Embark on a Journey of Raising Your Own Thanksgiving Feast
As Thanksgiving draws near, many families picture the magnificent turkey as the focal point of their feast. However, have you ever thought of growing your own turkeys? This fulfilling endeavor enables you to offer your community fresh, locally grown food and to create an unforgettable educational opportunity for young people.
Choosing the Right Breed for Your Thanksgiving Feast
The journey begins with selecting the perfect turkey breed for your Thanksgiving feast. Most breeds mature within 14-22 weeks so plan accordingly. Heritage breeds, known for their rich flavor and slower growth, require a longer timeframe of 25-30 weeks.
Remember, poults (baby turkeys) are typically a few days old when you receive them. Consider your desired Thanksgiving date and choose a breed that will reach maturity in time Each breed offers unique characteristics, so research their growth rates and final weights to ensure they align with your needs.
Creating a Comfortable and Nurturing Home for Your Poults
Poults require a cozy and nurturing environment during their first six weeks. A brooder, a heated enclosure, provides the ideal setting for their early development. Once they reach six weeks, they can graduate to a spacious coop.
Remember that because they are larger than chickens, turkeys need more space. The recommended coop space per turkey varies depending on their age:
- 0-8 weeks: 2-2.5 square feet per turkey
- 8-16 weeks: 3-4 square feet per turkey
- 16-20 weeks: 5-8 square feet per turkey
- 20 weeks to market weight: 6-10 square feet per turkey
Fueling Your Turkeys for a Delicious Thanksgiving Feast
Just like humans, turkeys require a balanced diet for optimal growth and development. During their first eight weeks, a 30% protein starter feed is essential for building muscle. As they mature, switch to a 20% protein grower formula until they reach market weight.
Ensure your turkeys have constant access to clean, fresh water. See resources like “Giving Poults a Good Start” from the University of Maine Extension and “Raising Turkeys” from the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension for more comprehensive information on turkey nutrition.
Determining the Price of Your Thanksgiving Feast
Raising your own turkeys allows you to control the quality of their diet and environment, resulting in a healthier and more flavorful bird for your Thanksgiving feast. To determine a fair price per pound, consider the following factors:
- Purchase price of poults
- Feed costs
- Harvesting costs
- Marketing costs
- Other expenses (bedding, supplies, etc.)
You can establish a fair price that pays your costs and acknowledges the value of your effort and commitment by figuring out your input costs.
Raising your own Thanksgiving turkeys offers a unique and rewarding experience. It allows you to provide fresh, local food for your community, engage in a fun and educational project with youth, and create a Thanksgiving feast infused with personal satisfaction.
Remember, the journey begins with choosing the right breed, providing a nurturing environment, and ensuring proper nutrition. By carefully considering these factors, you can raise healthy and delicious turkeys that will be the centerpiece of your Thanksgiving celebration.
Growing your own Thanksgiving turkeys
If you have ever considered raising turkeys for Thanksgiving feasts, now is the time to get started.
Providing your community with fresh, locally sourced food can be a fun and rewarding endeavor when you raise market turkeys for the Thanksgiving holiday. Young people can also gain a great deal from this project by honing their animal science and entrepreneurial skills. Have you ever considered doing this?
Since most breeds mature between the ages of 14 and 22 weeks, you should purchase your turkeys early in July to ensure they have enough time to grow. Because heritage breeds take a little longer—25–30 weeks—they must be purchased in late May or early June.
Turkey poults are typically a few days old when they arrive at the buyer’s location and can be purchased from a number of hatcheries. It’s a good idea to start with the end in mind when choosing which breed to buy. The time it takes a bird to mature and its final weight will differ depending on the breed. Turkeys should be kept in groups of at least three to six birds.
Turkey poults are raised very similarly to chickens. For the first six weeks, they must be housed in a brooder before being moved into a coop. Turkeys need more room to grow than chicks do because of their size, and this space requirement will increase as the turkey grows larger. The following is the amount of coop space per turkey that will be needed:
- 0-8 weeks: 2-2.5 square feet per turkey
- 8-16 weeks: 3-4 square feet per turkey
- 16-20 weeks: 5-8 square feet per turkey
- 20 weeks to market weight: 6-10 square feet per turkey
Turkeys also require different diets during different growth stages. They need a diet very high in protein so that they can grow and gain muscle quickly. Generally, a 30% protein diet is fed as a starter feed from 0-8 weeks of age. After that, birds can be dropped down to a 20% protein grower formula until they achieve market weight. Turkeys must have access to clean, fresh water at all times as well.
“Giving Poults a Good Start” by the University of Maine Extension and “Raising Turkeys” by the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension are great resources that can provide more in-depth information.
Turkeys are sold at a price per pound. In order to determine what you need to charge per pound, consider the following:
- Purchase price of poults
- Feed costs
- Harvesting costs
- Marketing costs
- Other expenses—bedding, supplies, etc.
Determining your input costs will help you set a fair price so that your costs are covered.
Raising turkeys can be a fun and rewarding way for young people to get more experience with 4-H poultry outside of the community fair.
TURKEYS – 2 Things To Consider Before Raising Turkeys!
FAQ
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