Backyard Poultry Forum

Hi Everyone

Here are some photos of my Turkeys. My birds are in moult right now so they look terrible, i will try and get some better pictures of my birds when they are out of moult.
Please leave feedback and comments of my birds and add some photos of your own.
Enjoy

They look very nice. Mind you I have no idea about turkeys. Just that they are beautiful birds expecially the toms.

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Rebecca

Backyard flock of Pekins ruling the roost
Eureka Park Brahman/Brangus
Dundalee Brahman/Welsh Mountain Ponies

hi Salmon Faverolles
nice photos of your turkeys; how much would a full sized boy weigh ish?
for example the puffed up fella in the bottom picture - he looks massive in that pose.

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whomever lives longest wins

Hi Grabby

I cannot remember how much he did weigh but it was a lot. I hate having to move him from an orchard and into a breeding pen he is too heavy.

Your Turkeys look very nice. I have always liked the reds. Are you keen on a certain colour, or wanting to improve them in any way?

Rollyard I am very interested in getting the Bourbon Reds much more darker and true to the original birds. I am very interested in breeding turkeys. I think that I have done well with the birds I have bred but it can be hard.

The two breeds I currently breed Narragansetts and Bourbon Red Turkeys

My toms are MASSIVE and I have had problems with natural insemination and I have had hens get wings torn off or get torn to shreds. I highly recommend A.I with Turkeys.

You should get a couple of Bourbon Reds one day Rollyard.
Also Rollyard did you get my pm?

Rhys, have you tried using the canvas saddles on your hens ?, it really does save them from getting shredded by the toms in breeding season.
I deliberately select lighter toms for breeding in our bronzes and slates to help prevent it happening so often.
The A.I. is good, but you need the time to do it which i cant seem to find lately.

Hi Doug

I have begun to use the saddles but if you look at the Narragansett Tom, he is huge and has a reputation of crushing the hen and he once managed to tear a hole in the saddle.

You should upload some photos of your Turkeys, it would be great to see them.

I try to only use young gobblers for mating and try to free range them in a pen where I can limit their intake. That way they are lighter and more agile.

I normally do the same as you Andrewschooks. Use young gobblers and free range them but the Narragansett tom above is too good a bird to cull. I now A.I with him and separate him during the breeding season.

What colours do you breed Andrewschooks?

Hi SF,

How did you learn to AI turkeys? I imagine that's a very specialized skill although I confess to complete ignorance about the topic.

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Lucy C and The Blue Mountains Menagerie
1 God, 1 husband, 2 Teens, 2 Dogs, 7 Sussex, 3 Wyandottes, 11 Silkies, 1 Barnevelder, 3 Budgies & 3 Goats

Lucy i learned how to A.I from my dad who worked in a large turkey hatchery for 17 years. There are some good books that have step by step instructions and i am sure there are good websites out there.

A.I is an interesting thing to know how to do, especially when you have the giant Narragansett tom i have pictured above resting on your knee.

Wow. That's very interesting. I'd never thought of anyone needing to know how to do that. Thanks.

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Lucy C and The Blue Mountains Menagerie
1 God, 1 husband, 2 Teens, 2 Dogs, 7 Sussex, 3 Wyandottes, 11 Silkies, 1 Barnevelder, 3 Budgies & 3 Goats

It is handy to know how to do it.

Also are there many other Turkey breeders on here? So far i know of Andrewschooks and Fowlslave.

Love the setup, Plasson waterers, nice fences, and most importantly, green grass! haven't seen that stuff for ages.

Nice birds too, I'm not much into Bourbon Red myself but I like your Narragansett's.

I keep Narragansett, Bronze, White, Royal Palm, Black and Slate. Currently have a bunch of turkeys laying out of season which is a bit of a hassle because most of them have been free ranging together so its all xbred stuff, but about 30 eggs in the incubator and another god knows how many hidden around the property.

No probs with big toms here because mine are mostly small, only injury I've had is a small flap hanging off on a birds thigh, ripping whole wings off sounds terrible.

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-Tony
Oriental Gamefowl, Turkeys and Ducks