I collected 12 day old turkey poults today. In fact they only hatched this morning. They are Norfolk Blacks and we will grow them on for Christmas. For us, they normally range between 5-10 kg dressed weight depending on whether they are hens or stags. I’m not sure if it’s the breed or the fact that they are slow grown or perhaps both, but they have the tenderest turkey meat I’ve experienced. There’ll all be spoken for before the winter.
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| A few hours old |
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| A few months old |
For the first three or four weeks young turkey’s seem to have a precarious hold on life and can drop dead for no discernible reason. As our supplier put it, they are the poultry equivalent of sheep and prone to all sorts of maladies.
The poults are currently in a ring brooder in the workshop under a heat lamp. Over the next four weeks I’ll gradually wean them off the heat with a view to moving to their outside quarters in 4-5 weeks time. Hopefully all will make it to that stage.
Good luck with raising them, as you say they do have a death wish!
ReplyDeleteWe only did them once..that was enough...strangely everyone wanted them prepared at the same time!!
At least, in my experience, they are easier to pluck compared to chickens.
ReplyDeleteDo you buy them organic meal? Look forward to seeing them grow on your blog.
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