[Chookster]

Evening all

I really want to start keeping turkeys.  What do they need re housing / space / food / protection / health / space etc?

All advice / help / experience very welcome.XXX

[joyfull]

Are you going to be keeping them on their own or with chickens? Are they for food or as pets or showing? How many are you thinking of and also boys or girls?

[Chookster]

someone said I should keep them away from chickens due to different diseases carried on the birds that could harm each other?

I would like 30 at the right ratio of boys to girls - can you have more than one stag in that number?  And they would be Christmas meat birds ranging on a grass field but with a large effort to keep them in and Mr F out.  I've heard they can roost on the top of sheds?? How high can they fly exactly?? They don't look like they can do any more than jump the way they amble around so full of stance and steadiness - bless em!

[joyfull]

OK for meat turkeys I would talk to Grannie Annie as she does this for Christmas and very nice they are too (already got my order in for this years bird). Don't get them yet though as they will be too old. How are you going to kill, pluck and gut them? Annie and Brian have an expensive stunner and after helping pluck last year I would say that now they have a dry plucking machine this year will be very much easier (but again this cost a lot of money  ). Then you have to have somewhere cool to hang them before gutting etc plus a method of disposing of the waste.

Yes they can fly - Dizzie Lizzie's Wallace used to fly up high so she will tell you how high.

Turkeys can get blackhead off chickens so as you are having more than a couple then no don't run them together. I think Lizzie has to worm every 4 - 6 weeks to stop this and is scrupulously clean over droppings.

I have never kept turkeys so can't help you any more than that I'm afraid, but I do have nice little chats over the phone with Wallace and also through the fence with a turkey at one of our local garden centres   

[Chookster]

oh that's all very helpful thanks Joyfull, I shall track down the others 

The farmer i rent from is used to dealing with cows and sheep so he might even know someone local who deals with slaughter even... hmmmm.....

The other thing, I have two children (one's sort of turkey height) - would the turkey see something the same height as it a threat at all??

[joyfull]

wouldn't have thought so.
You will also need to order them well in advance (if you are getting eggs or day olds). Then you will need a big brooder shed plus heat lamps and loads of turkey chick crumb, rearer/grower and finisher. Annie buys it by the 1 ton pallet load 

Annie has also found that people around here don't always like to pay for a fresh turkey as they can go to T*sc*s, Asd* etc and get them for less than half price - but no way do they compare in taste, plus you know what they have been fed on and how they have been raised. I don't really like turkey - or rather I didn't but now thanks to Annie and Brian both me and Jim love it  In Jims words "she raises a good turkey" 

[poppies]

Hi, joy seems to have covered everything, the only thing I will add is your children I had a beautiful trio of bronze turkeys the stagg was as soft as anything untill breeding time and then he was a nightmare, he would jump at me and could easily knock a small child down, even oh was wary of him  -had to eat him in the end.

[GrannieAnnie]

Hi All, well I've just sent Chookster a PM, but as to your bit Poppies about turkeysin the mating season, at least Chooky's turkeys won't get that old, so that's one problem averted! lol

Also I forgot to mention, I do trim their beaks, because they can peck each other to death if they get the taste for it.  because I am wary, I probably don't trim them back enough as they tend to re-grow, but if they have a nice big field to run around in, (and yes they can still run and fly!)  they will probably be okay!

[dizzylizzie]

Hi, i have a beautiful tukey called Wallace. I know you want to keep them for meat, but they do make the most fantastic pets. She has a bit of an attachment disorder and follows us around peeping and displaying. You cant get any jobs done unless you give her a cuddle and ruffle her feathers because she just stands in front of you peeping Chickens carry the black head disease, and it is usually fatal to turkeys . Because of this i worm with fubenvet very regulary and make sure i poop pick where i can. I also use stalosanF on the ground.(a disifectant) They can also fly very high!!!!! do not underestimate how high they can fly!!!! Wallace regulary sits on top of 61/2 foot wooden arch, and she sometimes flies up to next doors holly tree and nothing will bring her down. You do have to be careful o their wings as they are very powerfull and could easily bruise your face, ive had 2 black eyes to prove it, and for some very strange reason people dont believe me when i say 'the turkey did it!'

[themagicaltoad1]

 I do have nice little chats over the phone with Wallace and also through the fence with a turkey at one of our local garden centres   


[/quote]
I can't get this image of Joyful chatting on the phone to a turkey out of my head 

[joyfull]

you should see me talking to the big turkey stag at the garden centre - people seem to give me a wide berth for some reason - including my other half 

[themagicaltoad1]

you should see me talking to the big turkey stag at the garden centre - people seem to give me a wide berth for some reason - including my other half 

Can't for the life of me think why 
Turkey's are great though, I love the "gobble, gobble" sound they make, I keep suggesting getting one (as a pet) to my oh but she won't let me

[joyfull]

they are great and if you make the gobble noise to them they always reply  .