- Aug 21, 2011
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I thought I'd share this article here from our local paper. We raised a batch of Midget White and Bourbon Red turkeys this summer. I started with 60 and have managed to get 48 to maturity and processing age. We did four last week and our local foodie column writer took one hen of each breed. Here are the results! They rock!
http://hamptonroads.com/2011/11/lets-put-turkeys-test
So now my inbox has been overflowing with emails for folks (who did not notice the 2012 date) asking for birds for Thanksgiving. LOL. I am delighted though and the press is fantastic.
I'm keeping back a BR tom and a couple of hens to see if I can start a natural breeding flock and eventually select for larger birds. Our sizes for our first batch we did were about 6.5 for the MW hen, 12.9 for the MW tom, 8+ lbs for the BR hen and 12.8 for the BR Tom. I have a mix of sizes out there so it will be interesting to see what we get after they are all processed on Saturday.
What a ride this has been. I'm still learning how to clean them efficiently. Their crops are set up a bit differently from a chickens and I'm not as fast in loosening it without damaging the carcass for aesthetic purposes. The plucking has gone well also.
OK, so where does one learn how to husband and raise turkeys? Are there any resources anywhere or am I on my own?
http://hamptonroads.com/2011/11/lets-put-turkeys-test
So now my inbox has been overflowing with emails for folks (who did not notice the 2012 date) asking for birds for Thanksgiving. LOL. I am delighted though and the press is fantastic.
I'm keeping back a BR tom and a couple of hens to see if I can start a natural breeding flock and eventually select for larger birds. Our sizes for our first batch we did were about 6.5 for the MW hen, 12.9 for the MW tom, 8+ lbs for the BR hen and 12.8 for the BR Tom. I have a mix of sizes out there so it will be interesting to see what we get after they are all processed on Saturday.
What a ride this has been. I'm still learning how to clean them efficiently. Their crops are set up a bit differently from a chickens and I'm not as fast in loosening it without damaging the carcass for aesthetic purposes. The plucking has gone well also.
OK, so where does one learn how to husband and raise turkeys? Are there any resources anywhere or am I on my own?
