Help me with turkey prices!

[Quail_Antwerp]

There ya go Free! LOL

I plan on letting my RP tom cross with my N hen.

The N Hen I have free ranged the entire first 2 years of her life. She still forages around my yard here, but I also have full feeders out there. She eats a little bit of the feed, and then free ranges, but I don't see her eating a lot of feed.

 

[freemotion]

OK, I am getting the two young (less than a year old) BR pair and the two 5-month-old hens, all for $70 and a little driving.

So, you turkey people......can I toss them all in together, or should I divide the pen for a while? It will be about 4' x 12' and indoors until spring, 1.5-2 months.

Three nest boxes? Can Tom handle three hens?

What do you like for nest boxes, and size? Like chicken nests but bigger? How far apart, or side-by-side condos?

 

[TanksHill]

Hey free just read through your post. I am contemplating picking up some bourbon reds this week. I guess my goal should be same as yours, two hens and a tom?? Maybe start a little family. Have you bought your birds yet? Hows it going???

 

[freemotion]

Ha-ha-ha! So funny you should resurrect this one. I bought the Bourbon Red pair, coming up on a year old. I also bought the two $10 Narragansett "hens."

I just discovered....I had my suspicions, but they were confirmed.....that my two young hens are actually toms. So I have to find someone to quickly dispatch them for me, three toms to one hen is just too cruel!!!

So I will be down to just the pair, which is really putting all my eggs in one basket, so to speak. So here's hopin'!! I'd like to add another hen or two. So I may post on craigslist again.

Meanwhile, the one hen is laying eggs but not nesting yet. She seems to lay the egg where-ever she happens to be. It could be that the toms keep her moving too much. Only the BR is sexually mature, at least. But there is some chest-bumping going on a little now, so I gotta take care of this situation sooner rather than later.

I read on byc that turkeys will lay 20-30 eggs before they go broody, so I am counting the eggs, 8 so far. I will start leaving them in after the toms are gone and she can have a peaceful nest.

I figure for $10 each for the youngsters, I still got a great deal, even if they are toms! I am a bit disappointed, though.