The Front Porch Swing

[LeslieDJoyce]

I can't even imagine how one would fit a 40 lb turkey into an oven!!!!

One of our customers posted videos of them trying to put their bird in the oven and the racks bending under the weight, so then they posted video of sawing the bird in half with a chainsaw.

I helped one customer part their bird out more "traditionally" ...

If you want to do it whole, you put it in the refrigerator by removing the veggie drawers (really, who needs veggies anyway? and that's a "refrigerator only" refrigerator, so nice and wide) ...


He's upside down because after plucking, etc., I was too exhausted to flip him again.


You put it in the oven like this (our ovens are bigger than some people's, and that pan is as big as the oven can hold) ...



I think in that oven the upper burner wasn't working, so we didn't have to worry about that part.

And you end up with a lot of this (already partially cleaned up ... note the absence of any bird) ...



And some of that ...

 

[Beekissed]

Now that's the kind of bird you donate the homeless shelters and food pantries because one will feed a huge crowd of people! I've never seen a turkey that big! Most we've ever grown or bought was 25 lbs.

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

Maybe they could just roost in the fruit trees? I've noticed that turkeys seem to live healthier lives if they live rough instead of indoors or in static runs/pens. They would be great to run through your orchard...think of the bugs and dropped fruits they could glean! You could even feed them with the timed feeders they use for wild turkeys that cast out grains every so often for them to pick up. Would sure take the work out of feeding, equipment and shelters at that point.

Great ideas ... I love the timed feeder idea, hmmmm ...

The fruit trees in the field I want to use have been trimmed way back regularly as they are used for scion wood, but they do provide dropped fruit, shade, and overhead cover. It was one of the favorite foraging spots for the turkeys this year. It is a small field, only about 1.5 acres. It has older, bigger chestnut trees on the house side of the field, and poultry are supposed to be especially good under chestnut trees.

I think it would be easy enough to fence in the whole thing with light poultry netting ... that's all turkeys need and we've kind of got a system for that worked out. Ish. So the main thing would be a brooder house that would convert to a shelter for the feed station when the birds get older ... for that I'm thinking cattle panel hoop coop between the bigger chestnut trees on the house side of the field, up against the fence line so we can have an access door right into the coop ... a water trough with a float ... and some skid-style roosts under the bigger chestnut trees. There is an access road between the house and the field, and it would be SO easy to drop feed there and store it in bins, and we could even haul water in a pick-up if I run into a hassle about bringing a water line down from the barn.

That was all my idea for LAST year, which everyone agreed to BEFORE I ordered the turkeys, but then my former poultry partner refused to help build the hoop coop, so I had to scramble to section off a part of one of the chicken coops and set up a small brooder area in there ... literally the day the turkeys arrived at the feed store ... all by myself.

I figure next year I could maybe just "hire" someone to come for a day and assemble a hoop coop if I arrange to have all the necessary supplies here ... I simply don't think I could do it myself, and we know a LOT of builders. If only $ grew on the trees in that field ...

It sure sounds easy on paper, doesn't it?

 

[Beekissed]

Sounds complicated. I wish I lived nearby and I could help you build a hoop coop range shelter...easy peasy, lemon squeezy. It doesn't even have to be very tall because they will outgrow a shelter in short order. I've seen half hoop range shelters for birds that will not be roosting in them. Feeding is easy....rain gutters with holes drilled in the bottom to let the rain seep through if it's a rainy day and just leave them outside. Bucket nipple waterers hanging from the trees will work for water. Bingo Bongo yer in bizness!

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

Sounds complicated. I wish I lived nearby and I could help you build a hoop coop range shelter...easy peasy, lemon squeezy. It doesn't even have to be very tall because they will outgrow a shelter in short order. I've seen half hoop range shelters for birds that will not be roosting in them. Feeding is easy....rain gutters with holes drilled in the bottom to let the rain seep through if it's a rainy day and just leave them outside. Bucket nipple waterers hanging from the trees will work for water. Bingo Bongo yer in bizness!

It's a beautiful day in this neighborhood ...

 

[Beekissed]

I'd venture to say that every day is beautiful in your neighborhood, LJ!

When you get this orchard range setup going, please post pics! It should be a learning experience for folks.

 

[Beekissed]

Looked at the cat's wound today and it's healing over, the dead skin flap is gone and the wound bed is down to a dime size and has healthy tissue over it. As a nurse, I'm duly impressed with the efficiency of the castor oil for rapid wound healing. He is also putting full weight on it now and muscle mass has increased in that leg and hip, though he still has a slight limp. He now can climb and balance well again.

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

I'd venture to say that every day is beautiful in your neighborhood, LJ!

When you get this orchard range setup going, please post pics! It should be a learning experience for folks.

I'm thinking between the first two trees on the left for the hoop coop ... sorry the photo was taken into the sun ... the human house is to the right, and I can see that spot from my bedroom window. The barns and stuff are straight ahead. It's mostly a question of getting water over there, and if we use that space to brood the turkeys, they would also need electricity.

I really want a fence around the turkey range. This year we lost a fully grown hen on the public road, and that's not cool.

 

[DufferChick]

I'm thinking I'm going to have to go against the accepted wisdom on this little adventure as well and see what happens.  Will be doing a test run on some of my own flock's eggs before doing the do on good eggs, just to see if I can make it happen. 

Bee: Go for it and keep us posted! We can follow your lead. I am looking for pictures that you posted on the FF thread on the wood trough you built for the fermented feed. My hens have started flipping over my feed bowls. I guess the process of refining the cops and runs is a continual process.

 

[lindz8504]

I got a dozen again today! That's 2 days in a row!