how to raise turkeys for meat

How long does it take to raise turkeys for meat?

It takes 16-20 weeks for a poult to grow to mature weight, and that means a start date around the end of June to mid-July for getting and starting to grow your turkeys, depending on what size turkeys your customers like best.

Are turkeys easy to raise?

They're great at controlling pests, and they're easy to raise and fun to watch! Narragansett turkeys are attractive, and some strains are particularly good at hatching eggs. Turkeys love to be up high, so they will congregate anywhere they can find a nice high perch.

What are the best turkeys to raise for meat?

Royal Palms are great layers, great moms, and they taste the best amongst heritage breeds. Midget White: Toms weigh about 16-20 pounds, hens about 8-12 pounds. Midget White is the most popular heritage breed for its meat taste and easiness to raise. Blue Slate: Toms weigh about 23 pounds, hens about 14 pounds.

How long does it take to raise a turkey to 20 lbs?

Heritage breeds will take six months or likley more to reach a decent size. Broad breasted turkeys take half the time, 12-14 weeks can produce a dressed out turkey over 20lb.

What is the best age to butcher a turkey?

The best age to butcher a Broad Breasted Turkey is 16-20 weeks, for heritage breed turkeys it's 24-28 weeks.

How long does it take a turkey to grow to full size?

Choosing turkey breeds

Traditional turkey breeds are known for fast growth and high production. Broad Breasted White or Bronze turkeys can grow between 30 pounds (females) and 50 pounds (males) in just five months. Both breeds are raised commercially. Heritage turkeys are gaining in popularity.

Why should you not eat turkey?

Top 10 Reasons Not to Eat Turkeys

Turkeys Are "People" Too. Turkeys have personalities, just as dogs and cats do. ...
Fear Factories. ...
Don't Be a Butterball! ...
Bird Flu Blues. ...
Turkey-Free, Cholesterol-Free Tasty Treats. ...
Want Stuffing With Your Supergerms? ...
Foul Farming. ...
Feed the World.

What is the friendliest breed of turkey?

Our Jersey Buff (our first turkeys) are very friendly and beautiful. they were about 2 years old when we got them. lghter in color than the bourbons, but we got a bunch from porters this year. they are almost 10 weeks old, and the bourbons and buffs are so far the friendliest.

How much are live turkeys worth?

Live turkeys are generally sold as day old poults (freshly hatched chicks). The price will range based on the breed, but generally they cost anywhere from about $3.00 to $20.00 each. The less expensive breeds are the commercial, fast growing breeds. While the more expensive birds are the slower growing heritage breeds.

Are heritage turkeys better?

They have proportionally smaller breasts, darker leg meat, and are generally gamier in flavor than industrially raised turkeys. Heritage birds are also older than conventional birds at the age of slaughter (26-28 weeks compared to 14-18 weeks), which results in sturdier meat.

Can meat turkeys be pets?

Pet turkeys are very friendly and social

She loves to be pet and will even sit down on our feet to try to get attention! Every turkey is different, and some toms can become territorial. However, most turkeys are generally docile, making them a good animal to be around children.

What breed of Turkey lays the most eggs?

BELTSVILLE SMALL WHITE

In the 1930s, this breed was developed and has become a great breed of prolific egg-laying turkeys. The hens set and hatch well. They make a good table bird, with a larger breast than the Midget Whites but it's agreed that their meat is blander than other heritage turkey meat.

How do you kill a turkey humanely?

One way is to hang the turkey upside down, which pacifies the bird and makes it easier to drain its blood; the other method is to straddle the bird, slit its throat (sometimes clean off), and then hold it down as it flaps around. This sounds more like a prelude to Halloween than Thanksgiving or Christmas.

How long does a turkey live?

The average lifespan of a wild turkey is 3-5 years, and the oldest known wild turkey lived to be at least 13 years old. Domestic birds bred for food only live a few months until they are the appropriate size for commercial slaughter, though breeding pairs may be kept several years.

Are turkey eggs good eating?

Turkey eggs are totally edible: Those who have backyard turkeys report their eggs taste remarkably similar to chicken eggs. ... For one thing, turkeys lay eggs much less frequently than other birds; a chicken or a duck lays about one egg per day, but a turkey lays at most about two per week.

How do farmers kill turkeys?

Many turkeys are slaughtered without being stunned at all. In the processing plant, turkeys are shackled by their legs and hung upside-down. The turkeys' throats are slit on a circular blade before being placed in a scalding tank meant to loosen feathers.

How long do you let a turkey rest after butchering?

Let the bird rest in the fridge for 48 hrs. then freeze or eat. The resting will make the bird more tender, and in my opinion more flavorful.

Can you eat a year old turkey?

A little over a year is not that old. They should be very good eating. A lot of people prefer their heritage turkeys a little over a year. Some suggest 18 months.

How many eggs does a turkey lay in 1 year?

A turkey hen lays one clutch of eggs per year, these clutches can as small as four to as large as 17 eggs per nest (that's a big clutch and that's cool fact #1)! The hen lays only one egg each day, so if she lays 14 eggs it takes two full weeks to lay the entire clutch.

Do female turkeys puff up?

Beware my snood! Snood: Both male and female will have “snood” -a flap of skin that overhangs the turkeys' beak. The hens' snood will normally remain small (one indication of gender), but the males' snood will shrink or elongate during episodes of anger or courtship.

What is a female turkey called?

Adult female turkeys are called hens.