Turkey on the Farm

Raising turkeys really only happens for half of the year with processing taking place for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Raising turkeys is a good side-line business for small farmers. Most farmers look for “recession buster” residual incomes during economic times like those today. Raising turkeys is a six or so month project. It is recommended that the poults be purchased in May, then killed at 6 – 6 1/2 months.

Feed mix does make an effect and often times a free range turkey will be fed in such as a way as to promote a bolder flavor. This stronger flavor (which some people like and others do not) has often been attributed to allowing the turkey to roam. Feed ingredients account for about 2/3 of the cost of raising a turkey. Geographic location, financial situation, farm size and production efficiency all contribute to cost differences in turkey production.

Feed per turkey can cost $10, compared to $2 for chickens, so that the cash investment per turkey is more than $16, while for chickens its less than $3. Turkeys should yield about 15 pounds of meat and chickens about 3 pounds after processing at 16 to 24+ weeks for turkeys and 8 weeks for chickens.

You’re raising turkeys to make a profit so you want your turkeys to grow large and healthy quickly. You want to make sure they have all the nutrients they need so they will produce a lot of meat. Their winter feed is hay produced locally.

Poults that are comfortable will move around peeping quietly or sleeping peacefully. Poults are notoriously difficult to start drinking and feeding as day-olds. Small heaped amounts of feed should be evenly spaced over the floor in the brooding area.

Birds dont have hands to pick things up. They use what they have, their beaks or bills and eyes. Birds less than 8 months of age are known as young turkeys. The hen turkeys take 16 weeks to mature completely, and average around 8 to 16 lbs in weight.

Wild turkeys, while technically the same species as domesticated turkeys, have a very different taste from farm-raised turkeys. Almost all of the meat is “dark” (even the breast) with a more intense flavor. Wild turkeys are wary, and have excellent eye sight and hearing. Despite their bulk, they can run up to 25 mph and fly 55 mph.

Turkey raising can be a profitable part-time activity. Raising turkeys, however, is not always easy. They are not overly smart and can have difficulty learning how to eat or drink. It is important to raise turkeys in a clean, healthy environment that they can thrive in. Raising turkeys can also be an excellent family or youth project and a great way for anyone to develop an understanding of live-animal management.

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