Turkeys For 2013

[desertmarcy]

thanks Arielle,
what sort of weights do you expect from a standard sized heritage turkey at 6 months? Mine should be ready for Canadian Thanksgiving in October.
Do you continue to free range them until processing or confine them for a couple weeks beforehand?

thanks

2 years ago I processed 27. Hens ran 6 to 9 pounds and toms were 10 to 14 pounds. Most of the toms were 11-12, including giblets. But these were small breeds--Royal Palm and Mottled Black. I am not sure how much more the bigger breeds like Bourbon Red will be. I would like to know also! I will have some of the larger breeds to process this year, but no Bronze---the standard Bronze is the biggest.

 

[Sally8]

I am wondering what is a fair price for young hen turkeys. I have a couple of people call me wanting 2 or 3 hens. Just hens! Well, one might want a tom. People wanting just hens should expect to pay more, don't you think? If I sell any of the Lavender hens I got from Porter, I already have $12 each in those since that was his poult price. I don't think I will sell any of my other Porter hens, those I will keep but I have extra Lavender. I am thinking $30 for hens. They are almost 3 months old. Feed has become so expensive and I feed only organic which costs me $29/bag plus the fish meal I add in to boost the protein. I am the one having to raise them all out, old enough to sex, then people want to pick just the hens without taking the risk themselves of raising a bunch of poults to get hens---maybe! That is just another $20 over my poult price, less than $7/month! Looking at it that way, doesn't seem that much to me, but people always want a bargain. Don't know if $30 is too high or not. Opinions?

I just checked our Craigslist and poults can run from $10 - 30.00ea. I don't usually see poults near here. sue

 

[Zootopia]

I am wondering what is a fair price for young hen turkeys. I have a couple of people call me wanting 2 or 3 hens. Just hens! Well, one might want a tom. People wanting just hens should expect to pay more, don't you think? If I sell any of the Lavender hens I got from Porter, I already have $12 each in those since that was his poult price. I don't think I will sell any of my other Porter hens, those I will keep but I have extra Lavender. I am thinking $30 for hens. They are almost 3 months old. Feed has become so expensive and I feed only organic which costs me $29/bag plus the fish meal I add in to boost the protein. I am the one having to raise them all out, old enough to sex, then people want to pick just the hens without taking the risk themselves of raising a bunch of poults to get hens---maybe! That is just another $20 over my poult price, less than $7/month! Looking at it that way, doesn't seem that much to me, but people always want a bargain. Don't know if $30 is too high or not. Opinions?

3 mo old Lav Porters hens ? Organically raised. $30 seems like a pretty fair price to me. But what you have to realize is that I understand what that means. Most people wouldnt understand or care, they just want a Bargain. You need to either reach out to 1. Poultry people who care or 2. Rich Yuppies that like to spend money on organic. It really depends on wether you live in an area that will support an organic market.

 

[kuntrygirl]

I am wondering what is a fair price for young hen turkeys. I have a couple of people call me wanting 2 or 3 hens. Just hens! Well, one might want a tom. People wanting just hens should expect to pay more, don't you think? If I sell any of the Lavender hens I got from Porter, I already have $12 each in those since that was his poult price. I don't think I will sell any of my other Porter hens, those I will keep but I have extra Lavender. I am thinking $30 for hens. They are almost 3 months old. Feed has become so expensive and I feed only organic which costs me $29/bag plus the fish meal I add in to boost the protein. I am the one having to raise them all out, old enough to sex, then people want to pick just the hens without taking the risk themselves of raising a bunch of poults to get hens---maybe! That is just another $20 over my poult price, less than $7/month! Looking at it that way, doesn't seem that much to me, but people always want a bargain. Don't know if $30 is too high or not. Opinions?

Yes, always price your hens higher than your males. The person buying the hen will be able to benefit from the hen when eggs are layed and/or sold and poults are hatched and/or sold.

eggs sold - a person can make at least $3.00 per egg x12 = $36.00 per dozen x's who knows how many dozen she will lay.
poults sold - $12.00 per poult x assuming she hatches 10 poults = $120.00 total.
if she hatches more than 1 clutch of eggs, that's more money.

I honestly feel that the person will get their money's worth when buying a hen. Just my opinion.

I have to say that I agree with you 100% on your pricing. Feed is expensive and your turkeys are worth it. Don't short yourself when selling them. I do not think that $30.00 is too high. The older that my hens get, the more I sell them for. At my place, a person can expect to pay a minimum of $65.00 for a hen. And the thing is, I don't have to sell anything, so they can take it or leave it. Matters a dime to me. They are the one that is looking for a hen - not me. I got plenty!

And I sell my Toms for $50.00 and people buy them. If they say that Mr. Tree Stump down the road sells his Toms for $20.00, I direct them BACK to Mr. Tree STump so that they can buy that $20.00 tom from Mr. Tree Stump because I ain't going down on my price. Sorry Charlies.

Now go make your money!

 

[desertmarcy]

Yes, always price your hens higher than your males. The person buying the hen will be able to benefit from the hen when eggs are layed and/or sold and poults are hatched and/or sold.

eggs sold - a person can make at least $3.00 per egg x12 = $36.00 per dozen x's who knows how many dozen she will lay.
poults sold - $12.00 per poult x assuming she hatches 10 poults = $120.00 total.
if she hatches more than 1 clutch of eggs, that's more money.

I honestly feel that the person will get their money's worth when buying a hen. Just my opinion.

I have to say that I agree with you 100% on your pricing. Feed is expensive and your turkeys are worth it. Don't short yourself when selling them. I do not think that $30.00 is too high. The older that my hens get, the more I sell them for. At my place, a person can expect to pay a minimum of $65.00 for a hen. And the thing is, I don't have to sell anything, so they can take it or leave it. Matters a dime to me.

