Is your dog's unusual barking a secret code for something mysterious?

[atsw]

Hello all,

 

Just thinking ahead to Christmas 2012, we're seriously considering raising our own Turkey. We've had lots of experience raising chicks over the last few years, keeping the girls ad eating the boys! To date we've always brought a free range Christmas Turkey from a very nearby source, and very nice they have been too. But, next year, we'd like to try raising our own bird for the table. I have Orpingtons and Pekins that go broody at the drop of a feather, so all I need is a couple of Turkey eggs. My question to you all is where should I be looking to get the eggs from? I'd like a Bronze Turkey, like the ones we currently buy from the Farm.

 

Andrew

[craftyhunnypie]

Just for info - the female birds produce the better meat. My sister & brother in law used to always have turkeys.

You may be better buying in chicks & rearing them. Also, seriously think about how many you would want & how many others may want. Or you could end up having to take excess to auction & getting peanuts for them.

Emma.x

[miller30]

I reared my own bronze turkeys this year my broody orpington hatched them for me i get my eggs from my friend who breeds them she sells them at a £1.00 an egg if you would like her contact details for next year let me know she will post the eggs to you leanne

[atsw]

Thanks both, I'll be in touch in the New Year Leanne.

 

Excess Turkeys won't be a problem Emma, we have a big freezer

 

Andrew

[Lewis]

I was going to say it may be easier to buy in day old poults - the farm buy about 600 day old poults in, in June/July and raise them free range for Christmas

 

They're Bronze/Norfolk Blacks and theres a lot of variation within the different strains of them to give different sized turkeys for customers at Christmas - from 8lbs up to 52lbs!

[Madchook]

I'm thinking about this again, have been wanting to for a few years but always stumbled at the practicalities of it. I've been offered to keep them in an Orchard this yr on the boyfriend's farm so seriously considering it, but I think I would like to try hatching myself even though I know they are a bit difficult- for me there is a big satisfaction from seeing it all the way through. Figured if I timed it right I could always buy in poults if it failed.

[Lewis]

Would be good if you could source some eggs and hatch them yourselves and you're right, you could always buy some/a couple more in if you needed to!

[Patricia W]

Andrew, could you not speak to the people at that nearby farm to see if they have an extra one or two young ones you could buy? They are always been very nice whenever I've spoken to them. Failing that, I seem to remember that the place we visited near Stadhampton had turkeys.

 

If you do decide to go for it, I'll order one from you!

[Lewis]

Just thought, if you are stuck I can always ask if I could buy a couple poults from L, the turkey farmer.

They don't usually sell them live or as poults etc but if she knows in advance she has done a couple times before for people she knows.

 

Let me know if you're stuck and can ask - its normally June/July time they get them in and they're the Bronzes too

[atsw]

Andrew, could you not speak to the people at that nearby farm to see if they have an extra one or two young ones you could buy? They are always been very nice whenever I've spoken to them. If you do decide to go for it, I'll order one from you!

Thanks Patricia, yes, that is another option. My Son goes to school with their daughter, so we know the family well. Just weighing up all the options at the moment, but I'll be sure to let you know what we end up doing.

 

Happy New Year!

 

Andrew

[Cranberry]

Raising Turkeys is quite a bit different to raising chickens. For a start you may need planning permision for a turkey shed as they are VERY noisy. They do not put themselves to bed but can not be left out for the fox, (my sheep dog finds them for me in the dark as they are so good at hiding). They can not be out on long grass as it wraps around in their throats and kills them. They not only fly over fences they climb them. They eat huge amounts of food. They are realy freindly carasmatic birds that you will bond with and then have to kill. Whilst you may kill your own birds for your consumption is is illegal to kill turkeys for other people without a licence. In my opinion,, it is cruel to kill such a big animal without stunning first.

 

The up side : Turkeys are fantstic birds they are funny, they have great characters the girls have an extensive vocabulary and those noisy boys are magestic. They come running when they see you and bond well.

 

I keep turkeys for breeding, showing and for Christmas. I kill them at the local free range turkey farm where they are humanly killed, prepared and hung in the fridge for 10 days. In return I pluck and gutt for 2 or 3 days. I keep Norfolk black as I like to support rare breeds. They are single breasted birds like the Bronze but not the Kelly Bronze or comercial birds. I have also kept Bronze and crosses. My smallest bird this year 4.5kg(9.5lb) each breast fed 5 people and the leg casserole fed 6. I have enough stock and soup for months and another bird in the freezer. I know what they ate and I know they had a great life and a good death.

 

If you are really sure you want to do this then home farmer mag sells a great book "Not just for Christmas"

I will have hatching eggs and youngsters for sale late spring

I hope this very long post helps.

[Madchook]

Informative post thanks Cranberry (have been looking into it more seriously since this thread started). Can I ask though about the bit where you said it is illegal to kill a turkey without stunning? Can you point me in the direction of the legislation? Not nit picking I am just eager to learn ,it is just when I was looking for clarification about on-farm chicken slaughter when we did our meat birds it referred to all as 'poultry' which turkeys come under surely? In which case neck dislocation and decapitation on farm are totally legal? My partner knows a turkey farmer nearby who would stun and slaughter for us to start so it isn't an issue this yr but I have heard all sorts of things from different people and I hate not having the facts.

 

This was from Organicfarmers.org

Licensing: The Welfare of Animals (Slaughter or Killing) Regulations 1995, as amended, state that it is

an absolute offence to cause or permit an animal avoidable excitement, pain or suffering. There are

specific rules on handling, stunning, slaughter or killing of birds and anyone carrying out any of these

tasks must have the knowledge and skill to do the job humanely and efficiently.

These regulations require the slaughter person to be licensed by Defra but there are exemptions.

**Licensing is not required where the killing is done by neck dislocation or decapitation on the farm where

the bird was reared. However if electrical stunning is involved, the slaughter person must be licensed.**

[Madchook]

Oh ignore me, I read your post wrong re stunning! Wonder how hard it is to get licensed..

[Lewis]

Oh ignore me, I read your post wrong re stunning! Wonder how hard it is to get licensed..

Don't quote me but I don't think its too hard - I'm sure someone visits the premises and you have to dispatch a bird or two to prove you're capable but that may just be renewing it rather than getting the first one.

 

Be interested to hear if you do do it though

[Cranberry]

Hi Madchook, The best place to get advice re turkeys is the Turkey Club its not ileagal to kill your own turkey for your own consumption without stunning. I did so today. It is ileagal to kill for other peoples consumption without stunning and a licence. The trouble is that the stunning units are very expencive. I think the licence is only £40 you get it from defra. I personally hate killing turkeys without stunning and I would much prefir ask the friendly turkey farmer. They are big birds and not stupid (although they are good at acting stupid!). Stunning is safer for you too as there is no wing flapping.

 

They are great birds though I love them. I had my first egg of the year yesterday so Im very happy. The little girl I killed today was about a week away from laying she had yolks inside her but her legs had gone and she would not have coped with the stag.

 

Get in touch with the Turkey club. She is so helpful and passionate about turkeys.

 

Look forward to hearing what you decide to get.