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[HENthusiastic]

Hi all,

We were thinking about raising a few turkeys for meat for Christmas. We are in the very early stages of this idea so have lots to find out. Has any one had experience of this???

We have a section of our field fenced off for chickens and think we would have enough room for some turkeys too.

Does anyone know how much space they would need (we would only get as many as space would allow)? Is it best to get them as youngsters or are they easy to hatch? Can they even be hatched under a broody hen? Oh so many questions...we are planning on ordering a good book before we take this plan any further but thought we would find out whether any omleteers had any practical experience

Thanks.

[sunshinesupernova]

well - we hatched one last year under a broody cochin.

 

It was like a big daft chicken really. SHOULD have been eaten at Christmas, but we ended up going away - so he got the reprieve until Easter. Before Easter, he'd turned into a family pet and my now 19month old toddler was besotted with it.

 

I moved him from the garden down to our field with the chickens. Unfortunately, he was attacked 2 days later by a dog off the lead that came on to our property. Turk never really recovered and was finished off by a same said dog a couple of weeks later.

 

I'd treat them like big chickens and allow about 3x the space and food for a turkey

 

We've got meat chickens on the go now (2nd year at it) - and they're really funny and friendly. Thankfully all quite similar and we KNOW they are for meat now so won't be sparing any. I kept a couple back from last year and lost one to fly strike and one to a heart attack. I think they were both too heavy even though we kept them specifically on layers rather than growers pellets...........

 

Hope this helps

[Lewis]

I've worked at a FR turkey farm for the last few years They're so funny to watch running around !

 

'We' get them in as day old poults in June/July and the're in brooders. They had big problems with pecking a couple of years ago, and lost a few in the first week or so.

Not sure what they're like to hatch generally, but the other farm didn't get much luck from breeding theirs - you could try a couple of eggs under a broody. They need higher protein feed than chicks - can buy Turkey Crumb for them.

Some people say they shouldn't be kept with chickens 'cos of blackhead but I've seen them together fine.

 

3X the space sounds good - they'd do well in a shed and FR'ing behind the electric fencing and some of them like to perch in trees at night

 

For dispatching them, we use an electric stunner and a cone.

Its done a couple of weeks before christmas, plucked straight away, hung for a week + a bit and then gutted.

[Mollie333]

Cheryl was suppost to be a meat girl, that we brought at a free range farm.

But we fell in love with her silly personality, There such characters.

[Lesley]

We reared four turkeys, two years running. I love turkeys, they make such a lovely noise and are really friendly. We kept them next to the table hens but they all ended up together after a hen found a gap in the fence and they were fine.

 

The first time we despatched them using an air rifle and the second time we used the cone. They're a little bit harder to despatch in the cone compared to table hens and we'd probably use the rifle if we did them again. We plucked them warm and then 'hung' them in a fridge for 6 days.

 

I prefer chicken to turkey so we haven't bothered since and just let our growers reach a good weight.

[Redwing]

you cant eat them, you know you wont because they are so friendly and you are a softy

 

I'll give you all the money down the back of my sofa if you end up eating one for Christmas dinner

[Mollie333]

you cant eat them, you know you wont because they are so friendly and you are a softy

 

I'll give you all the money down the back of my sofa if you end up eating one for Christmas dinner

I used to eat Turkey for christmas.

But really to be honest, you'll end up keeping them, if there anything like Cheryl was, she was a very nice turkey and will be missed. She also laid every day and the eggs were so rich..

[Snowy]

My friend in Scotland has a bit of a smallholding thing going and she got a turkey to raise for last christmas. Norman is still alive and kicking and very much a part of the family now

[pinkmagic]

I just came onto the forum to ask about turkeys and noticed someone had beaten me to it! We are thinking about getting a couple of Turkey poults to raise for the Christmas table too. I can't ever imagine getting attached to a turkey, but who knows! By the way, my mother in law keeps all her poultry together with no problems, chickens, ducks, geese and turkeys!

[HENthusiastic]

Oh no. Thats not what I wanted to hear. I don't want to make friends with a turkey. I'm getting quite tough now you know people. I've ( we are on the self sufficiency forum aren't we... . yes.... phew) Ive despatched and eaten Charles, Charles the 2nd and Angus. They were my cockerels. Rodney is also due for the pot next week.

 

From what you are saying, and from what I've read, I think I'd better start off with poults. (I'm at work, so I havent looked at your link lewis, but I will later - thanks).

 

As for dispatch..... I've done my cockerels the brookstick method. I was assuming I'd be able to to the turkeys this way to. Is that wrong?

 

thanks for your input. I'm a bit less sure after reading about all the turkeys who end up being pets. (Sorry to hear about Turk). Maybe I need to get to know some turkeys before taking the plunge.