Thursday, May 17, 2012

Pullets and Turkeys are Out on Pasture

The time has come for the pullets and turkeys to move out onto the pasture.  We usually move them between three and four weeks of age (or when the turkeys start escaping the brooder).  We brood them together because turkeys need chicken teachers.  And once they've been taught, they are pretty indestructible.  We've never lost a turkey due to sickness, just one to our dog and one got rolled under the pen and was badly injured.

Turkeys are VERY socialable!  Lots of popping and whistling sounds greet us.  The toms are already strutting with their half feathered out juvenile bodies, and the hens could care less...kind of reminds me of my 9th grade teaching days. :)  


These 25 turkeys are in this pen for about three weeks, until they are big enough to stay in the electric poultry net.  Then they'll be in a much bigger area, ranging around.  Did you know turkeys will take up to 50% of their diet in forage?  It really is amazing to watch them stride and eat, stride and eat.


We also moved 124 pullets (young hens) to a separate pen for the next three weeks or so.  They will be joining the big hens and we want them to also stay in the poultry net AND be able to hold their own with the big girls.


Even though the forage is bigger than they are, they gobble it right up!

We have 50 Barred Rocks, 50 Silver Laced Wyandottes and 25 Ameracaunas (they lay the green/blue eggs).

This one is watching a bug...and then she ate him right up!  Yumm, protein!





1 comment:

  1. Would love to order some turkeys and chickens. My email is sunny6262@hotmail.com.

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