Finallly got my Bourbon Reds in! (pics added)

[BCBunnies]

So although I have rechecked the original ship date 3 times they changed it on me. My birds won't be shipped til today and they won't be in til tomorrow. Anyone else have late orders from Ideal? All I have on order are 10 straight run bourbon reds hoping for 2 hens and the rest toms so I can put most in the freezer and save 1-2 hens and a tom for breeding.

Update:
Picked my little guys up on the 23rd and have a couple of pics, would be more pics if my son would stop stealing the camera and taking pictures of the floor and the cats tail.

Turkey philosophy: Standing in the water makes it taste better.

BTW the cd works great for them to eat they love pecking at the shiney thing on the floor gives me an idea on creating a starter feeder/waterer for poultry.

 

[chicmom]

I've heard that if you're just starting now with poults, they won't be ready for Thanksgiving. They MIGHT be ready for Christmas. I have two poults, that are going to be 5 weeks old on Friday. One Royal Palm and one Blue Slate. I'm not planning on eating them....(unless they get really mean). I think the RP is a hen and the BS is a tom, so I'm really happy about that.

Are these your first turkeys?

 

[BCBunnies]

Oh yeah I know they won't be quite ready for Thanksgiving and maybe I'll have a couple of decent ones for Christmas (unless I end up with a bunch of hens). I don't intend to leaave them as whole carcasses after processing I use ground turkey instead of beef when cooking so these will be deboned and put into my meat grinder then the meat frozen in portion sizes. I'm not worried about date they are ready to process, well unless it's the middle of summer I definately do not want to be out in 100+ degree heat plucking turkeys.

And today I picked up my new babies! Yay! 10 gorgeous little Bourbon reds all peeping and running around in their brooder pecking at the marbles in the water and the grower. Soo so cute will post pics later.

 

[MissTurkey4]

The best tasting turkeys are about 18 months old. My late turkeys are my favorite for special meals. I just raise them longer.

 

[ColbyNTX]

The older turkeys do have better flavor! If you have never butchered heritage turkeys, they are not very full until 8-9 months. I bet you have a good 50/50 mix but would keep 2 toms in case something happens to one between now and next spring. Just like the old saying, "don't put all your eggs in one basket!"

 

[BCBunnies]

I'll keep that in mind about keeping 2 toms I was just worried about them harassing the hens by keeping so few of them. Although my old show turkeys the tom was really sweet cept when I made turkey calls at him and he'd go um "attack" my mother's leg.

We butchered him at only 4-5 months old though so I'm not sure he would have been when he was older.

 

[BCBunnies]

New pics of the babies on the first post! They are the sweetest little guys ever I may have to order more next year.