I still can't make up my mind about a breed of turkey. Probably because I have no experience with them of any kind. Here's what I'm looking for in a turkey breed in order of importance....

1. Has to be gentle and good with the children 2. Has to provide the family with meat 3. Must be able to breed without help 4. Would prefer a breed that will set on its eggs although I could always have my silkies hatch out the eggs 5. Would prefer a rare breed

So far I've considered Narragansett turkeys sound like a good possibility. I've also considered Royal Palm but they are on the small side and I read they are kind of nervous, might also consider Blue Slate.

Anyone have any experience/insight to any of the above or about other breeds of turkeys. I need to decide soon so I can place my order. I was told I need to order now for April, May, June delivery. Thanks.

-- anita in NC (anitaholton@mindspring.com), January 22, 2002

Answers

anita, you should post this also on The Poultry Connection. Lots of poultry specialist there who can give you some good tips. Good luck with this, Since I am a duck person and think turkeys are just sheep with feathers I am no help in that direction. Now, you sheep lovers don't get all over me, they have a place in the world too, I know that. Besides, there are lambs everywhere around here now and they sure are cute! Good luck with this anita, LQ

-- Little Quacker (carouselxing@juno.com), January 22, 2002.

Oh little quacker you are in trouble with me!!! As a "sheep person" I would have taken your comments to mean turkeys are absolutely wonderful, except after raising them for 3 years I don't feel that way. Please share about your turkey raising experiences as I'm limited to basic bronze and white turkeys.

Kim

-- kim (fleece@eritter.net), January 22, 2002.

Oh Kim! LOL. I knew I was gonna get it with that one! LOL Only 'Palms have I had. Found turkeys in general to be just to dumb to stand. I know, I know, let me say this at Thanksgiving, where would we be without the turkey? I content myself now with watching and enjoying the wild turkeys all around us here. What a trip they are! I now raise ducks, like them much better. As for the sheep, what fun in the spring when the lambs come! LQ

-- Little Quacker (carouselxing@juno.com), January 22, 2002.

I had a pair of turkeys that I loved. I don't know the breed and have not been able to find them on any web sites. They were very large birds with deep copper feathers tipped with white. Neither were mean, in fact the female was quite a pet. Her name was Stella and the coyotes got her.

She was very good about hatching her eggs, but couldn't keep the chicks out of water and all but one drowned. Coyotes got the tom a few months later. We still have one tom that is their offspring.

I bought the pair at a poultry auction, so don't know where they originated. I hope to find more like them someday.

-- Mona in OK (modoc@ipa.net), January 22, 2002.

I only have experience with bronze and with white broadbreasted turkeys, although I do love the ones I have had. I have a pet white turkey now. His name is Earl and he is very good with kids and everyone else. He loves my goats and prefers to be in the pen with them. I had a female companion for him and she was very mean. He is the first male I have had, all the others I have ever raised turned out to be females. I prefer the males...personality wise, but maybe Earl is the exception. I am sure hoping someone has experience with the rare breeds...that would be interesting!

-- Jenny (auntjenny6@aol.com), January 23, 2002.

If turkeys are sheep with feathers then Icelandic sheep are ducks with wool.

-- Cal (calvin@dwave.net), January 23, 2002.

Anita,

I've been bought some Bourbon Reds (see one at http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/Turkeys/BRKBourbonRed.html) this past year from a fellow out in Oregon (Shanks Hatchery http://home.1stpage.com/1stlook/pages/standard.cfm/shanks). They were absolutely wonderful! I had very much the same requirements as you, except the "gentle with the kids" part, my children are grown. But from a hardy, self-breeding, meaty stand point, they are perfect, for me. Compared to some of the more local breeders to my area (Maryland) these birds turned out bigger and meatier. I raised the poults (babies) in a wire bottomed cage, til about 12 weeks, then butchered out the future dinners. I then turned my "breeders" out on the ground, and (knocking very hard on wood) have not lost a single bird to disease (did lose one to a broken leg at about 8 weeks out - she was delicious). You might try looking into this breed. They are considered a rare breed, but aren't as hard to find as some of the others. The few breeder pairs I sold this year in Richmond brought $85 a pair, and I sold all 5 pairs pretty easily. If you have any questions, just ask them here.

-- TonyG (tony_granados@hotmail.com), January 23, 2002.

Man, sometimes I even mumble when I type - "I've been brought .... " Should be "I bought"

sorry

-- TonyG (dah@ds.com), January 23, 2002.

Find the Rare Heritage Turkey web site. I have Bourbon Reds, Slates and Buffs. Also some crossbreds. We sold them for thanksgiving. $3.50/# THey tasted great, roost, eat bugs and graze, breed naturally... Bourbons and buffs are better if you do not want the black pigmentation when you butcher. I'd say, find what colour you like and go with that breed. Any will suit your needs. Shannon.

-- Shannon Rice (heamour@berkshire.net), January 23, 2002.

Bourbon Reds should meet all your needs. Mine are very good setters and mothers, and the toms have been sweet natured. Jo Ann

-- Jo Ann Weaver (hillfarm3@peoplepc.com), January 24, 2002.

I too would love to have several turkeys. My husband and I were surfing the hatcheries and found a disturbing note in one. They stated that you should not have turkeys on land that has had chickens. The land has to be chicken-free for at least 3 years. This hatchery was in the business of selling turkeys and I think it would be strange that they would say such a discouraging thing.????

Diana

-- Diana (dvance4@juno.com), January 24, 2002.

Diana, The reason your not supposed to raise turkeys on ground previously inhabited by chickens is because of a disease called "blackhead". The disease affects both chickens and turkeys, but in chickens the symptoms are that of a very mild cold. The chickens can handle it fairly well. BUT the turkeys, on the other hand, DIE rapidly, and once they get the disease its almost a granted that they die, no treatment works very well. The disease passes throught the chickens in a sort of egg (occocist) that lays dormant in the ground for very long periods. The birds then pick up the occocist and the cycle starts over again.

-- TonyG (tony_granados@hotmail.com), January 24, 2002.