Raising turkeys

[bearbaito6]

Does anyone know where I could buy wild turkey chicks to raise? I would like to get a couple. I tried the feed stores but they only sell domesticated turkeys and if I order them I have to buy 15 or more I only want about 6 of them. Any ideas would be appreciated

[yelp]

Wild turkey to eat?  Just realize that most turkeys you purchase from farms/catalogs..aren't disease tested and that releasing them can hurt wild flocks within the state.  All of the wild turkeys brought into the state were disease tested before release.  Diseases can be detrimental to wild turkeys.  Hunters in a lot of cases think they are doing great things to help grow populations when they are actually doing harm.  The hard part in our state is there is no law that says you can't raise poultry on your property.   

[carpsniperg2]

most good feed stores should be able to get them in the dalles oregon just down from me they sell them. we got a few years back and raised them for t day what a pain in the butt! and spendy also.

[Birdguy]

I would recommend a call the the WDFW, LONG before you get even interested in buying WILD turkeys of any kind. Last time I spoke to Mic Cope (wdfw upland game mananger) he told me it is not legal to buy well or trade wild turkeys in Washington State. At the time we had no management plan ( much like now, as our old plan expired) and it was all illegal. I am not saying it does not happen as folks buy stuff off the internet all the time without looking into the State laws  . I am pretty certain there are laws in the WAC that cover this and Mr. Cope will be able to quote you the laws when you talk to him. I know as a licensed gamebird breeder I can not have them legally on my place. I think there were 5 farms granfathered in (as they raised turkeys at the time the law was passed 1985 I think) and atleast four of the five have let their license lapse and are no longer allowed to have them either. Like I said make the call and get informed PRIOR to getting them to find out you are breaking the law  . If you are really looking for meat birds your local feedstore can get them, there are hatcheries in our state that have them and there are a bunch of breeders around that have them for sale regularly. The heritage turkeys will survive better, taste better and grow faster anyhow  . Good luck. Shoot me a PM if you have any other questions, I still raise quail, chukar, huns, pheasants and such.

[sako223]

Afew years ago the WDFW barred game bird sales at a Big R store citing state wildlife laws. It lasted for a few days and they resumed selling. There was a riff about the wDFW having to compensate them.
People are raising and releasing birds all over the place. 

[Wacenturion]

Afew years ago the WDFW barred game bird sales at a Big R store citing state wildlife laws. It lasted for a few days and they resumed selling. There was a riff about the wDFW having to compensate them.
People are raising and releasing birds all over the place.  

It is generally legal to release upland birds (i.e. pheasant, quail, partridge) with regional WDFW approval......a formality.  However it is not legal to release wild turkeys, or should I say game farm stock wild turkeys that one purchases and raises.  

[Wacenturion]

I'm not wanting them to release, I just think they are neat birds and something different from the domesticated birds. I figured someone on here might know where to get some. I know there around I've seen them on craigslist in years past just not this year. thanks anyway.

Let me rephrase my comment relevant to your statement.  If you raise them, then allow them to be free ranging on your property and after doing so, at some point in time they leave your property, then by definition, you have indeed released them.  Restricted inside a pen without free ranging access would not be deemed as such.

[Whitenuckles]

 My buddy on the over by bremerton had about 30 Easterns in a pin. Then one night a bear or something ripped the cage open and killed a few birds. But the others got away and can be heard year after year gobbling in the woods around his house.

[lokidog]

If you are raising for food and don't want a white one, just look for the "bronze" turkeys at the feed stores like del's, they are colored like a wild bird.  They come in broad-breasted, which are shaped more like a butterball breast and regular bronze which are smaller breasted and can actually fly up to a roost to get away from critters.  Don't feel bad if you get hens in the bunch as they will lay a lot of eggs that are about twice the size of a chicken egg.  We had a hen that layed 106 eggs one season.  You have to keep them more than one year though and they eat a lot during the winter.  It was the second year that ours layed the most eggs.  Third year she only layed 39 and the fourth year she layed 16, then she kicked the bucket last summer.

Don't feed thae same food as you would chicken chicks, they apparently don't tolerate the antibiotics in chick starter.

Have fun!