Archive for the ‘Animals - Turkeys’ Category

September 26, 2009 – Foraging Turkeys

It’s about time for a turkey update.  After the skunk in the brooder house, we were left with 12 turkeys.  One them had a badly damaged leg from the skunk and wasn’t moving around too well, so now that they are about big chicken size, we threw it in with the chicken butchering.

The rest of ...Read more.

July 21, 2009 – Turkeys Arrive

Today the turkeys arrived, just in time to mature by Thanksgiving.

Here’s a two-day old turkey poult (baby turkey). They’ll be inside and under a heat lamp until they are strong/big enough to survive outside.

A group of poults gets used to their new home. We’re thinking of butchering our own poultry this year, ...Read more.

November 25, 2008 – Waiting for Turkeys

I was up at 5 am to bring the turkeys to Milo, about 30 miles south of Des Moines.  It’s first-come first serve and my turkeys got in about 11:00.  Then it was about a three hour wait until they chilled in ice water so they could be transported.  After dropping some off in Ames, ...Read more.

November 24, 2008 – Loading Turkeys

Thanks to Martin, the turkeys look good and are ready to go.  The second day we had the turkeys, Martin sheepishly asked us if he could take care of the turkeys.  We anointed him primary turkey feeder and waterer.  About a week or so into the turkey care, we went to bed one night, but ...Read more.

October 13, 2008 – Pastured Turkeys

Our pastured turkeys are now out living the good turkey life.  These are the regular old commercial turkeys but we’ve trained them some new tricks.

We move this old hay wagon around the pasture with their feeder connected to it.  If it’s not raining they roost on top of the wagon at night.  We’ve got some ...Read more.

August 9, 2008 – Poults Arrive

Our poults (baby turkeys) arrived this week.

Here they are in the brooding area. (Knock on wood) they’ve all survived the transport and first few days.  Martin has stepped up and has taken primary chore responsibility for the turkeys, so is the first one to feed and water them every day.  We have 16 this year.  ...Read more.

November 20, 2007 – Wholesome Winter Meals

We brought the turkeys into the locker this morning.  They dressed out a good size for us – 15-23 pounds.

We took five of them and cut them up into one-meal sized packages.  Emma is turning into an accomplished poultry cutter and works side by side with her mother here, cutting up the turkeys.
one year ago…

November 19, 2007 – The Turkeys

Success this year.  We raised 10 turkeys this year and all 10 are still alive. They are now living out in the pasture and use an old hay rack for shelter/roosting.  Even at 20+ pounds, they are still strong enough to fly up to the top rail of the hay rack. 

These turkeys seemed particularly happy ...Read more.

September 30, 2007 – Turkeys and a Storm

Although we missed this storm, after it passed by us, it spawned some tornados to the southeast of us.

Like good turkeys, when the rain came, they sought shelter under the wagon, so they have at least a smidgeon of common sense left.
one year ago…

September 29, 2007 – More Folks Poking Around the Farm

Today we had some students from a livestock class tour the farm. It sounds like a fun class – the students tour dairy, elk, goat, and a wide range of common and uncommon livestock farms.

We fit into the small and diversified category. Here, I am getting ready to demonstrate how owl hoots get ...Read more.

September 17, 2007 – Turkey Roosting (hey, that’s only one vowel exchange from roasting!)

The turkeys have taken to roosting on the top of the back brace of the hay wagon. They crack me up. It’s actually a good place to roost, especially if your behind is over the back instead of over the wagon!

I wonder how long they’ll be able to fly up to roost as they get ...Read more.

September 9, 2007 – File Under: It Works

Joel Salatin would be proud of this cheap and easy temporary turkey shelter.  The turkeys used to be in the “turkey tractor” (the moveable pen that is now upside down on the old hay wagon).  But they were getting too big, so I just put a tarp over part of the wagon for rain protection, put ...Read more.

November 21, 2006 – Thanksgiving Turkey

Here’s one of our thanksgiving turkeys. Today was the day they went to the locker – so they are fresh for Thanksgiving.

It was a rough start to the turkey season – first 10 of 15 of the poults arrived dead from the hatchery this summer. As the replacements weren’t sent for a month, we were ...Read more.

November 5, 2006 – Turkey Moon?

Does the turkey moon follow the harvest moon? Here are the turks heading into shelter under a full moon.

The turkeys have been growing nicely and have ranged up to an acre away – all the way to the cornfield.
one year ago…