They are the one that is looking for a hen - not me. I got plenty!

And I sell my Toms for $50.00 and people buy them. If they say that Mr. Tree Stump down the road sells his Toms for $20.00, I direct them BACK to Mr. Tree STump so that they can buy that $20.00 tom from Mr. Tree Stump because I ain't going down on my price. Sorry Charlies.

Now go make your money!

Thank you Zootopia and kuntrygirl for your feedback. You are both right. I don't have to sell them either, they can always be processed for the holidays if I have too many. At what age are you selling toms for $50? Year old birds or young adults? Even at $5/pound, a 12 pound tom processed is $60. I sell mine for $7.50/pound because they are organically fed only.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Yes, always price your hens higher than your males. The person buying the hen will be able to benefit from the hen when eggs are layed and/or sold and poults are hatched and/or sold.


eggs sold - a person can make at least $3.00 per egg x12 = $36.00 per dozen x's who knows how many dozen she will lay.

poults sold - $12.00 per poult x assuming she hatches 10 poults = $120.00 total.

if she hatches more than 1 clutch of eggs, that's more money.


I honestly feel that the person will get their money's worth when buying a hen. Just my opinion.


I have to say that I agree with you 100% on your pricing. Feed is expensive and your turkeys are worth it. Don't short yourself when selling them. I do not think that $30.00 is too high. The older that my hens get, the more I sell them for. At my place, a person can expect to pay a minimum of $65.00 for a hen. And the thing is, I don't have to sell anything, so they can take it or leave it. Matters a dime to me. They are the one that is looking for a hen - not me. I got plenty!


And I sell my Toms for $50.00 and people buy them. If they say that Mr. Tree Stump down the road sells his Toms for $20.00, I direct them BACK to Mr. Tree STump so that they can buy that $20.00 tom from Mr. Tree Stump because I ain't going down on my price. Sorry Charlies.


Now go make your money!

Thank you Zootopia and kuntrygirl for your feedback. You are both right. I don't have to sell them either, they can always be processed for the holidays if I have too many. At what age are you selling toms for $50? Year old birds or young adults? Even at $5/pound, a 12 pound tom processed is $60. I sell mine for $7.50/pound because they are organically fed only.

A lot of my young adults are almost the same size as the older Toms. So, at 6 or 7 months old, they can most likely be sold for $50.00. $45.00 is the minimum. And since you are feeding organically, yours are worth way more than mine.

All this talk about turkey, I'm hungry!

 

[Arielle]

I am wondering what is a fair price for young hen turkeys. I have a couple of people call me wanting 2 or 3 hens. Just hens! Well, one might want a tom. People wanting just hens should expect to pay more, don't you think? If I sell any of the Lavender hens I got from Porter, I already have $12 each in those since that was his poult price. I don't think I will sell any of my other Porter hens, those I will keep but I have extra Lavender. I am thinking $30 for hens. They are almost 3 months old. Feed has become so expensive and I feed only organic which costs me $29/bag plus the fish meal I add in to boost the protein. I am the one having to raise them all out, old enough to sex, then people want to pick just the hens without taking the risk themselves of raising a bunch of poults to get hens---maybe! That is just another $20 over my poult price, less than $7/month! Looking at it that way, doesn't seem that much to me, but people always want a bargain. Don't know if $30 is too high or not. Opinions?

Definitely charge more for the hens. THey are the ones in demand AND the lavs are rare. Good reason to put on a high price and negotiate from there. I sold a tom as a pet for $45. Prices in general as a little higher here ( min wage is higher than fed level.)

 

[Arielle]

Quote:
I am still fairly new to poultry, so my knowledge is limited to just a few years.

Birds will grow to their max capacity if feed is in front of them at all times. Commercial feed or the equivalent = sufficient protein and all the basic niturents to support good health. I do see my birds really like grains over commercial feed, however the protein is much lower. Not a critism, just another factor to consider.

THe younger birds-- because of their faster growth they may not have a lot of fat. YOu can fatten them up with corn, that is the traditional fattening grain as it was pretty cheap for the amt of gain. Other feeds can be used too. When confined they use less energy for moving around, and store more of it.

Your THanksgiving is earlier than ours by a month. If you want fasat growth you need to confine the birds and put them on high quality commercial feed. If you feed corn or extras feed at the endof the day when they have had all day to fill up on the less desireable pellet feeds.

I don't weigh my birds as I like a really big bird and tend to growth them out beyond 10 months. I'm sure I should revisit this and try to be more economical .

RIght now I am leting some 15 poults run free, the little hellions. Into everything, stealing grain from everyone then trooping off around the farm looking for goodies. A couple times a day they ar clearly looking for pellets. At that time I put some out in their pan. My goal is to have them act as cleaner uppers and eat as much off hte land as possible; then com winter I will pick up the feed bill. I expect a slower growth now.

If you are planning for Thanksgiving dinner, you cannot use the system I"m using and get a large bird.

CLear as mud?

 

[Arielle]

Quote: People want birds in the spring and will pay a bundle for them. If youcan winter them over, and then decide to part with them, you might get a better price in the spring , o course youwill have more feed into them, but boy are they pretty and that must be worth the extra feed!!!

 

[Arielle]

Just for FYI--

I have a group of 13 boys ( 11 m) that I hand raised and moved out side then moved to the far distant pavillion. As they grew I expanded their range to a 75 x 25 pen. THen they decided to hop the fence into another fenced area, and usually stay put in ONE area beating down the vegatation and now the bare ground. THen there is the young crew . . .


About 15 poults , hatched, Cinco de Mayo, so 3 months old, and they are all over the place. Covering horse paddocks, into the garden , go-go- go.

Older heavier birds seem to become sedentary. A marked contrast to the poults.