[JaK]

  They are so cute. I would love to have the room to raise a few here.

[GrannieAnnie]

Such a shame you are having so much trouble Aggi, wish you could find somewhere nicer.

But I'm going off topic here. lovely turkey babies ANHBUC!

[ANHBUC]

Turkey chicks are my favourite of all poultry chicks......they are so friendly! Will miss not having any this year

So sorry to hear your housing troubles.  You can be their Aunty Aggy as I might will need advice on rearing from time to time.   

[agapanthus]

Turkey chicks are my favourite of all poultry chicks......they are so friendly! Will miss not having any this year

So sorry to hear your housing troubles.  You can be their Aunty Aggy as I might will need advice on rearing from time to time.   

Aww...thank you!!! 

[GrannieAnnie]

If Aggy is going to be Aunty Aggy to your turkey poults, she will need regular photo's so she can see how they are getting on!!  

Also, if any of yours are boys, look out for them 'displaying'  The ones Brian has here were hatched Monday morning, and they are already walking round 'displaying'  they look so cute when they do it while they are tiny! 

[ANHBUC]

Thanks for that info GA I have never had turkey chicks so can only imagine what the display will look like!   

Any ideas on the breed of the little yellow one?  I am still waiting to hear from the breeder who must be on holiday.  I have managed to rehome 2 of the bronze to a good home as a teaching aid for a disabled 8 year old boy.     We are keeping the other bronze and yellow but don't know what it will turn out to be.  Hubby thought it was a duckling due to its colour until I pointed out its beak shape.      I think he tought I was trying to sneak in another breed without him knowing (didn't tell him about the turkey eggs).   

Will definately keep Aunty Aggy updated with photos.   

[GrannieAnnie]

It's probably a white one if its a meat turkey.  The ones we buy from Kelly's turkeys are called white plumpies, but this year Brian got just Kelly Bronze turkeys.

There are more decorative ones that they say you can eat like the Crollwitzers, which are white with black markings, but they are skinny things.

One of our white ones from the other year and a photo of 2 crollwitzers that we were asked to cull for someone.

[ANHBUC]

That's what I thought but not sure if the breeder has any white ones.  They were meant to be Norfolk Black and it was the only fertile egg out of 3.  Possibly a bit late in the year for fertility!  I wonder if you can get an albino Norfolk Black!   

[GrannieAnnie]

Kelly's hatch between May and late September I think, so should still have been fertile.  Bit strange about the colouring then, unless like you said, perhaps its an albino??? lol

Just looked and Kelly's day olds are available until 17th September.

[ANHBUC]

I did ring Kelly's as I had read your recommendations but they said they had no eggs available.

Do you expect yours that have hatched this week to be ready for Christmas?

[GrannieAnnie]

Well they are 2 weeks behind the others we got, but they all (30) had leg problems (splayed legs)

Couldn't think it was anything we had done as they were very quiet and lethargic when we bought them home.  Took 6 of them back to Kelly's on Monday and they gave us another 30 plus 10 extra because of our petrol costs.

They were brilliant about it, and called on Tuesday to say it looks like there was a problem in that particular hatching tray.  Kelly's know that we are experienced poultry keepers and I know what I'm talking about, and they know I wouldn't pull the wool over their eyes.

Anyway, I digress.  The bronzes we have now, should, with luck, reach oven ready weights of 6.6 kgs for the hens and 9kgs for the stags.  Fingers crossed all goes well.  But Brian isn't selling all these.  Apart from a few people he doesn't want to let down, these ones are for us and our families freezers.

[ANHBUC]

   Did you manage to sort the splayed legs out?  I found just doing the one yellow chick difficult, but it was the first time.  I can't imagine having to do 30.   

That is good news about the turkey weights.  I have been reading up on Turkeys and was put off a bit by them saying that the meat would not be mature enough.  Would hate to do all the prep and then end up with the meat not being right.

[GrannieAnnie]

Well if you think that Kelly's are selling day olds up until the middle of September, but it sounds like all their poults are spoken for, they will still be ready for Christmas.

When we lived in Essex, Brian used to keep 3 different ages.  He used to get growers then at 5 weeks. Beginning of August, beginning of September and beginning of October.

That way it was easier for him to sell turkeys as small, medium and large.

Most of the older poults I had to cull as they were really bad.  I tried hobbling them with the plasters as you have done, but as they are quite tall, they kept falling over and Brian would go in the shed in the morning to find a couple laying on their backs.  They could have been there all night like that.

And turkeys are, to quote from an article in the Country Smallholder magazine "A suicide waiting to happen"!  If these older ones done't get stronger soon, they will have to go too.

I know it sounds hard, but even healthy turkeys can get killed by their mates.  We had one once while we were out shopping who got its head stuck through the electric netting.  It wasn't electrified.  The others killed it when they saw it struggling.

[ANHBUC]

   That is so sad.

I have been lucky with 3 healthy chicks and one bandy one then.  Will see what it is like when I take the plaster off on Monday but it seem ok at the moment.  Hope it survives as I would love it to grow up to see what breed it is.  If it is a white would it be a heavier breed than the bronze?  Might have to get a bigger oven.   

Our eldest daughter came to see the chicks today and said she didn't want to see them any more.  I said when they grow up and are ugly she won't mind the thought of eating them.   

Other daughter is in the Artic at the moment so have had to send her photos.  Have just read eldest daughter message to her sister on Facebook "Mum has turkey chicks and is gona eat them!!!"
Her sisters reply "Too right, chomp!!"  well she is dating a Chef!   

Sisters but chalk and cheese.   

[agapanthus]

Thanks for that info GA I have never had turkey chicks so can only imagine what the display will look like!   

Any ideas on the breed of the little yellow one?  I am still waiting to hear from the breeder who must be on holiday.  I have managed to rehome 2 of the bronze to a good home as a teaching aid for a disabled 8 year old boy.     We are keeping the other bronze and yellow but don't know what it will turn out to be.  Hubby thought it was a duckling due to its colour until I pointed out its beak shape.      I think he tought I was trying to sneak in another breed without him knowing (didn't tell him about the turkey eggs).   

Will definately keep Aunty Aggy updated with photos.