THE PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
To everyone in TCUK and those who may become members in the future and be reading this at a later date, I am so pleased that you are interested in keeping some of the old traditional standard turkeys. I am also relieved that the Scottish Government has lifted the ban on poultry gatherings and we can - hopefully - see turkeys at poultry shows again, if only in Scotland at present. Wigtown Agricultural Show was one this summer that held its show only a few weeks after the Scottish ban was lifted and a Slate stag was Champion Turkey, exhibited by Callum Henry. Although keeping pure breed poultry is really down to individuals wanting to keep these old breeds going, it is still encouraging and pleasurable to be able to show your turkeys and see them matched up against others.
As we near Christmas and New Year I want to highlight how each turkey keeper can help to keep the standard varieties of turkey going in a meaningful way. There are fewer and fewer good examples of the Norfolk Black, Bronze, Slate, Blue, Pied (Crollwitzer), White, Bourbon Red, Buff, Narragansett and Harvey Speckled in the UK and even less of the Nebraskan. I know people have been desperately trying to locate some true Nebraskans but with little success.
This brings me to reminding you that the different varieties need to be separated before the end of December - this is the latest in my experience anyway - before stags start to pay too much attention to the hens. Admittedly the stags will start to show interest before the hens are receptive so you have a little lead up there. However, do not think that because you may not have seen a stag actually mate with a hen that she will not have fertile eggs and if the varieties have not been separated you will end up with cross-bred turkeys. It only takes one illicit mating for the female to produce fertile eggs for most of the season. Turkeys are not like other poultry and have very efficient sperm storage glands. So do not think that leaving a turkey hen away from a stag for a week or two will eradicate his sperm because it won't. When gene-drift occurs it often produces very pretty turkeys but you have not created a new variety you have merely created a mongrel. A new variety needs to have four generations of breeding before it can be said to be breeding true. Occasionally a direct hatch may look similar to one parent but the next generation will usually show what is in the breeding line. This extra consideration to separating the varieties will pay dividends and you will be pleased that you did it rather than breeding turkeys that are really only suitable as pets or for the table. Obviously some turkeys will end up not being of standard quality but at least you will be on the right path of helping to conserve the standard varieties in existence.
When mating occurs it is usually the hen that calls the tune. She squats before the stag and if he is taking no notice she will get up, walk around him and squat again. Squatting is a natural action for hens at the start of the mating season regardless of whether she is with a stag or not and may even squat before the person who looks after her but with a few strokes, kind words and some feed she will get over the urge. Once squatting and mating occurs eggs will appear about four weeks later. It is not a good idea to allow two stags in with hens because once one starts to mate the other will try to knock him off the hen to mate her himself and either she will be hurt or no proper mating will occur.
As mating season approaches it is best to put turkey saddles on the hens, especially the heavy varieties. Saddles will help prevent damage to the back of the hens caused by the stag treading. So important are they to welfare that the Government Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) in the Turkey Welfare Code, states that "before turkey hens are naturally mated they should be fitted with strong saddles to prevent injury to the back and sides by the males." A saddle fits on the back of a hen turkey similar to a satchel on the back of a child. It needs to be wide enough so that if she falls sideways during the treading he does not scrape down the side of her body. If she has been injured - even with a saddle - she may look rather sorry for herself and droop her wings slightly. Check for any damage under the saddle on a regular basis for if badly ripped she may need stitches by a veterinary surgeon. Although they can recover quickly it is wise not to put a previously injured female back in with the stag as the injured area will still be vulnerable.
A canvas turkey saddle can be purchased from www.flytesofancy.co.uk . They are based in Dorset but you can buy online. Alternatively if you know someone who is good with a sewing machine a strong canvas saddle could be made quite easily. Many years ago I had a saddler make some leather ones for me. These are obviously much stronger than canvas and will last longer if you treat them with saddle soap at the end of the mating season. Once the mating season is over saddles can be removed and cleaned ready for the following year.
I wish you every success with the forthcoming breeding season, let's see the old turkey varieties get stronger both in numbers and quality.
Janice U. Houghton-Wallace