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Author Topic: Who here raises turkeys?  (Read 4099 times)

Offline thomashton

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Who here raises turkeys?
« on: November 16, 2006, 03:22:55 pm »
I have an opportunity to get a few grown Rio Grande turkeys at $15 (OBO ;)).

How much room do I have to give them? Do they need to be indoors at night like the chickens?

Can I keep them fenced in in the same pen with the chickens (80x35' with 5' fence)? Will they peck the chickens?

Or, should I just trim wing and let them walk my 2 acres? Will they take off? If I didn't would they be roosting in the trees along the stream at night?

Thanks.
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Offline beemaster

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Re: Who here raises turkeys?
« Reply #1 on: November 16, 2006, 04:04:02 pm »
My wife hopes that as we near retirement that we have a few acres, we have had chicken before and turkeys are something (along with Alpacas) she would like to have a few of.

Sadly, the only turkey I have ever raised, was on my fork with gravy on it - maybe someday my wife's wish will come true. Regards :)
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Offline randydrivesabus

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Re: Who here raises turkeys?
« Reply #2 on: November 16, 2006, 05:20:50 pm »
we've had a few turkeys along the way. one was a broad breasted bronze tom and he couldnt fly. another was not quite so big and she left with the wild turkeys. so i think confinement is necessary. they got along fine with our chickens. but if they see or hear wild turkeys they will want to be with them. they dont need a lot of room like dogs do but enough space to walk around and peck the ground would be good.

Offline pdmattox

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Re: Who here raises turkeys?
« Reply #3 on: November 16, 2006, 06:28:59 pm »
I don't raise turkeys but have some experince of animals on the farm. Rio turkeys are a wild breed and not domesticated and may wonder off this spring.  For $15 each it is worth a try.  Good luck. :mrgreen:

Offline randydrivesabus

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Re: Who here raises turkeys?
« Reply #4 on: November 16, 2006, 08:39:49 pm »
i need to mention that Toms can be fairly aggressive when it comes to people.

Offline Brian D. Bray

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Re: Who here raises turkeys?
« Reply #5 on: November 16, 2006, 09:53:23 pm »
Turkeys need about 4 square feet of space per bird in the roost area plus 10 square ft in the yard.
Turkeys can be aggressive if not handled from day one, TLC goes a long ways.  An aggressive tom, although the best for maing purposes in the worst when it comes to kids and pets.
I''ve been treed more than once as a kid from an aggressive tom.
Breed wise I prefer the Red Buorbon Trukeys as they are a little smaller than the Bronze but are milder in temperment.

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Offline Kathyp

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Re: Who here raises turkeys?
« Reply #6 on: November 16, 2006, 10:09:18 pm »
what are you going to do with them?  we raised a bunch when i was a kid.  dad got orders and we had two weeks to pack and move.  we had to do something with the birds!  dad hung them one by one in a tree and shot them, mom bled them, i dipped them, and the other kids plucked.  to this day the smell of wet feathers makes me want to sick up.

we gave every one of them away.  all that work and we didn't get to eat any :-(

and yes....toms can be really nasty.
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Offline mark

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Re: Who here raises turkeys?
« Reply #7 on: November 23, 2006, 09:04:21 pm »
to add to what has been said already i have raised turkeys along with chickens successfully. turkeys are prone to a disease called blackhead which is an organism hosted by a chicken roundworm. we gave all birds frequent doses of fresh garlic as a preventative and had no problems.  turkeys do not do well in wet weather so housing would be beneficial. perches for turkeys are not needed but if used i would keep them low as the birds can fall and break their necks (a common occurance).  when wings are trimmed or the birds dressed out to not use the barred feathers on wood arrowshafts should be a criminal offense  :lol: :lol:

Offline Cindi

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Re: Who here raises turkeys?
« Reply #8 on: November 25, 2006, 01:44:28 am »
Mark, interesting comment about garlic.  I grow garlic by the thousands, we use a lot of it (well maybe the mid hundreds, shouldn't exagerate).  I have been contemplating raising turkeys, beginning next spring.  We have many, many chickens as well, as well as 3 species of ducks.  I would like to raise them in the same area, so, if the turkeys can get a round worm from the chickens, and fresh garlic given to them that helps, awesome!!!!  I have more than enough garlic, probably more this year than our families can injest (we are a bunch of stinkers).  So that totally works for us, garlic they shall have.  Great stuff on the forum.

Here's a pic of my Indian Runners (someone told me they were Japanese Longnecks, but I actually don't really know what breed they are), my beautiful rooster and some pretty little silkies that are going to try to raise, the silkies are very pretty now, I can wait until they get bigger, they are so fluffy, it makes you want to pick them up and cuddle, we also have Muscovey ducks, I never realized they came in so many colours.  Pretty cool ducks, they don't "quack" they kind of hiss.  Great day.  Cindi





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Offline Brian D. Bray

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Re: Who here raises turkeys?
« Reply #9 on: November 25, 2006, 10:02:44 pm »
If you get the Khaki Campbells in the picture to set and hatch ducklings let me know, I'm looking for some.  They are often better egg layers than chickens and the eggs are richer.

The black ducks do look more like japanese long necks.  Indian runners seldom come in black unless cross bred. Allso Indian runners are even more erect that those black ducks shown.
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Offline Cindi

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Re: Who here raises turkeys?
« Reply #10 on: November 25, 2006, 11:33:50 pm »
Ah, the Khaki Campbells.  They are very cute.  I love how they put their bills to the ground and make a cackling sound and kind of push their bills along.  It is almost like they are pointing with their bills and are talking to their mates telling them a story about what they might be looking at. It really is quite an amazing site.  Must be why they are called Khaki (cacky) get it? Campbells.  LOL.  I get a real kick out of these ducks.  Either the Khakis or the Longnecks make a noise that I can hear all the way up to the house, my sister says that both species make this sound, but honestly, when I hear it, and believe me they are loud, I can even hear them long before sunrise, just like the roosters (we have a banty too).  It kind of sounds like someone laughing at a really funny joke.  Let me see if I can even come close.   Wha, wha, wha, wha, wha, wha.  Now that sounds strange probably, but that is the best that I can describe it, kind of reminds me of an old cartoon of a duck I used to watch as a young kid (I think).  I will let you know if the Khaki goes broody.  Wonder why they are lazy ducks.   We had a beauty Muscovy hatch out 6 ducklings about 1 month ago.  I was actually very surprised, I would have thought that they would brood during the later part of fall, but they did and the babies are enormous!!!  Man do they grow fast.  I have heard the muscovy is a great meat bird cause they are so DARN BIG AND ALMOST NO FAT.  I did eat some last summer, and they really were good.  I had tried to cook a duck about 20 years ago and there was so much fat that I could not eat it and threw the whole thing out.  The dogs would not even eat this hideous fatty meat.  It was awful, that is all I can remember, so when my sister wanted me to try the Muscovy meat, I was so reluctant, but I am so glad that she convinced me to give it a try, much like the dark meat on a turkey.
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service