The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: macgro7 on May 15, 2017, 11:42:12 am
-
I wanted to start some turkeys this year finally and keep a trio for breeding.
Was thinking of either ordering the smallest strain from the hatchery or crossing narrow breasted stag with broad brested hen to get a sustainable source of smallholder turkeys just as we are trying to achieve with the chickens as discussed here:
http://www.accidentalsmallholder.net/forum/index.php?topic=74454.0 (http://www.accidentalsmallholder.net/forum/index.php?topic=74454.0)
Do people breed their own turkeys? Or do you just buy poults to fatten for christmas?
What are your experiences or breeding and raising your own turkeys vs breeding and raising your own chickens from your own eggs???
-
Hi Macgro
I have kept turkeys before as we had an egg Business but this year is my first time growing my own for food from hatching eggs.
I have 2 types due to hatch on sunday, Bourbon reds + Norfolk Bronze
Most will find their way to my freezer + people in the village near xmas but I will keep a trio back for next years breeding.
Will be keeping an eye on this post :eyelashes:
-
I have a bronze stag and some comercial white hens. Last year they were great, turkey stag treaded well and good fertility. The chicks all looked like bronze turkeys but grew very well and I was very happy with them. This year they don't seem to be doing so well.
I'm not sure if its because the hens are so much bigger than a bronze hen but the stag seems to spend a long time treading and has hurt the hens a couple of times. They seem to be producing one egg a day between them. Last year it was an egg a day. I'm waiting for the incubator to become free to test fertility this year. I think if I was going to do it again I'd choose stags and hens from the same breed. Either bronze or norfolk black.
-
I breed Narragansett turkeys and a variety of rare large, soft-feathered fowl breeds. The turkeys take longer to reach slaughter weight but, in my experience, do so on less feed than the chickens. Since all our fowl are primarily bred for conservation purposes the speed of finishing is largely irrelevant to our system - good health, fertility, hatchability, breed correctness, longevity and temperament take precedence.
-
Where do you think is the best place to find either narragansett or narrow breasted white?
-
I have a trial hatch of 35 eggs in the incubator at present and may have some hatching eggs for sale if the results are satisfactory. Turkey Club UK might be able to help with finding eggs or stock.