Profit with Turkeys for Thanksgiving?

[Birdie2019]

If we were to try to make a profit with turkeys what would we do? ->

I am curious and have a few questions.
1. Are they much different than chickens when raising them? (In the brooder, feed, etc.)
2. Is it too late to raise turkeys?
3. What breed is about 14-20lbs per bird? I’d prefer not to raise BB turkeys (the white ones that get huge).

I think it’s a good idea and would love to try it. Has this worked for you before?

 

[R2elk]

If we were to try to make a profit with turkeys what would we do? ->

I am curious and have a few questions.
1. Are they much different than chickens when raising them? (In the brooder, feed, etc.)
2. Is it too late to raise turkeys?
3. What breed is about 14-20lbs per bird? I’d prefer not to raise BB turkeys (the white ones that get huge).

I think it’s a good idea and would love to try it. Has this worked for you before?

If you want to make a profit from turkeys, you have to sell them as day old poults. The second that you start feeding them, the profit disappears.

1. Turkeys are different from chickens in many ways. The worst part is that they are far too easy to get attached to. Many people that started out wanting to raise them for food end up keeping them as pets instead. Turkey poults should be started on a high protein turkey or game bird feed that has the higher concentrations of lysine, methionine and niacin that they require for proper development. This should be fed for 6 to 8 weeks followed by 6 weeks of Turkey grower which is usually about 24% protein. After that they can do well on a good all flock or flock raiser feed.

Turkey poults should not be on wood chips until they are getting an appropriate sized grit. They can eat the wood chips and without the grit in their gizzard they cannot grind the wood chips up and can become plugged up and die.

Blackhead can be a death sentence to turkeys kept with chickens. Make sure that blackhead is not a problem in your area.

2. It is too late to start heritage turkeys for Thanksgiving this year. It is not too early to start them for next year.

3. All domestic turkeys are the breed Turkey. Most of the heritage varieties will have the toms process out in those ranges if harvested at the proper age. Royal Palms are a smaller variety with adult toms not likely to make it to 20 lbs. dressed weight.

If you live in an area where people will pay reasonable prices for a processed heritage turkey, you might be able to break even. If you don't live in one of those areas, you will lose money trying to produce turkeys for Thanksgiving.

Most turkeys sold in grocery stores are sold as a loss leader at Thanksgiving. This means the stores sell them for less than cost and in many cases even have free conditions as an advertisement to get people shopping for the accessories. They lose money on the turkeys to boost their other sales which have high profit margins.

 

[Molpet]

They need higher protein turkey or gamebird starter for at least 8 weeks. They haven't been domesticated as long, so they are less likely to roost and brood in a coop. They need 10x the amount of space.

Takes me 6 months to get a heritage jake dress out 10 to 12 lbs,
17 lbs takes 18 months.

I have no idea how to make a profit... I sure don't... But I imagine it would take a good marketing plan to find the right buyers

 

[iwltfum]

We've been selling thanksgiving turkeys for a couple seasons now. We added it to our egg and roasting chickens business a couple years ago. The hardest part is finding a market to sell them. For every one person that's willing to pay a fair price for a pasture raised and organic bird, there are at least 10 that will scoff at you and accuse you of trying to steal their money. We grow BBW because they eat less per pound of weight gain than other varieties. We grow them for 16 weeks and it is by far our most profitable portion of our poultry business. Not saying that it's not difficult as heck to establish a market though. We sell our whole turkeys for $7 per pound frozen and we have a pre order list that fills up for thanksgiving turkeys by mid-summer. So there are pros and cons. You have to be willing to put in some hard work and don't expect to be profitable for at least a couple seasons.

 

[Parront]

Okay. Yes, I was thinking we could also do CX, maybe not at the same time as turkeys, just whenever since they can be butchered at 10 weeks.

Start small and work up! CX are small-er than turkeys! They all have their learning curve. Once people learn that there is better-tasting chicken, they might be ready for better-tasting turkey. What I first grew years ago -- because it was no-where to be found in the grocery store -- was Christmas goose. Our German family was always talking about the old days and having goose for Christmas, so I raised 4 one year. One went to the neighbor who helped me process, one to me, one to my Grandmother, one sold and paid for all the feed they ate. This was 1987, things could be different now. Geese eat a lot of grass, which was free for me. Expensive, if you can even find it in the store. Tastes sooooo good!

 

[R2elk]

According to the industry's own web site, somewhere around 50% of industrial chicken is raised using antibiotics. I believe turkey is very dependent on antibiotics.
https://www.nationalchickencouncil.org/questions-answers-antibiotics-chicken-production/

50% is a long ways from "all". As a person that has raised turkeys for a long time without the use of medicated feeds or antibiotics, I think your opinion about turkeys being dependent on antibiotics is wrong. Most of the possible turkey issues cannot be treated with any available medications and still sold as food.

 

[Parront]

So do you mean vaccinations as chicks for them? No, we haven’t done that.

No, the medicine that treats coccidiosis is not an antibiotic, vaccination is a different process.
Consumers who eat chicken are concerned that farmers who raise chickens are over-using antibiotics that work for humans when raising chickens. This makes the germs resistant to medicine, so that when you get sick, the medicine does not work.

 

[Parront]

Which does, vaccinating my birds will make them more valuable or treating when it comes to it?
Sorry for all the questions

Your birds are raised in a completely different way from the birds in the grocery store. That is what makes them more valuable and worth more when you sell them. Here is a photo from the site I referenced above, how store chickens are raised.

Compare that with your photo. Which bird do you want? That is why your birds should cost more in the market. You will loose money if you try to compete with the big guys on price. Your birds are naturally healthy. You do not even know how to get antibiotics for them. Do what you do, and let people know. They want to eat your birds! @R2elk 's turkeys are so far from the turkey in the store, listen to him on raising home-grown heritage turkey, for sure! As an eater, I rarely eat store turkey, and I want to eat yours -- & and his!

 

[iwltfum]

That photo is the very best one they could take, LOL! Any bird you raise is much healthier.

Yes, that is a very clean and uncrowded chicken house.

The poultry industry is actually becoming very aware of how the industry is perceived and thus is going away from antibiotics, decreasing density levels, and instating stricter requirements for animal welfare.

The difference that we highlight to sell our farms products is the birds being on grass and being fed an organic diet of high quality feed grains that are locally sourced. Not saying that no antibiotics and the fact that you aren't raising them by the hundreds of thousands isn't something to point out to your potential customers, but the big guys are already on top of that niche and are doing a pretty good job of it if I dare say it and as evidenced by that picture that @Parront shared.

Joel Salatin's Pastured Poultry Profits is a great suggestion. I consider it my poultry bible. Have read through it several times. He is a great resource.

 

[Birdie2019]

Nice yes.
Although mine have never seen grass ever. Just sand and weeds .
I guess it’s not too different. But I like that it looks like grass
But that’s besides the point...