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Post by aoconnor on Nov 5, 2019 18:38:23 GMT
My daughter has gotten into chicken and duck raising. She would like to see some pics of non-eating turkeys that you guys raise!! She wants to keep one or two for fun:-)
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Post by horseyrider on Nov 13, 2019 14:49:16 GMT
I don't have any pics, but I've had Royal Palms and Bourbon Reds. I loved the sweet temperament of the Bourbon Reds. I had a tom that I could carry around like a 40# baby. But not during breeding season. IMO, turkeys don't really make great pets. They have a tremendous drive to find mates and breed, and they get very lonely without their own kind. Yes, they'll substitute some chickens, ducks, or even a cat; but if a real turkey comes along, they're with them. Including wild turkeys. They don't seem to have a good idea of when to successfully raise young. The females will call and wander and look for males if none are present. Males will get to where they try and jump your leg, even if hens are around and willing to breed. They'll raise a spring clutch too early to survive, then raise a summer clutch, and then decide that October is a perfectly fine time to lay. They'll lay for about 30 days, then set for 28, and then try to raise the first ones that hatch and smash the rest of the babies as they emerge from pure clumsiness. 18-24 eggs is common; nowhere near that number tend to survive to maturity. Turkeys are suspicious of new things, and they're sensitive critters. They're not stupid, and they don't look up during rainstorms and drown. They can indeed get so panicked that they'll pile up in a corner and smother the ones underneath. I couldn't eat all the meat they produced, and I got so tired of coping with the constant upheaval with breeding behaviors. If they could be neutered and just hang out, they'd be terrific pets. But I've never heard of caponizing jakes; and even if they were, the hens would go looking for breeding partners. I've seen them fly over seven foot fences. Toms can be wonderful, or they can be horrid. Ever been chased by a rooster? Imagine being chased by a rooster with ten times the weight and power. I have a friend that tried to fend one off with a rigid plastic stacking chair, and when he was done swatting it, she was left with pieces of chair in her hands. In my experience, trying to keep turkeys just for fun, well, wasn't. YMMV.
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Post by Cabin Fever on Nov 13, 2019 15:17:16 GMT
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Post by mamahen on Jan 2, 2020 19:17:02 GMT
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Post by Mari-in-IN on Jan 2, 2020 19:23:16 GMT
Tooooo cute mamahen! Thanks so much for sharing - I really did get a kick out of your pics! ~Mari
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