Chickens, and things related

[tony123]

Mine are about 2 weeks old Shawn, so we're at a similar stage. I also want to start giving them other things to eat but had the same questions.

I was told to start introducing grit to them after about day 3. I took a handful of sandy pebble stuff from my gravel drive and they pounced on it! That was easy.

I've also been giving them handfuls of pulled grass that they seem to go nuts over as well. Yesterday I let them roam the yard for about 15 minutes for the first time. A few of them found an ant and ate it quickly. So....I'm going to assume from their behavior that I can start doing things like worms and other bugs. If they were being raised by momma they would have exposure to all that stuff, right.

 

[EddieWalker]

bmac,

Your plan for your coop sounds well thought out, and I don't see any obvious flaws to it. When you decide to build, take pics and post them. If you've forgotton something, or have a question, we can offer suggestions. As a coop, it's pretty hard to mess it up too badly. LOL

Toro,

The birds look good. I'm impressed at how quickly you are progressing with this. How does the wife feel about them? Have the neighbors said anything?


Awhile ago I posted that I was buying a book on Turkeys. I found a cheaper price on the book from the author directly then the catalog that I had, so I ordered it from him. He was very quick and it was well packaged. Unfortunately, the book was more about raising quail, with only a general reference to turkeys. It didn't give me any clue on brooders, which was a big disapointment. It's not a book that I'd recomend to others.

Eddie

 

[Tororider]

If they are getting any time outside they are probably picking up grit on their own. If they are staying in the brooder, like mine, you need to give them some grit before treats. I have so far tried some bananas, lettuce, and the worms, with good results.

I will tell you that on the backyard chicken forum they all warn against "overtreating". Apparently if you give them too many treats their protein levels can get off and they won't develope as fast, etc. But where is the fun in that?

 

[Tororider]

bmac,

Toro,

The birds look good. I'm impressed at how quickly you are progressing with this. How does the wife feel about them? Have the neighbors said anything?


Awhile ago I posted that I was buying a book on Turkeys. I found a cheaper price on the book from the author directly then the catalog that I had, so I ordered it from him. He was very quick and it was well packaged. Unfortunately, the book was more about raising quail, with only a general reference to turkeys. It didn't give me any clue on brooders, which was a big disapointment. It's not a book that I'd recomend to others.

Eddie

Eddie,
I have been trying to sponge up as much info as I can from anywhere I can. Birds are doing great. Wife still wants nothing to do with them, which is fine, and the neighbors haven't said anything. Although that, I am sure, is because they have no clue they are there yet. I am thinking about fencing in my backyard with the inexpensive fence sections from Home Depot. I figure that is going to be cheaper and quicker than planting arbovitae.

Bummer about the book, have you been able to find any resources online? I almost did the same thing with a book on chicken coops. Fortunately I was able to find a copy at a bookstore and realized it was just sketches, not actual plans. From my limited understanding a turkey brooder is pretty much the same as a chicken one, but not sure. Good luck.

 

[Tororider]

Eddie,
Did a little looking on backyard chickens, they suggest Storey's Guide to Turkeys as a good book for raising turkeys. I can't remember if that is the same one you were looking at, but I had good luck with their guide to Chickens.

 

[EddieWalker]

I was going to order the Story's guide and did a search on it. Amazon has it with some reviews that I found disapointing. Basically, they said it was rather vague without any real details on breeding, raising and feeding them.

Strombergs has allot of interesting stuff in their catalog, so I sort of went down the list of books they have on turkeys. The most expensive one was $82 plus shipping. It's called "The Wild Turkey: Biology and Managment" and it also has the best reviews. I bought it on ebay for $46 plus $6 shipping, but haven't received it yet.

I've started clearing for my fence, but the rains are making it dificult. I want to have the fence at least started before buying the turkeys.

Eddie

 

[dooleysm]

From the few people I've talked to about turkeys, including the guy from craigslist that I bought my chicks from, they are a challenge to raise. What I hear over and over again is that turkeys spend their whole lives looking for ways to kill themselves. That is the extent of my knowledge about turkeys. That said, I'll probably try raising some next year for Thanksgiving.

My chicks haven't spent any time outside. I'm still in a walking boot for 3 more weeks, so there's no way I can catch them. Maybe I'll grab a handfull of sand from my son's sandbox this evening and throw it in the brooder for the chickens. Then I'll see if I can round up some sort of treat for them.

My 2 year old loves it when we get one of the ducks out in the barn. He chases it all over, occassionally catching it and carrying it around for a while before letting it go and starting over.

Another note about the ducks. My 25 chickens have made less of a mess in the brooder than the 5 ducks did. Those ducks just go nuts with the water, flinging it all around and tracking it everywhere.

 

[4720 OWNER]

Fencing the back yard for chickens. Not sure about yours but mine can make it to the top of the outdoor run (covered ) and that is 8' up easily!

Interesting about turkeys, 1 of the future projects. The domestic turkeys i guess have been dumbed down so much that they will drown watching rain clouds go by overhead! But the wilder ones do better but are pricey to buy as chicks. Seems that most who sell turkeys find they sell out very fast. Would like to see that one that is advertised to go to 45lb. What an oven that must be!

 

[bmac]

I'm having a little hiccup in my wild turkey (bird, not beverage) plans. Seems the minimum order is 15 birds. I only want 5 or 6. So, unless I can find somewhere that has a low or no minimum, we might have to rethink the turkeys. Dang!

 

[4720 OWNER]

Try the local feed store, maybe a couple others feel the same way?