Turkeys?

[baymule]

https://mickeyandannsfarmette.com

@baymule here's a place about 15 miles from me....in nowhere land! ....and they do a lot of farm sales. Started little, got bigger. If you look at section where you select inventory available you get prices. So, a lot of work but $15 for a lb of shelled limas is beyond my allowance. they do quite well! Anyway, check out the food from nowhere get. I can grow a lot of squash for that. Heck I'd be able to retire to do it. What we will pay and what we can sell for is way different.

Notice they added turkey about 6 yr ago.

Thanks for the link, I enjoyed their site and sent them an email admiring their farm.

 

[baymule]

You're gonna need another dog! One of those herding type of critters!

I know where to get a puppy........

 

[Mini Horses]

It's official -- he's been transformed into an " enabler". !!!!

I feel they will only need some shaking feeder training. Also have found a skinny, stiff piece of pvc, about 8' in my hand can be held out and when used to side of the chickens helps herd from behind or when approaching --- if not food motivated. It's less expensive.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

It's less expensive.

But not nearly as cute as a new puppy, lol!

I wondered about the food can following too...

 

[Finnie]

The Tom's are way less vocal. The sound of them displaying like a BUMP and their wing feathers dragging the ground. Then of course the Gobble Gobble Gobble for any new loud noise.

I agree. That’s about all toms ever do. They are so busy strutting around saying “Look at me. Aren’t I SO beautiful” that they don’t notice any predators in the sky. They don’t even notice the girls alerting to the predators. They are soooo self absorbed!

Finnie, what kind of turkeys did you have?

I had lots of kinds! Narragansett, Red Bronze, Royal Palm, Lavender Palm, Bourbon Red, Sweetgrass, and of course lots of mixes. I also had one Broad Breasted Bronze once. My absolute favorite is Sweetgrass, which are very scarce, at least around here. You can make them if you get the right birds and work on it enough. If I ever see any Sweetgrass for sale, I will be jumping back into turkeys, ready or not!

Give me a minute and I will find a link to Sweetgrass photos from a BYC member on our Turkey Talk thread.

What about acorns? We have lots of oak trees. This year there hasn't been much in the way of acorns, but most years, there is plenty.

Personally, my oak tree is only 15 years old, and I have not seen any acorns from it yet. But there was a beloved member of our turkey thread, Memphis, who died recently, who had spoiled city turkeys. She would always step on acorns to crush them for her girls. I don’t know if turkeys can crush acorns themselves, but apparently they love them.

, do they drive or will they follow? I

Like @Mini Horses said, you can use long pvc pipes or any long sticks, as extensions of your arms to direct turkeys. They herd pretty well, but they do have a sense of humor, and sometimes they will not do what they know you want them to. They will probably come to a shaker can of feed, but out of sheer nosiness, they will probably come to you any time, any where. Free range turkeys are kind of a pain in the butt, because they are so nosey! They will circle your house and leave poop under all your windows and on all your door mats. They will jump on and poop on all your vehicles and all your buildings. They have to supervise everything, and you will have to be careful not to chop their nosey beaks when they get to close to whatever you are working on. And watch your tools and small shiny things, cuz they will inspect those and try to take them. Did I mention they are nosey? I don’t think I’ve used that word as many times as is warranted.

Boy I’m really missing my turkeys! And yet, along about September, it occurred to me that without them, this has been the easiest summer of raising chickens that I’ve ever had! I’m sure that penned up properly they would be no problem. But they love being free so much!

 

[Finnie]

But not nearly as cute as a new puppy, lol!

Well now, that is in the eye of the beholder!

 

[Finnie]

Well R2elk obligingly posted a video if his Sweetgrass turkeys yesterday, so it was easy to find. It’s down this page a little ways

A century of Turkey talk 2000-2100.

I hope everyone got out there and voted today!!

www.backyardchickens.com

This page has some still photos https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-century-of-turkey-talk-2000-2100.966414/page-3224
If anyone is interested in turkeys, you should join us over there. We’d love to have you!

 

[Mini Horses]

@Finnie I've seen several Sweetgrass offered here and had not heard of them. What's special there?

 

[Finnie]

@Finnie I've seen several Sweetgrass offered here and had not heard of them. What's special there?

It’s just a pretty color variant. It appeals to some people. Probably not everyone, though, or there would be more of them.

Some are more whiter and some are more colorful. Here is an old photo of a tom that was sold to me as a “Phoenix”, but the Facebook group said he was a red factored pencilled Sweetgrass. I got lots of beautiful colored offspring out of him.

Sorry it’s sideways. My phone is doing that to my photos randomly lately, on all websites, and I don’t know how to get them upright.

 

[CrealCritter]

If I want to move turkeys from one pasture to another and then back home for the night, do they drive or will they follow? It would be nice to put them in the garden in the fall so they could eat the danged grasshoppers. I have a small coop in the garden (want to tear it down) and have chickens in it now. They and the sheep have really enjoyed themselves on my weeds, seeds, grasshoppers and other bugs.

What about acorns? We have lots of oak trees. This year there hasn't been much in the way of acorns, but most years, there is plenty.

I kind of doubt they will eat acorns. You potentially could herd them. Mine will move away from me as I approach them so you might be able to get behind them and get them going in the right direction. I can't say for sure though, I never tried.