How long do you let them grow???

[feedman77]

Ok, this all makes sense. Do you think it's wrong to process this early for the thanksgiving market? Honestly, I guess I don't have a choice everyone will be 5 hours north hunting except me and the kids. I hope this ends up working out for us! It would be great to have a little extra side business, especially since I am off all summer long. I think I am going to try some meat chickens too and see how that goes. at least the time commitment is a bit shorter! I have the space so why not.

Mind if I ask where you get your heritage turkeys from? Do you order from a hatchery or your local feed store? Or hatch your own? The best I can do around here is $10 a poult for heritage breed. I do have an smaller incubator, and I love using it, but there are never any guarantees with hatch rate when I am looking to grow a specific number of turkeys! Maybe I will do both...

There are just so many details to think about!

New question - what do you use for fencing outdoors?

this time of year. Might try looking on craigslist. Usually a lot of poults show up on there.

A little later in the spring breeding duos and trios show up after people get all the eggs a chicks they want outta them.

 

[WalnutHill]

this time of year. Might try looking on craigslist. Usually a lot of poults show up on there.

A little later in the spring breeding duos and trios show up after people get all the eggs a chicks they want outta them.

Agree with both. This is the first year I expect to grow a reasonable percentage of my market birds from hatched eggs instead of poults. With 3 hens, though, I won't be able to get anywhere near the 80 poults I want to raise.

I use orange plastic safety netting with step in stakes, and move the pen daily. There is always a training period of rounding the silly birds up several times a day as they practice flight maneuvers. Eventually they stay more in than out. Since I live on a busy highway, that's a good thing.

Always grow more than you sell, or sell fewer than you grow. I can always sell a bird last minute if I have one left.

 

[gKane14]

You might be able to get the 80 poults that you want depending on what kind of turkeys you have I have 5 royal palms and I got about 40 or 45 eggs in 3 to 4 weeks.

 

[WalnutHill]

My hens are in their first season of lay and so far I got 3 eggs laid from the high roost (splat), and 10 in the nest from 3 hens. But I have stuffed my incubator already so that I will be able to hit my 27 week minimum for Thanksgiving processing.

I am breeding Narragansett, my breeder hen last year started in January but these girls are just starting now.

 

[gKane14]

Ooh how big are your Narragansetts I wanted to get some but can't decide to get them or a different breed

 

[WalnutHill]

Ooh how big are your Narragansetts I wanted to get some but can't decide to get them or a different breed

Hens are about 14 pounds, toms about 22. I love the color, and they are hardy, friendly, curious, and taste great.

Bourbon Reds and Standard Bronze grow a little bigger, Slates and Blacks are about the same size, Royal Palms are smaller. I've raised all of them but like the Narris and Bourbon Reds best.

 

[gKane14]

Ok I have a standard bronze with my royal palm hens now(we are switching him out of that pen soon because he is getting to big for the hens) so maybe I will get a few Narragansetts to start breeding too.