Price of Turkey feed?

[abobwhat]

$18 + Tax for 50lb Turkey Starter Mash made by Kruse i believe. Im in Southern California

 

[Lagerdogger]

Thanks everyone for your replies.

Guess I'm paying about the same as everyone else.

I have a few more questions also since I'm just getting into the turkey side of things.....been doing some chicken raising for 2 years now.....

How much does a person charge for a thanksgiving turkeybird? I've got someone interested in having me raise a couple for her holiday table..... not sure what to charge her when they are ready.....

How do you know how much the birds weigh? Do you put them on a scale before you pick them out to butcher them or how do you know?

What age is a good age to butcher them? As they age does the meat get different than if they are younger? (like chickens)

Does everyone butcher their own turkeys or have someone else do them? Are they easier than chickens from start to finish? If someone else does them for you, how much do you pay for them to do it?

Thanks for your patience and knowledge in helping me with the above questions.... I don't have a clue.

~Tammy

I keep track of all my expenses, including feed and mileage for picking up the feed. I add a little for electricity for brooding and for recovering my initial set-up costs, and for purchase price of new birds or feed costs for overwintering brooders. I have a scale to weigh my birds when I'm done. In this part of Minnesota, eggs start appearing around March 20, so i can just pull of a hatch by May 1. These birds are then about 29 weeks at Thanksgiving. Last year, the total cost was $5.40 per dressed pound to raise them. It should have been a little less, but some birds got out and got attacked about two weeks before butchering. I lost two nice toms, which meant the other birds had to absorb an extra $150 or so.

I sell all my birds now (March through May). Last year I told people I would sell them for $4.50/lb, so I did. I lost a bit there. Feed costs jumped 20% and then I lost those toms. When I told people that next year might be %5.50 a pound, lots of customers dropped out. So I think I will have to just take a loss and enjoy my hobby

After I harvest eggs, I let my hens raise their own clutch. These birds are a couple weeks too young for Thanksgiving, so I butcher them for Christmas and give them to people in exchange for canned produce or anything else they might have that I might want. Nobody wants to pay any money for a Christmas turkey.

I can raise broad-breasted birds cheaper becasue they convert feed so much better (about 3:1 instead of 5:1). I might get some in July and see how wel they sell for Thanksgiving. I think I can raise them for about $3.00 per pound).