Getting our turkeys today!!

[OverWyreGrower]

OK, so not strictly chicken related but....

We are getting our christmas turkeys this evening

We're only getting a few, and they are 2 months old. They'll be occupying the polytunnel until D-Day in December....

I will post pictures of them hopefully tomorrow

[di]

Just don't fall in love!!!
Hope they behave & all goes well.

[Nicos]

Brill!!!!

What breed have you decided on???

[Eco-Chic]

Won't they peck holes in the polytunnel when they're bigger?

Good luck with them anyway.
It would be interesting to know how their behaviour differs from chickens (if it does).

[Bramble-Poultry]

Behaviour is extremely different to chickens - they are sooo dumb its untrue! They are extremely difficult not to fall in love with though.

You might be pushing it to table weight they will just be 17 weeks if they are 8 now! Will be quite small 10 - 12lb on the hens and 15 - 16lb on the stags, it can be done - stick with a good quality turkey specific growers (higher protein content if you use chicken growers they will reach no where near that weight!), followed by a good turkey topweight 1 and 2 and then 2 weeks before slaughter fetch of feeds and finish on straights! Oh and they really eat - tonnes and tonnes of feed.

Have you found a slaughterer yet? average is around £10 per bird thats, killed, hung, plucked, drawn, dressed tagged and bagged, chilled for 5 days. Need to book your slaughter for around the 17th - 19th. If you plan to do it yourself allow around 4 hours per bird (its the plucking that does it). Dress out ratio is approx 25% so whatever they weigh live take off 25% and thats their weight.

what breed have you chose, hens or stags?

[OverWyreGrower]

Well, we've now got 3 British White Turkeys... and they are scary reptilian things and I don't think I'll be getting attached!!!

They are in the bird run until tomorrow, as we didn't have enough daylight left to sort out the polytunnel... we've made a secondary pen inside using bird netting, so they can't peck the plastic, and also so I can get inside the tunnel without them getting out!

They're six weeks old already and huge! Larger than the hens and taller than the runner ducks According to the breeder, they'll finish out at about 16-18lbs

We're not sure whether they're hens or stags yet (OH forgot to ask the supplier )

We're slaughtering ourselves, although having some help from an experienced local guy, as it's our first time.

Will try and stick a picture or 2 on so you can see them!

[OverWyreGrower]

OK, here are some slightly rubbish pictures, since they were taken at about 7am, before I'd had a cup of tea!!

The birds are moving on 2 of them, so the pic is a bit blurred, but it was mostly for a size comparison...

[Nicos]

6 weeks and already that size??? WOW!!!!

Am I right in thinking it's difficult to sex a Turkey? Presumably a lad would be bigger by Xmas?

Quite hunch backed in comparison aren't they????

I like how you're being eyed up in the first piccie!!!

[OverWyreGrower]

6 weeks and already that size??? WOW!!!!

Am I right in thinking it's difficult to sex a Turkey? Presumably a lad would be bigger by Xmas?

Quite hunch backed in comparison aren't they????

I like how you're being eyed up in the first piccie!!!

I'm still in shock over the size TBH!!!

Sexing is something to do with their plumage and the fact that in stags, they lose head feathers and go a bit bald... (that's what I've read, anyway!)

When they stand up, they're taller than our Runner Ducks, but they are a bit emu-ish in their stance at the moment...

[Bephlam]

I actually think they're cute!

[Flummery]

I actually think they're cute!

So do I. Why are you slaughtering yourselves? Most people would slaughter the turkeys!

[OverWyreGrower]

So do I. Why are you slaughtering yourselves? Most people would slaughter the turkeys!

Whoops - grammatical error!!

[Flummery]

You can't get away wi' nowt round here, can you?

[Nicos]

Flum... a turkey nugget is in order there in the post!!!

[Glutton4...]

Well, I disagree with Bobbie - I think they're Uuuuuuuugly, or as a friend of mine says, very rudely, Fugly! (think about it )

I read somewhere, recently, that Turkeys are 'terminally suicidal!' ie, worse than Sheep LOL

However, I will follow this post with interest, as hopefully, I will be in a position to do the same next year. So, please please keep us updated!