Have a Great Thanksgiving!

[Chickie'sMomaInNH]

heh, how true on the lingering part Steve! but it lingers in my parents' fridge at the moment i told my mom i would gladly take anything she couldn't or didn't want to fit in her fridge. or if it didn't get used in the next few days i would gladly swing by and grab it to take back to my chickens!

anyone thinking of raising turkeys next year i would say there are a few things to keep in mind. if raising them for food. DON"T GET ATTACHED! i raised 3 meat turkeys from a few days old last year and they were so cute while growing up. they followed me around the yard when i let them out of their area (probably because i babied them from the start). they foraged nicely but tried eating everything they could get! at the 4.5 month mark they were huge but having the leg issues which made me sad that it happened and there is not much you can do since they are like feathered piggies. this is another good reason to keep them separated from your other birds, they would eat everything given to them and the other birds would always be looking for the feed. and like mentioned before, the diseases that can be transmitted between different forms of poultry. (turkeys are more closely related to pheasants than chickens btw.)

if i ever do turkeys again i would get the heritage breeds so i can keep them longer. they don't gain the weight as quickly or get as big as the meat breeds but they are much prettier than the broad breasted whites/bronze and don't have the leg and heart problems that meat breeds tend to have.

 

[Smart Red]

I would say there are a few things to keep in mind if raising them for food. DON"T GET ATTACHED!

Yeah, like that can be avoided! NOT in my part of heaven!

You said yours got huge. I wouldn't want overly large birds. When in the year did you get them and how long until butchering, if you remember?

Love, Smart Red

 

[Jared77]

Part of the problem is finding them. I know they go faster and are not as readily available as CX once the spring buy is over.

My neighbor bought poults from the local auction in the spring. They are mutts, but they still grew slow enough and when ready they will be good eats. The woman who sold them had a small flock and was looking to unload some extra chicks that she hatched and wasn't sure who the Tom was. Apparently she realized who it was or wasn't by the color of their down and decided to part with them pretty cheap. I think my neighbor got all 5 of them for under 20 dollars. Would be worth checking out. That or craigslist. Could also see if any of the local CSAs sell turkey and see if they have poults available to buy too. If not they may have some suggestions of who's got some around in the area. Heck even the local feed stores are a place to look. Put up an ad asking for some you never know. Especially if you only want a couple to raise for next years Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Smart Red what about Midget whites or Narragansett? More on the Midget whites and Narragansett. I bet either of those would fit your needs just fine.

Not getting attached is part of why I suggested tractoring them. You feed them, fresh water, move the tractor so they are on fresh grass and go on about your business. Even if they are heritage breeds or mutts thats how I'd raise them so its just another farm chore not something that hangs out with you and you get attached to them. They'd have a covered area to get out of the weather, and in there a couple of branches to roost on so their feet get exercised. They just roost at 12" on a branch instead of 22ft on a branch.

Sorry if that sounds insensitive but thats just how I handle that situation. Helps keep that distance, and makes it impersonable so when its time to process them I know they've had a good life of fresh grass, lots of sunshine, bugs and grubs to hunt, and fresh air. The only moment in their life that was the least bit rough is the very last one.

Hope that helps

 

[Chickie'sMomaInNH]

I would say there are a few things to keep in mind if raising them for food. DON"T GET ATTACHED!

Yeah, like that can be avoided! NOT in my part of heaven!

You said yours got huge. I wouldn't want overly large birds. When in the year did you get them and how long until butchering, if you remember?

Love, Smart Red

i thought i got them early to mid June. i know we processed the last one by mid October. the tom ended up being 25lbs when dressed out. but i know he weighed more than that alive. he had a bad habit of trying to get to my shoulder to perch and his last attempt was a few weeks before he had leg issues. he would get jealous of my chickens if i tried to pick one up and put her on my lap, then he would come over and try to hop up too. the one hen we weighed got to 17lbs dressed. the 2 hens we processed earlier than the tom. so a total of 4-4 1/2 months to fill out.

 

[catjac1975]

My family had 3 different Thanksgiving dinners over 8 days in order to accommodate a new mother and a soon to be new mother over traveling issues. Only one turkey in that time but what fun in feasting with family. Pets, babies, toddlers, kindergarteners,newly weds, soon to be weds, and the older crowd eating until we almost dropped.