Turkenstein25's Turkey Talk for 2015

[TeaChick]

I have never ordered turkeys, but I have gotten chickens from them and I was not impressed.

Really?

I've heard of a lot of ppl ordering a mixture of a few different specialty or particularly sensitive breeds, and then they were disinclined toward being a repeat customer.

 

[neverbdone]

Thanks for sharing!!!
I think Porters would be considered a breeder (b/c it's really an individual who has help from his family) rather than a hatchery (which would be run as a business possibly managed by a family, but structured more like a business).
I'm not meaning to argue semantics; I have said this in hopes that someone will help me with what the difference is between a breeder and a hatchery.

Only my opinion, but I want good stock from a place that selects the best of the flock to breed. Not just a factory. Having said that, yes I would order from Porters. No from Murrays-mostly because of a poor chicken experience. I have gotten pickey over time.

 

[mymilliefleur]

I have turkeys, T25, but they were given to me, I didn't get them from a hatchery.

I have not been impressed with the performance of most of my birds purchased through mcmurrays, and last year I got a D'uccle rooster from them, and he looked ok, but several of his offspring were deformed, and the coloring of his daughters was terrible.

 

[TeaChick]

Only my opinion, but I want good stock from a place that selects the best of the flock to breed. Not just a factory. Having said that, yes I would order from Porters. No from Murrays-mostly because of a poor chicken experience. I have gotten pickey over time.

Oh, excuse me. I thought the conversation was about Meyer's first (then someone mentioned Porters). I have no experience with McMurray's.
I'm sorry.





Separately,
I was also genuinely wondering about the difference between a breeder and a hatchery.

 

[TeaChick]

Has anyone on this thread bought heritage Breeds from McMurray?

Not turkeys, but I have received some New Hampshire Red chickens from them. The chicks seem very hearty and the customer service was very good! I wouldn't hesitate ordering poults from them as well!!!

I misread. I am so sorry. I ordered my New Hampshire Reds from Meyer, not McMurray. I'm so sorry!!!!!!

ETA: I do have a neighbor that said she has only ordered from McMurray, and she has had nothing but good birds and good experience.
Also, I think expectation has a lot to do with experience. If you order from a hatchery and expect SQ, you are guarenteed to be sorely disappointed!

 

[mymilliefleur]

I misread. I am so sorry. I ordered my New Hampshire Reds from Meyer, not McMurray. I'm so sorry!!!!!!

ETA: I do have a neighbor that said she has only ordered from McMurray, and she has had nothing but good birds and good experience.
Also, I think expectation has a lot to do with experience. If you order from a hatchery and expect SQ, you are guarenteed to be sorely disappointed!

We had no problem with the chickens we got from them 10 years ago, and they were fine (other then we ordered assorted layers and they sent us some meat birds in the mix) it's only in resent years that I have had a problem with their birds. a lady I know has had the same experience. I think they have gotten too big to really have the same quality they used to, in my opinion.

 

[RuzichFamily]

Huh...interesting.  I was under the impression that I needed to bleed out a chicken or turkey as quickly and thoroughly as possible to get the best quality meat.  How does it work for you not bleeding them until after they are scalded and plucked?

X2?

I hang them to drain right away after I get them plucked and dressed. Meat has always tasted great to us. I guess we get them cleaned fast enough that the blood doesn't coagulate or anything b/c they drain a lot while hanging and there's never been a bloody mess in the fridge. Maybe I was taught wrong by Grams but it's been working for us!

 

[Brookshire11]

Huh...interesting. I was under the impression that I needed to bleed out a chicken or turkey as quickly and thoroughly as possible to get the best quality meat. How does it work for you not bleeding them until after they are scalded and plucked?

Has anyone tried a cone with a turkey?
I'm inexperienced, but we're doing our first batch of meat birds in Spring, right before we get the turkeys and that's how I'm planning to dispatch those guys. I know turkeys, ducks, etc are all a little more difficult than chickens though.

Has anyone on this thread bought heritage Breeds from McMurray?

I'm getting 2 Narragansetts from them in April, but it will be my first order from them. A local group of us are all going in to save on shipping and that's the place they picked so I guess we'll see.
I've used Meyer and Ideal for chicks in the past but, again not turkeys

Separately,
I was also genuinely wondering about the difference between a breeder and a hatchery.

Not sure of all the technicalities, but in my experience, breeders seem to focus on a smaller number of breeds, and really devote themselves to breeding towards the SOP for the specific breed. You generally get higher quality birds because someone has put a lot of time and effort into them specifically.
With a hatchery, it's a larger scale operation and they'll tell you flat out that birds generally aren't of show quality. You also get birds that (while perfectly sweet) are bred for production..so they may lay earlier and more regularly, but the life of the chicken is generally shorter and they stop laying younger.
Having just a backyard flock for eggs, most of my girls are hatchery. I did JUST hatch out my first chicks from a breeder, as I'm going to pick out a quad to start breeding

 

[mymilliefleur]

Has anyone tried a cone with a turkey?
I'm inexperienced, but we're doing our first batch of meat birds in Spring, right before we get the turkeys and that's how I'm planning to dispatch those guys. I know turkeys, ducks, etc are all a little more difficult than chickens though.

We have a killing comb for chickens, but it is much to small for turkeys. we use a fed sack with a hole cut in one corner. Actually in our experience, out of the three ( turkeys, chickens and ducks) Turkeys are the easiest to butcher.

 

[Book Em Danno25]

i didnt know that!!! thanks!