Heritage turkeys, anyone?

[nightshade]

ooo I love the color of Bourbon Reds! but we are going to get Midget Whites to raise next year. I have to get my coops set up first....:/

 

[freemotion]

Midget Whites were my first choice, but when I found these for the price, I couldn't pass them up!

My guineas, who usually sound the intruder alarm, came down from the rafters....after 8 PM! and peeked between the boards at the Narragansetts, and made "I love you" noises!

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

And yes, Quail, I ended up "tossing them in there!!!"

ROTFL!

I am so happy for you! Congratulations on your new turkeys!

When your Bourbon Red starts laying, Please let me buy some eggs from you? DH would love some Bourbons!

Sure! Are you gonna come to MA to get them along with the baby goat? Trade for some EE chicks?

Seriously, as long as there are plenty and I can tell who laid what, (the Narragansetts are in there, too....tossed them all in!) I'd be happy to share. You'll have to educate me, when the time comes, on how to handle packing and shipping.

Seriously thinking on it!

I would love to take that kid off your hands. Especially since he's a buck! We are thinking of selling Elroy, one he's getting mean (pinned me one day, tried to pin DH next day), and 2 we aren't really sure how old he is and he is aggressive over feed. I don't like that. He is always trying to chase the girls off from the feed we put in, and the hay, too. And we spread the hay out so all five goats can get to it, doesn't matter, he'll run around beating all the girls until they leave the hay alone.

So he's going. We decided to sell him and reinvest the $ from him into a young buck that is small enough for us to work with and tame and encourage behaviors we want. We have Bambi growing up and she's going to replace Nan. Nan I think is old. She acts old, anyway. We think she's bred again, to Elroy, so we're keeping her until she kids and when the kid(s) are weaned sell her, too.

If I could convince DH that your goat kid is worth the drive up, I'd bring you the EE chicks no problemo!

AND I think a Narragansett/Bourbon Red would be beautiful!!

 

[farmerlor]

We're getting Midgets, Beltsvilles, and Lavenders. I'm hoping to get a mix of some others as a surprise too but we'll see.

 

[nightshade]

I would not have passed them up either!

 

[freemotion]

I already think they are so cool! The BR's were obviously handled, they are very tame. With me....the tom flew at the Narragansetts with his feet almost immediately, EEEEK! So I ran and got the big white box that I transported them in and tossed it in the pen, thinking they could at least hide behind it. It instantly became the common enemy, and the N's hid behind the tom! They were all getting along just fine this morning, and the tom was displaying for three unimpressed hens. He is fun to watch. What beautiful birds. I never thought so until they were in my barn!

 

[Beekissed]

A question about your heritage breeds....are they expensive to obtain? If so, do you eat any offspring or extras? Do you feel like you are wasting potential money when you eat an expensive heritage breed as opposed to any old bird, cow, etc.?

My sis raises some heritage breeds of cattle, hogs, birds...but she can't seem to get the appropriate prices around here when she offers them for sale, so she has decided to butcher some for meat.

 

[freemotion]

I got the turkeys because they are able to breed naturally, so my plan is that after the first purchased ones, I won't have to spend any more money on turkeys. I am not looking to sell any, though, so I don't really care if they are hard to sell. Same with the chickens, still a chance of a broody.

I got all four of mine for $70, a major bargain. Right now, you will be more able to purchase animals because the owner can't afford to feed them.

I'm willing to sprout my grains and be creative about feeding them, so I am hoping to only buy one, two at the most, $14 bags of turkey pellets, and have them switched over in about 3 weeks. Just in time for spring. At least that is what my calendar claims. :/

Many modern breeds are developed for modern agribiz practices, not to survive hard times or scrounge up their own food or to reproduce hardy offspring. So, no thank you. I'll take a little flavor in my food, thank you very much!

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

Free, my heritage turkeys free range. Course, they do like to sneak into the chicken coops and snatch treats of layer and scratch. And I give them black sunflower seeds, too.

 

[Beekissed]

Most of my chickens are considered heritage breeds and I did think of that factor when choosing the breeds. Plus, I'm just an old-fashioned gal with great respect for old-timey things...like Dominiquers...my grandma's favorite breed.

My sis has registered Highland Cattle and I think the plan was to have animals that could forage and try to have seed stock to sell. Well, wrong place in which to try to change the world..these folks won't do change! Now she is having to rethink her very expensive breed choice and treat them like any other beef....good for packing the freezer. She can't sell them around here for what they are worth, so she is going to eat them. Smartest choice she has made yet!