The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Community => Coffee Lounge => Topic started by: bibs on August 21, 2009, 10:50:32 pm

Title: Why doesn't anyone know about turkeys????
Post by: bibs on August 21, 2009, 10:50:32 pm
I posted a turkey thing in the poultry section and it seems that no-one knows about turkeys .... I can't believe it :-\ Maybe they're just not as interesting as I think they are :love:
Title: Re: Why doesn't anyone know about turkeys????
Post by: doganjo on August 21, 2009, 10:52:21 pm
Weellllll...........................  They gobble..................... they have funny looking wobbly bits ....................... they sort of waddle around ..........................  they die just before Christmas ...........................  we eat them at Christmas.  I think that's the story ;) ;D ;D
Title: Re: Why doesn't anyone know about turkeys????
Post by: jameslindsay on August 21, 2009, 10:56:05 pm
Steve Wright on Radio 2 today had in his "factoids"  that the dumbest farm yard animal was the Turkey - sorry!
Title: Re: Why doesn't anyone know about turkeys????
Post by: bibs on August 21, 2009, 10:58:28 pm
This is all very disappointing ...... for a start they appear to appreciate folk music .....
Title: Re: Why doesn't anyone know about turkeys????
Post by: Tullywood Farm on August 21, 2009, 10:58:58 pm
I did think about your post in poultry, but decided not to go there.

Once bought in 20 babies to fatten for Christmas.  I wasn't too keen, but Joe thought it was a good
idea to offer live Turkeys at Christmas to local people who fancied killing, plucking and stuffing a full
bird for the experience.

Every morning when I went out to feed them, one would be dead.  Apparently they all huddles so closely at night that one would suffocate, so we were advised to make the corners of the house curved so that they couldn't huddle and squash one in the corner.

Still, every few days another would be dead, one killed itself in the pond, another cut its neck on the tiniest nail in one of the houses and died, and this went on and on, until there was only one left.

I decided he was the murderer, and that he had killed all the others - as only the strongest survuve etc. anyhow we decided to keep him, our own very expensive turkey, for Christmas.

The Bl**dy thing died two weeks before the big day - so I don't like  :turkey: anymore.

We had pheasant for Christmas - and next year were having a Goose.

 ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
Julie
Title: Re: Why doesn't anyone know about turkeys????
Post by: bibs on August 21, 2009, 11:04:29 pm
Yes I heard they die quite easily. Thing is I wasn't at all keen on having them, but there is something appealing about them. Maybe we've been lucky that they all got through poulthood ..... but then there are only six of them. Do you want one???? only joking ;)
Title: Re: Why doesn't anyone know about turkeys????
Post by: doganjo on August 21, 2009, 11:04:38 pm
 ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: Why doesn't anyone know about turkeys????
Post by: smiffy on August 21, 2009, 11:20:06 pm
we have turkeys
bourbon reds and bronze. I am getting a trio of broad breasted whites soon, and next yeat i would like norfolk blacks, slates naragansetts and pied.

Just got to sneak them in passed OH ;D
Title: Re: Why doesn't anyone know about turkeys????
Post by: gavo on August 21, 2009, 11:24:45 pm
We have found that the older more traditional breeds are quite hardy and trouble free. We free range ours they mix with the hens and ducks and the geese some even choose to roost with the hens at night .So far no problems haven't lost any ,we have been keeping turkeys for a little over a year so not a huge amount of time, but they are great characters and fun to have around always get a great reaction when people visit. Would not go down the road of commercial strains personally as they do apparently go at the drop of a hat.
Title: Re: Why doesn't anyone know about turkeys????
Post by: Tullywood Farm on August 21, 2009, 11:25:48 pm
Bibs - I would prefer your folk music anyday
you can keep the bl**dy turkeys
 ;D ;D ;D ;D
Julie
Title: Re: Why doesn't anyone know about turkeys????
Post by: rustyme on August 21, 2009, 11:39:56 pm
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/18/20090821/thl-swine-flu-detected-in-chilean-turkey-5effa79.html

think I will give them a miss.... :o ::) ;D

cheers

Russ
Title: Re: Why doesn't anyone know about turkeys????
Post by: dixie on August 21, 2009, 11:45:31 pm
Hi dont know much but have replied!!!
Title: Re: Why doesn't anyone know about turkeys????
Post by: smiffy on August 21, 2009, 11:47:57 pm
in the artical it states

A senior health ministry official, Jeanette Vega, said that the virus found in the turkeys was not a mutated form of the A(H1N1) virus, and that the birds had likely caught the illness from humans.

"What happened in this case is that we, human beings, infected the turkeys. The virus identified in the turkeys is the human sort -- thereis no mutation," she said.  


Russ are they that stupid????? if the flu has passed from humans to turkeys  then it is a mutation!!! the human virus has to change to enable it to affect any other type of life form.

chile is not that far from mexico, if the two virus' combine and make a further mutation ....................


Title: Re: Why doesn't anyone know about turkeys????
Post by: Tullywood Farm on August 21, 2009, 11:49:49 pm
Now if everyone had the same thought process
they would not be able to feed us this chicken sh1t
 ;D ;D ;D
Julie
Title: Re: Why doesn't anyone know about turkeys????
Post by: smiffy on August 21, 2009, 11:55:33 pm
It does my head in Julie, they really do think we are all sheep!!!
or that stupid we will believe what we read ::)
Title: Re: Why doesn't anyone know about turkeys????
Post by: rustyme on August 22, 2009, 12:12:35 am
lol.... I know it does my ed in ....the only thing I can think of is , swine (AH1N1) flu is a mix of swine flu (north American and European ) , Avian Flu ( Asian ) and human flu (European) . That would then make it possible for it to pass to an avian member , chicken, duck, or turkey !!! Which if in turn had another more virulent form of avian flu , could cause serious problems.
      However, The new strain (AH1N1) was initially described as an apparent re assortment of at least four strains of influenza A virus subtype H1N1, including one strain endemic in humans, one endemic in birds, and two endemic in swine.[43] Subsequent analysis suggested it was a re assortment of just two strains, both found in swine.[47] Although initial reports identified the new strain as swine influenza (i.e., a zoonos-is originating in swine), its origin is unknown.
    As you say though, it must mutate at least a bit, to pass to another form of animal (avian) if ?, IF ? it is (as the subsequent analysis suggested ), a re assortment of two strains both found in swine !!!  
    Like I said ...it does my ed in ..... :o


cheers

Russ
Title: Re: Why doesn't anyone know about turkeys????
Post by: doganjo on August 22, 2009, 03:45:07 pm
My first husband was a bacteriologist (virologist eventually) in charge of a Virus Lab. He stored them at minus 70 degrees, worked with numerous different strains in the lab and refused to take the flu jab giving the following reasons:
his aseptic technique was good
he had built up immunity over the years
it mutated every time it came round the world so a specific vaccine could never be available

He reckoned it was a waste of time taking the vaccine and worked on finding cures instead.  Unfortunately he died before he could complete that task.  His boss in Aberdeen was the world famous Dr Hugh Pennington.