Another turkey sexing question

[chickensioux]

After searching the web all day long and calling numberous hatcheries, why don't more hatcheries sex all their poults? A couple sexed the BBB's but not any other breed. Is it too expensive to offer it on any or all poultry? If sexing the BBB's, why not others? Just curious.....but thank Goodness for the Lazy 54 Hatchery.

 

[MandyH]

I can tell you from experience that turkeys are hard to sex. Sometimes I'm confused until they gobble LOL!!!! I am only familiar with blue slates though.

 

[chickensioux]

Hey Kristen, I am getting blue slate babies next month, do they make good pets? Do ya know?

 

[MandyH]

That's what I raise and they are precious birds. They are easy going and don't get in a hurry about anything!!! They don't get big real fast so if you're going to eat them you will have smaller dressed birds, but pet wise I love mine.

 

[chickensioux]

No eating, just want to love them and watch them. Thanks

 

[sandspoultry]

Quote:
The reason most hatcheries don't sex poults is one, they don't actually raise their own poults, they are drop shipped from hatcheries in Texas and New Mexico. Two, turkeys are expensive to raise.

I think there was a video on u tube or one of those sites as to what happens to all the chick roosters that hatch and people don't order, it's not pretty.

Poults are not that hard to sex if you know what to look for and have somebody to show you. I was lucky enough to have an "old time" turkey farmer to show me.

Steve in NC

 

[moduckman]

Only a guess, but I put myself in the shoes of the hatchery. First, turkeys do not lay year-a-round (for the most part) like chickens. Next, one tom can service many hens. Hens will (or should always) be higher in cost than a tom. If I were running a hatchery, I would want to sell the turkeys as is and prevent myself from having too many of one sex.

 

[chickensioux]

Hi Steve, I know what happens in hatcheries, it makes me sad. I try to bury my head in the sand about it as I am on the "just owning the chosen few for enjoyment" side. It's a business and they have to make a living..... I was just wondering about the sexing part for people like us that may just want a tom or a hen. But I realize that I am in a minority group. Thanks for the info tho'.

 

[sandspoultry]

Quote:
It makes us sad as well but, that is a different topic and better let go. There are alot of turkey breeders around and for anybody that doesn't know the Americian Livestock Breeds Conservancy has a nation wide database of member breeders state by state, not just poultry but horses, goats etc. that they share free, it's not listed on the web site you have to call them.

Steve in NC