[freyalouiseb]

Hi all, I recently rescued a pair of white turkeys, apparently about a year old, I have had them nearly a week and I so fat have had no.eggs, they were not.in the best if.condition, the male has no feathers on his bum and she non on her chest, I was told he isn't very fruity but they were kept in a shed with no access outside! What can I do to condition these back to good health, when will they.moult new feathers and how can I get them a little more romantic? They seem pretty institutionalised to me so I take it they will.need time to.settle in,

I.have them on layers pellets and scraps with oyster shell, they are stables at night and out ib a pen in the day, the female likes to.perch but the stag can get off.the floor, is it likely that I have commercial table birds?

Sorry for all the questions, and full stops, I'm using my phone and the.key pad is damaged 

[THE HAPPY POULTRY FARMER]

HI YOUR TURKEYS ARE ALMOST CERTAINLY COMMERCIAL TABLE BIRDS, VERY FEW WHITE TRADITIONAL BREEDS EXSIST THE PROBLEM YOU WILL HAVE IS THAT THESE BIRDS AT A YEAR OLD SHOULD BE VERY HEAVY DEPENDENT ON THE COMMERCIAL STRAIN THE STAG SHOULD WEIGH ANYTHING BETWEEN 10 AND 30 KGS, HEN BIRD BETWEEN 7 AND 17 KGS , MOST COMMERCIAL TURKEYS DO NOT BREED NATURALLY AND ARE BRED USING ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION. FOR THESE BIRDS TO THRIVE YOU REALLY NEED TO FEED A SPECIFIC TURKEY RATION BE CAREFUL FEEDING CHICKEN RATIONS ESPECIALLY ANYTHING CONTAINING A COCCIDIOSTAT AS MANY CHICKEN STATS ARE TOXIC TO TURKEYS AND WILL KILL THE BIRDS, HOPE THIS HELPS.   

[AndynJ]

agree with the don't use chicken feed, and the turkey not randy.
A little olive oil in their feed will help their skin and in turn their feathers, it maybe worth asking yourself why you have them, 4kg of feed a week, turkey eggs are an acquired taste, if they are a commercial breed the eggs will be horrible.
Put these 2 in the pot buy 2 more either point of lay or 2 commercial for Christmas.
Oh and don't keep chickens and turkeys together.

[Shropshirelass]

Ours are a traditional breed which can breed naturally but weigh less & both the males & females do roost - I'm new to turkeys but ours do free range with hens, geese & ducks & are healthy but they have to be wormed properly - the only trouble is it sounds like you've ended up with commercial table birds that many people have said & poultry literature has also mentioned that they can't really breed naturally, & the whites tend to be 1 of the most vulnerable breeds to dying off just to warn you & apparently turkeys are all quite prone to just dying.

This is why when we decided to buy some turkeys I went for a rare breed - Bourbon reds which are hardy & mate naturally & also go broody which 1 of mine is at present but mine are young birds & stupidly the 1 has decided to sit on duck eggs instead of laying her own but thats another story - good luck with yours x

[freyalouiseb]

Thank you, as they were rescues I think I will just love and appreciate them and look at getting something a.bit fancier o nce I know what I'm doing

[shygirl]

just to warn you & apparently turkeys are all quite prone to just dying

oh yes. we had a magnificant turkey stag. picture of health then he dropped dead off his perch for no apparent reason. he would have fed us for weeks if we'd killed him as he was very heavy.

[freyalouiseb]

it maybe worth asking yourself why you have them, 4kg of feed a week, turkey eggs are an acquired taste, if they are a commercial breed the eggs will be horrible.
Put these 2 in the pot buy 2 more either point of lay or 2 commercial for Christmas.
Oh and don't keep chickens and turkeys together.

I rescue a lot of animals, in my world, parent are always pets, silly I know but I also have to be careful due to the nature of my work, (many people get upset at the thought of eating your own animals, weird i know but I have to cover my back as most of these people pay my wage!)

I dont mind the burden of a few extra mouths to feed but will look into getting some Turkey feed delivered as Ive had a look in my local feed store and they dont sell it, can anyone recommend a good place that delivers? im in Kent?

Im not too fussed about the breeding, just though it would be nice, then I could have something for the table too but I think I will just use these guys as a learning curve and look at getting some more practical breeds later on.

Their feathers are slowly coming back through, the male does not perch, and is a VERY slow walker, I assume this is because of his size but they were also kept in a dark small shed with no perch so figured this could also be engrained behaviour.


Thanks for your comments, very helpful as there is very little domestic literature on Turkeys online that i can find