Preparing for Thanksgiving

These little guys just came in the mail last Friday! We got a bunch of broad breasted white turkeys from Welp Hatchery that should be grown just in time for Thanksgiving. We also got just a few Bourbon Reds to add to our small breeding flock. We are hoping that by next year we will be able to offer farm bred, free range, heritage breed turkeys for Thanksgiving!

 One of the little white turkeys came to us with what looked like splay leg. We went ahead and did the usual treatment of taping the legs and every couple hours I went in and did turkey physical therapy with the little guy. I was able to get him up on his feet and moving normally with a little support. By the second morning, he was getting up and around on his own without the tape. Unfortunately, by that afternoon it was obvious that there was something more wrong with the little guy. He wasn't growing and by the following day, he had passed away. Sometimes the stress of being shipped across the country is just too much for these young birds.

This is one of the Bourbon Red babies. In the few days we've had the turkey poults, the whites, who are bred for super fast growth, have already outgrown the reds by half, but what they lack in size, they make up for in spunk. They are much more active and outspoken in the brooder. For myself, I'm just happy to have more turkeys. I think think these curious creatures are some of my favorite poultry to raise.

We'll be putting out the call for pre-orders on Thanksgiving turkeys very soon so stay tuned!