Starting over with turkeys

[Deberosa]

Well, a setback here this past week. I lost both of my nice Tom turkeys. THey were red bourbons. I think they got black head - symptoms match up and they were mixed in with the dark cornish for the last couple of months. THey've always been with chickens but this soggy muddy cold weather I am sure had something to do with it.

Still have three hens but that's not much good!

Amazing the McMurray's catalog arrived today. Hmmm. Looking at naragansette next because it says they are good mothers. Also considering royal palms which I know Bee-Pipes has. The red bourbons were not much good at raising chicks that was for sure - great at hatching but lousy mothers.

So probably put these hens in the freezer and start over!

Any suggestions on breeds?

[gardenfay]

Hi Deberosa:
I'm sorry about your turkeys. I don't know what breed of turkeys are best.
But my Dad had his little banty hens hatch out everything because they were so dedicated mothers/setters. I think one time he finally put a goose egg or two under one and she couldn't turn it/them.
But I know they hatched out and raised larger domestic duck eggs like muscovy eggs and guinea eggs many times. Now these were mixed breed banty and they were not as small as some banty breeds ive seen at fairs; but they were still little.
Even the "good" guinea and duck mothers never had the success rate of those banty hens; so that is just a thought for your turkey raising.
Oh, he also bought an expensive redwood incubator and we never hatched a chick out of it that lived. That's when he turned to the banties for everything that he wanted hatched.

[lsg]

I wish that you lived close to me. I want to try the Midget Whites; but don't need fifteen, which is the minimum order. They sound like a more realistic size for my family than the bigger turkeys. Their size should also aid in natural breeding. Some of those big toms are just too big for the hens and claw their back up and break down the hens.

[pcrowder]

I just got an email from Ideal, and they have their broadbreasted whites on sale right now! We have the broadbreasted bronzes (make great pets, not much else - too big!), and we have bourbons, and they are REALLY cold hardy - they sleep outside when it is almost zero with no ill effects.

[Deberosa]

Well, if I put the three hens in the freezer this weekend that will be enough for next Thanksgiving and such the coming year. Maybe I just need to wait a year to get more - let the ground clear out and grow some ground cover like clover there for this year. Then get a larger batch the following year - some for fall butchering and the rest to overwinter and breed the following year.