The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: Dizzycow on May 08, 2011, 05:56:39 pm
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I'm thinking about buying some turkey eggs to incubate - for the christmas table! Never had turkeys before. Are they easy to keep, and do they get on ok with chickens / cockerels? Do they eat pellets and corn like chickens? :farmer:
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Turkeys are easy to keep if you get original breed ones that breed naturally not the super meat ones that need AI. Best to keep them away from chooks cause of Blackhead (Google it) Mine graze like geese during the day but get a feed at night.They really need Turkey food as it contains more protein than chook food but we have to order it and that costs too much up here.Mine do fine on layers and grain and lay plenty of eggs so must be ok. I keep a breeding stock which can lead to a bolshy stag but they dont attack just protect.Mine can fly so I clip their wings so they stay in their paddock. They lay well, I have forty in the incy, sold loads of eggs for folk to hatch and have two on good nests. I treat them as big chooks and eat the meat all year, mine are a small breed and leave some whole but joint the rest for mincing, dicing or as breasts /legs etc. Their eggs taste like a big hens egg. We keep them at night in a stable which they just walk into when they see me with their supper and have a selection of nest boxes, some on the floor some at my shoulder height. Mine are Wild American Bronzes and have not had one problem in years of keeping them ( Except a Chinese Takeaway man who I caught trying to actually ring one of their neecks in their shed!!!!)
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I raised 10 last year and they were easy. BUT THE POO IS THE VILEST SMELL IN THE WORLD!!!
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Can I just jump in here and ask a quick question too please ?
Do they perch or are nest boxes (old crisp boxes ?) the way to go ?
I'm only getting 3 (just to try) and know they need to be kept seperate from chooks but other than that I'm a bit lacking in info, so any advice would be helpful :-*
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a straw bale or anything that is a bit high ours never tryed to nest but they are a bit glackit to say thr least :wave:
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I reared a few Norfolk Black a few years ago, and it was in my memory that you cannot keep them with hens when young, so I penned them in a different part on clean ground
Was this unnecessary? In the old days the reared them in verandas because of Blackhead
All the best
Sue
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I had 3 last year and thought they were far more interesting than chickens. So much more vocal with personality. Easy to despatch as well
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We reared six last year, piece of cake.
No worries about them escaping, they're too stupid to do anything so interesting (or ours were)
We paid £6 each for them off heat and they ate £14 worth of pellets each to reach killing weight.
We will be rearing more this year.
And yes, the stink IS horrendous!
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the stink is bad if they are in your car!!
mine are no trouble but they have a mind of their own, i dont think mine are necessarily stupid cos they know what they want, and that isnt the field i wanted them in, but down in the woods,next to the chooks.
we had hybrids every year for years now have norfolk blacks, they are soo beautiful in comparison.
( Except a Chinese Takeaway man who I caught trying to actually ring one of their neecks in their shed!!!!)
oh my god!!
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Mine have those plastic fish boxes about 1 1/2 x 3 foot across and nearly a foot deep ,some at shoulder height and some on the ground so they have a choice to nest in. The heavy breeds cannot perch , my heavy ones nested in adapted blue barrels on the floor.
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mine are no trouble but they have a mind of their own, i dont think mine are necessarily stupid cos they know what they want, and that isnt the field i wanted them in, but down in the woods,next to the chooks.
This is what we experienced too. This year we are getting five more Bourbon Reds, absolutely delicious meat and the dark meat was so dark and tasty. We will buy an old shed and put a roosting bar in it. Last year because they didn't go in the field we intended for them they perched outside but fox got two, 2 weeks before Christmas. On the bright side (had to think of one as was devasted), because they were outside at night they had well grown feathers and I was told they were very easy to pluck hence cheaper to dress.
They are messy and eat plants as they get older but actually it is worth it. The messy stage is during the winter months when I'm not sitting outside anyway.
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All really useful and interesting, I'm grateful for you sharing all your experiences! I think I'll do it as the overall opinion is very positive. :farmer:
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Good luck
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Sorry jumping in here, so if I were to raise some for Xmas, when would I buy poults (dont think I can cope with them in the incubator)
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depend on the size you want to kill at
we get 10wk old poults at the end of august the white ones can get to 28lbs+by xmas kelly bronzes a good bit lighter :xmas: :turkey: :xmas:
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Purely out of interest, Hilarysmum, why don't you think you could cope with them in the incubator? I'm interested because that's what I'm planning to do once it's free next month.