For those who breed turkeys..

[MrChicken207]

I remember growing up, my Mom would buy her eggs from the farmer's wife up the road. I think she paid a dollar a dozen. That was almost 30 years ago. fresh eggs, and delivered to the house. the only thing that stopped the old lady was that she had a stroke and went to a home. Her husband eventually sold the farm to their son, but there were no more chickens by that time. the hen-house was huge, probably 16 by 24, and they were free range. the building is just a storage shed now, right in the middle of the driveway. The son kept the beef cattle though. I guess there was some profit in it.

 

[chasing ducks]

Wow here they pay $4 a pound for turkey at the farmers markets. If I have to get 50 lbs. of feed into every bird I'm only at $17 per bird in costs because we home process our birds. At the market I'll get at least $60 per bird. I think it's crazy to spend so much on a turkey, but people do all the time, my father sells his chickens for $3.25 a pound and sells out every time at $25+ per bird. Crazy!!!

 

[ziggywiggy]

Quote:
Hope I'm not hijacking this thread but, I'm curious. When you process the birds are there State or local regulations that you have to follow in order to sell at the farmer's market or is it all sort of under the radar?

 

[Lagerdogger]

Quote:
I think the turkeys cost me a little less than $2/lb to raise (about $25/bird), not counting initial set-up costs or labor. I know we just raised our chickens for $1.35 per pound and sold them for $2.20. Next year we are going to ask $2.50/lb. Like the turkeys, we have people order before we get the birds so we don't have to worry about drumming up many customers at the last minute. A neighbor of ours sold his for $3/lb. That seems outrageous for a chicken and I don't think I could bring myself to ask that much...or could I?

I know our eggs are a good price compared to other parts of the country, but I don't think I could get more around here. Two hours south and they get $5/doz for eggs! I don't know what our eggs cost us. That was our entry into poultry, and our hen numbers go up and down with how many other things we are trying to do, and we just have never bothered to figure our losses on them.

If you add the cost of laber, maintenance, overhead, to our expenses, we are taking it in the shorts like all the other hobby farms

Concerning the laws, my understanding (I hope I'm right) is that if you sell right off the farm, and don't package the meat yourself, your OK. Once you leave the farm or do anything more than butcher, pluck and gut, the RULES begin.

Has this thread gotten a bit off topic?

 

[SED]

I don't mind this thread getting off topic at all. This has been a great conversation so far! This is all additional info that I wanted to know about anyway!

 

[paduanchook]

What's the value of "peace of mind" when raising birds? I feed my birds corn we grow(non gmo) My family throws them water melon rines and veggies. I have fun hatching them with my mom and kids. I get disgusted now thinking of eating grocery store turkeys. They are fed arsenic for growth and tranqs to keep them from getting excited. Plus awful food and processing. So I do have a good feeling when eating my birds. I just HATE killing them though
I just hatched out 6 blue turkeys and one bronze (from a blue Tom and bronze hen) and they are hilarious!

 

[Dogfish]

$3.50/dozen for eggs, but I just sell to co-workers. Gave a few CX birds away this year and I have a few folks asking for another when we do our fall batch. Those ended up costing us about $9.50 each with feed at $10/50lbs. I'll charge $15.

As for turkey, I am just raising my brooder from poults. 4 Naragansetts and a Blue Slate (free). My two BBB are 16 weeks, and are looking pretty tasy about now. They are also pretty cool birds, so butcher day will be a bit hard.

 

[Tunastopper]

with feed at $10/50lbs.

Wow! I wish I could get feed that cheap. I am paying close to $19/50. I don't have any pasture for them to eat either.


I did notice Ayrshire Farms sells a 10 lb turkey for $125. and only $225 for one over 20 lbs. Ayshire Farms is the ones that raised the birds for the taste test that was mention in resent thread. Here is there prices. http://store.ayrshirefarm.com/home.php?cat=13​

 

[Lagerdogger]

Quote:
Ain't that the truth

Its hard not to get attached to animals that swarm you every time you walk down to the pen. I have to convince myself that they just love me for the food. But its not true. The chickens swarm me for scratch grain and I don't get especially attached to them...well not to most of them. The turkeys are harder. They want to be touched and some want to be held (and some just want snacks

)


Switching topics, $12.50/lb

, I think if I asked that much I'd have a lot of turkeys in my freezer!

 

[MovieFanz]

Quote:
This is just one of the post I remember reading about your breeding pens.