OK...so I've gotten my "foul feet" wet with the chickens and I'm really loving the fact that I now get 4 fresh eggs every day, especially starting the holiday baking season.
The wife sure is happy that I have a 1 1/2 dozen eggs in the fridge and we are now getting more than we can eat fresh.
Soooooooooo....
I'm now thinking of getting into raising a few turkeys for meat.
I figure I can go through 8 - 10 turkeys per year.
I have read up on them a bit, and it seems most recomendations are to build a pen so that they can range a bit, but I just don't want to do that for a couple of reasons...
1 - I don't have the space to dedicate to that...most of my 1/3 acre is dedicated to the house and sheds and garden...the rest is wooded mountainside that I can't clear due to erosion issues.
2 - I don't want my turkeys to be public knowledge...no one knows I have chickens and I want to keep everything on the down low.
does anyone have experience raising turkeys?
Why would you not just use the hens for eating when they get old ? and get a few
new hens every now and then for proper rotation ? Can they not be eaten ?
I know nothing about this .
OH YES!!!
When the hens stop producing...into the stew pot they go! I got a bigger, dual purpose breed for that reason.
I need them to produce an egg every 2 days to break even on feed...so once they dip to that level, new chicks will be brought in and the mobile slaughter house will be called.
But...I love turkey!
I'm looking for a breed that can be brought up to weight in 6 months...and possibly be home bread.
From what I understand, some of the "commercial" breeds get too big to breed themselves naturally and flocks are maintained through artificial insemination.