens have quite the vocabulary and after some time you'll get to know what they are trying to tell you. A "POP" means there is something new in their area. A POP POP POP means this new thing might be dangerous. A POP POP POP POP or rapid repeating of multiple POPs means yep it's dangerous, like snake. A KEY KEY KEY sound means they are out of water or they are hungry. A Thump or Drum sound means they are happy. Like when you bring them water and or food or when you go and check up on them. They also make a PURRRR sound when they are coming into mating season.

They also make a sound exactly like a flock of sandhill cranes flying in the sky. That indicates there is a bird of prey in the sky. The first time I heard it, I thought it was cranes, and I began searching the sky, because you know, you can hear a flock of cranes long before you can spot them. But no cranes, and then I saw that it was my turkey hens making the noise, and looking upward. Followed their line of sight, and there was a hawk WAY up there. I learned over the years, when they make that noise, there is ALWAYS a hawk. It might be so high up that it’s only a speck, or it might be in front of the sun so I can’t see it. But it will be there somewhere. It always amazes me how they can look almost straight at the sun and see a hawk up there.

 

[CrealCritter]

They also make a sound exactly like a flock of sandhill cranes flying in the sky. That indicates there is a bird of prey in the sky. The first time I heard it, I thought it was cranes, and I began searching the sky, because you know, you can hear a flock of cranes long before you can spot them. But no cranes, and then I saw that it was my turkey hens making the noise, and looking upward. Followed their line of sight, and there was a hawk WAY up there. I learned over the years, when they make that noise, there is ALWAYS a hawk. It might be so high up that it’s only a speck, or it might be in front of the sun so I can’t see it. But it will be there somewhere. It always amazes me how they can look almost straight at the sun and see a hawk up there.

Yep your right about the crane sound. We have hawks, eagles and turkey buzzards. They make that sound when they see them circling. It's funny to watch them bend their neck and look up with just a single eye and like you said a little speck to us but they seem to know what it is.

I leaned about the POP sounds by trial end error. I threw a acorn in their yard. The hens circled it making a single POP sound. When they figured out it was ok they stopped circling and went about being turkey hens. Then I tried a toad and they first made the single POP when it jumped they made three POPs. Then sitting on the porch they were doing a rapid multiple POPs I went out there and sure enough they had surrounded a snake.

The Tom's are way less vocal. The sound of them displaying like a BUMP and their wing feathers dragging the ground. Then of course the Gobble Gobble Gobble for any new loud noise.

 

[CrealCritter]

It’s just a pretty color variant. It appeals to some people. Probably not everyone, though, or there would be more of them.

Some are more whiter and some are more colorful. Here is an old photo of a tom that was sold to me as a “Phoenix”, but the Facebook group said he was a red factored pencilled Sweetgrass. I got lots of beautiful colored offspring out of him. View attachment 14902
Sorry it’s sideways. My phone is doing that to my photos randomly lately, on all websites, and I don’t know how to get them upright.

I've been wanting some sweet grass breed for a while. They are beautiful turkeys. If I ever have the opportunity I will most definitely purchase some.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I've always wanted some Midget Whites too. Here's a plan: you get some and if they do well and lay eggs and raise babies - I'll get some from you!

 

[flowerbug]

I've always wanted some Midget Whites too. Here's a plan: you get some and if they do well and lay eggs and raise babies - I'll get some from you!

this is called enabling behavior. heeheehee...