New to Turkeys, All Advice Appreciated!

[Lilorp14]

Hello everyone,

I recently caught the Turkey bug, and because around where I live there are a bunch of people hooked on humane and free-range foods, I've been considering getting into the 'Pasture-Raised Thanksgiving Turkeys' business. I know that its too late in the season to begin my endeavor this year, (I'm going the heritage route) but next year is what I'm eyeing. These are the ideas that have been bouncing around my head, but please feel free to tell me if there are flaws or drawbacks to what i'm planning because I am a complete novice.

Housing

I live on a 5 acre farm, which is a mix of forest and pasture. I'm thinking of making a fully enclosed run about 10-12 feet high, with 2 feet on the bottom sided in wood all the way around to prevent Blackhead. Not sure if that would work, but I have a ton of free-range chickens and I've heard its spread through turkeys ingesting a chicken's droppings, so hopefully that barrier will prevent any from slipping in. I don't know how big I'd make the run, but i't should be able to forage up to 30 turkeys comfortably. (I'll start with 10-15 to test out demand) I've been reading about housing and such, but I've been receiving mixed messages. One author says he raises his turkeys in an open-sided lean-to you'd see in a horse pasture, and all he does is add roosts. Another will say he herds them back into a shed he converted to a turkey coop. I personally like the open-sided idea better, but I'm not sure if it would cause problems with exposure.

Feeding

So I know that (at least I think I do) Turkeys need 20-30% protein. The average Turkey feed is about 28%, and I plan on using that. My question is, is there a specified Turkey poult starter, grower, etc? Or do you just use chick starter? Also, is medicated advised or is that toxic? I know that it can be for some birds... I've also heard that around October you should switch the feed to 3 parts scratch, 1 part feed in order to fatten them up for slaughter. This seems like the ratio is tilted a little to far towards the scratch, but I may be wrong.

Breeds

So, because I am using my turkeys for meat, I have been looking for breeds with Hens weighing out somewhere between 12-13 lb, and Toms weighing out somewhere between 20-25 lb. I've done some research and the breeds that seem best for what I'm looking for are as follows.

Beltsville Small Whites - Hens 12 lb, Toms 21 lb.
Black Spanish - (I've heard that weight varies greatly, some toms are 10 lbs lighter than others.)
Bourbon Reds - (See above)
Narragansett - (See above)
Royal Palms - Hens 12 lbs, Toms 22 lbs
Slates - (See 4 above )
White Hollands - (See above)

So, I hear that there is tinting on the meat with dark-feathered birds if you slaughter them too early, but I've never heard of an age that doesn't produce that feature. Do any of you know? Also, when do you get your birds in order to have them ready by Thanksgiving? I hear mid-May is best. Also, what would you guys think pricing should be? I'm thinking for a 12-13 lb hen, $35 Live, $45-50 processed. For a 23-25 lb tom, $50 Live, $65-70 processed. The prices will also fluctuate a little with weather it is prone to having pigmented skin (slightly cheaper?) or not. Tell me if those prices are too high/low.

Eggs

I know that Turkeys are not really kept for Eggs, but I think that it'd be nice to add some variety to my breakfasts. Are there any breeds that lay better than the usual turkey?


Sorry about the wall of text , but I just want to figure it all out.

Thanks!

-S

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I will just answer a few questions to start with. Heritage breeds take a long time to put on meat, 7 months and up to 18 months. They are not the best for meat. Carcasses lack the breast meat of the broad breasted, and dark meat is tough. I personally would raise broad breasted if grown solely to butcher.

White birds pluck cleaner and have that look people are used to.

Heritage can breed and reproduce, so that's the advantage of them.

Housing is based on weather, and whether you are keeping them through the winter. From my experiences a 3 sided shed would work well. We built a regular shed, but in hindsight it wasn't necessary. Turkeys roost and seek shelter from bad storms in my shed, otherwise they stay outside.

Poults should be started on a higher protein game bird, than after a month you can step down the protein as they grow. I never use medicated.

I highly recommend the Storeys guide for raising turkeys for a reference book.

 

[Lilorp14]

I will just answer a few questions to start with. Heritage breeds take a long time to put on meat, 7 months and up to 18 months. They are not the best for meat. Carcasses lack the breast meat of the broad breasted, and dark meat is tough. I personally would raise broad breasted if grown solely to butcher.

White birds pluck cleaner and have that look people are used to.

Heritage can breed and reproduce, so that's the advantage of them.

Housing is based on weather, and whether you are keeping them through the winter. From my experiences a 3 sided shed would work well. We built a regular shed, but in hindsight it wasn't necessary. Turkeys roost and seek shelter from bad storms in my shed, otherwise they stay outside.

Poults should be started on a higher protein game bird, than after a month you can step down the protein as they grow. I never use medicated.

I highly recommend the Storeys guide for raising turkeys for a reference book.

I have been reading the Storey's guide, but I'm only a few chapters in. He seems keen on Heratige breeds. I'm not intending to mass produce, just a couple of birds for my customers to buy. I run a little farm stall on the weekends in my driveway. It's mostly for educational purposes, and a lot of little kids are usually running around chasing my chickens and ducks. I want my customers to see elegant, proud turkeys, not top-heavy, half-naked butterballs! I don't intend to make a full-blown business out of this, so Heratige are more what I'm looking for.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

You could do midget whites. They are supposed to lay well also. Expect a longer grow for any heritage but I'm unsure if it's a bit different with the midget whites.